To Move in Time, a monologue performed by Tyronne Huggins and written by Tim Etchell, performed at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff is made profound by its casual nature. Huggins puts us immediately at ease, with the manner of a welcome old acquaintance, stumbled upon again for one perfectly timed night.

His journeys through the thought experiment of what we might do if we could travel back in time travel familiar roads to anyone who’s asked the question himself. The possibilities weave through from the extraordinary to the mundane and back again.

The play is a quiet affair, always centering us on Huggins, literally in the sparse but strategic set design, where flash cards create a ring of possibilities around the performer. Huggins never makes any obvious attempts to dazzle us, and that’s how he does, holding the audience in rapt attention for a very short hour.

It’s ironic that an unnamed character designed to play an everyman is the absolute essential to this play. It’s quite possible that any other performer could have turned this understated script into a more tepid affair.

Etchell’s script is serviceable but not as captivating as the star. The script touches on the most essential possibilities of time travel with a light and witty touch. There are undercurrents of melancholy, but the script never really wrings much out of them by way of subversion.

But this isn’t the place to do so. To move in time is a meditative play, which brings the audience together, a warm meandering through possibilities past and present.  

(3 / 5)

We recently attended the opening night of Robin Hood the pantomime performed by Cardiff Players in the YMCA and it was everything and more that you would expect from a community pantomime! 

The thing with any pantomime, specifically this one, is that the more you personally get involved and accept it for what it is the more you will enjoy the show.  When the show opened I was taken back by the over-the-top-ness of the show but as time passed and I gave myself over to its crazy nature I actually had a really enjoyable evening filled with constant laughs and so much audience participation. Robin Hood was classic community theatre at its finest with every person having lines to say/ something to do in the show which is obviously great to watch and, I imagine, even better to be a part of.  It’s fantastic to see ever person being used because fundamentally theatre is all about people having something to do and feeling involved which Cardiff Players did excellently.

It was very clear that this was the opening night of this production as a there was a constant feeling of opening night nerves. We did have some points where actors had forgotten lines and had to be cued by the backstage team who were off-stage. Although this is not usually what you expect in production, it was great to see the other actors on stage helping each other and working through it. Also due to the nature of pantomime, this is more expectable just because of the fun nature of the show. I believe on any other night this would not have happened as it was clear the actor had worked really hard and knew his lines but it was a shame this happened. Also, there was a hook placed on the side of the stage where a hat was supposed to be hung except this didn’t happen and the hat fell to the ground. This again was a shame but the everyone worked through it really well and played it off really well which showed that everyone had a massive sense of professionalism and were experienced performers.

This show followed the classic pantomime traits and brought all the fun/campiness of this style of performance. It had tremendous amounts of audience participation which was incredibly fun. We had the classic “He’s behind you” and “Oh yes he is” call-outs from the audience but at times it was difficult to gauge what the actors expected the audience to shout out. As an audience member, there were certain points where I was unsure of what the correct thing to shout out for the call outs. Also, there was a very embarrassing moment where I thought the actors were asking the audience to get involved with a joke so I shouted out the punch line but this was not supposed to be an audience involvement section. This meant I trampled on the actors next line but if I got confused then I believe many other audience members will also get confused. It must be made more clear by the actors when and where audience participation is desired otherwise more awkward moments like this one will occur. But the awkwardness of this was not all the actors fault as the audience also share some of the blame. Obviously, pantomimes are designed for children however there was not a single child in the audience which obviously clashed with the nature of the show. Despite this, I did hear my favourite ever call-our from any show I have ever seen when the audience was asked: “Where did Maid Marion go?” And someone in the audience replied “Stage right I think” which had the entire audience rolling in laughter from the rest of the scene.  

One of the highlight in this show was the role of Simon Scowl (which is a very clever and hilarious name for a pantomime villain which the writer should be proud of) /The Sheriff Of Nottingham played by William John Richardson who was just the perfect pantomime villain. He was evil and grumpy in that over-the-top way and was almost a caricature of every villain ever which was very enjoyable to watch. He performed excellently and managed to banter with the audience in a smooth and excellent way. This role included a hilarious rendition of “bad guy” by Billie Eilish which was both a really clever choice of song (due to this character being the “bad guy”) but also hilariously funny which had the audience in fits of laughter throughout. 

The other highlight in this show was Nurse Norma Snockers (again incredible name of this character) who was played by Jordan Forse. This was the equivalent of the dame in classic pantomime as this a character in drag. Jordan delivered such a camp and over-the-top performance which fitted perfectly with the nature of the show. He is an extremely talented performer who had the audience in laughter whenever he was in the stage. I actually spent the majority of the show looking forward to the next time he was on stage as he was that excellent and hilarious! At the end of the show, Jordan actually sang and he had an incredible voice and wish there was more of opportunity for him to showcase this talent. What was brilliant about this character is that every time he graced the stage the beginning of the song “Girls just wanna have fun” was played which fitted this character to a tee. 

The role of Peter Pan was played Elinor Howe which obviously honoured the pantomime tradition of Peter Pan being played by a female performer. Elinor is clearly an extremely talented dancer and one pure showcase of this was during a scene in which where Maid Marion was singing “Just the way you are” by Bruno Mars and Elinor performed a stunning ballet routine as a shadow which was beautiful to watch. This was excellently performed but also was a credit to the technical team who were able to execute the shadow casting excellently. The show opened with rhyming introduction spoken by the fairy LouLou (played by Catrin Maid Griffiths) who managed to perfectly encapsulate the fantastic and mythical nature of the role. However, she does have to be cautious about the pace of her speeches as sometimes jokes were given enough time for the audience to appreciate what was being said. Apart from this minor issue, Catrin was excellent in this role. What I was extremely surprised by in this show was the role of Friar Tuck who was played by Chris England. During a scene, Chris walked out holding a violin and at first, I was expecting him to do the ridiculous mining that so many productions are doing at the moment. But to my surprise, he actually played the violin live which was incredible to see someone showcasing a skill that is rarely seen. This is a unique moment that very few shows actually utilise which makes this show actually stand out from the others I have seen.

Overall, this was a classic community pantomime that allowed everyone to feel involved and showcased many unique skills that were not just classic performance-based ones. It was hilariously funny and fabulously fun which is perfect for an evening entertaining young children. I would rate this performance 3 stars and would encourage parents to take the young children to see this show as it is entertaining for all ages! 

Hi Andy great to meet you, can you
give our readers some background information on yourself please?

I’m a Welsh playwright currently living in Lincolnshire and studying an MA in Theatre at the University of Lincoln. I was born in Cardiff and raised in Penarth, where my love of drama and theatre was nurtured. I left Wales to train as a teacher in 1988 and went on to work as a teacher of Criminal Law for 25 years, before redundancy made a switch necessary and I became a primary teacher, with responsibility for Literacy in the school. After six years I decided that the time had come to move on and to pursue my passion, so I left teaching and began running Breakwater Theatre Company full-time. I also wanted to look to improve my knowledge and understanding of theatre and chose to study for an MA in Theatre, in order to validate the years of work I had done to date.

During my time as a teacher, I began writing plays for a youth theatre I ran as a volunteer in Grimsby. My first play was published by a small publisher in Essex in 1999 and in 2001 my play Moonlight Marionettes was published in the USA by playscripts.com. I joined Hull Truck Theatre Company where I was commissioned to write a full-length play entitled, Taking a Bullet. I also got involved in Stories of the Streetz, with the National Theatre of Wales, the Sherman Writers’ Group and Dirty Protest, for whom I have written twice. I also worked with Middle Child in Hull and Slung Low in Leeds among others. All of which led me to establish my own company, Breakwater, which specialises in new writing for the stage and has worked in conjunction with New Perspectives, in developing scripts and writers nationally.

So, what got you interested in the
arts?

I went to St Cyres Comprehensive in Penarth; a school where I feel the arts were championed, and we had some really dedicated drama and music teachers. My inspiration was drama teacher Joy Nubert, she was a passionate advocate for drama education and ran extra-curricular workshops and productions. I performed in West Side Story and Oh! What a Lovely War, as well as workshopping scripts by Pinter and Orton.

We also had an amazing music teacher called Anne Harris, who led the school Music Department with passion and vigour. I guess my passion for performing arts was born there. Their love of the arts was infectious and inspiring. The arts help an individual to learn about themselves and to discover what makes people tick, to encourage support and inspire That is something I still see as important and influenced my choice of University for my MA. The University of Lincoln is championing a campaign to say #WhyArtsMatter a hashtag I fully endorse.

Why and where do you write?

I write at home and tend to write in the corner of my living room, though not exclusively. I enjoy being surrounded by my books and videos, with easy access to the internet to help me gain inspiration if I start to dry up. I also have two Dalmatians, who hate being left home alone and enjoy cwtching up as I write. I tend to write extremely quickly, which is a habit born out of necessity back when I was teaching. I would never write during term time and would get the majority of my writing done during school holidays. I tend to spend a lot of time preparing to write, mentally planning the plot and the structure and so on, before I ever open a Word document and beginning to write. The first draft of a play is often written in a very short window of opportunity and I re-write at leisure thereafter.

As to why I write, I write because
I can’t help myself. I love writing and my brain loves contemplating things
that would be interesting dramatically, which I could put on stage to entertain
others. There is no “Go To Book of Ideas” it could be a picture, a documentary,
an overheard conversation. The only rule is to ask “Would it make an
interesting story?”

There are a range of organisations
supporting Welsh and Wales based writers, I wonder if you feel the current support
network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to
sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not what would help?

I feel bad saying this, but I have received very little help or support from within Wales. As mentioned, I was a member of the Writers Group at the Sherman many moons ago, and that was useful for meeting and networking. My favourite support network within Wales is the small but mighty Dirty Protest, especially working with Catherine Paskell. The work done by DP is astonishing and they are, by far, the primary advocates for new Welsh playwriting. I love them and wish I could always write for them.

And when John McGrath was in charge of the NTW, I felt that I had support and was welcomed with open arms to discuss my work and what I was doing. John even messaged me from Japan to ensure I was going to be able to discuss my work with someone from his team.

However, following the subsequent
regime change, I felt edged out and during a meeting, was given the impression
that it was unlikely I would be considered as I am not based in Wales. There
are those of us who still qualify as “emerging artists” who are more mature and
there are far less opportunities for us to market and stage our work. I would
like to see schemes specifically aimed at mature writers. Their work can have
just as much resonance as somebody a third of their age.

In addition, if a Welsh writer has
chosen to work and reside outside Wales but then offers to work within Wales
and Welsh theatres, it should not be held against them as there are such things
as cars and trains. I get back to Penarth regularly and can always be available
through a base in my family home. Its just another excuse for excluding
someone. Let me decide if I am willing to drive back and forth, or stay in
Wales for an extended period, don’t assume it won’t work in advance.

One reason I have chosen to remain in Lincolnshire for now, is that I get more work as a writer here. I am unsure that a move home would increase work opportunities and may lose some. During 2019, I was able to write and produce two newly commissioned plays and would not have the ability to see such work through to fruition at home, as there are far fewer opportunities offered and more writers chasing them. Ironically, one of my new plays. Indomitable, was about the life of Welsh author and disabled rights campaigner Elisabeth Sheppard Jones. I worried that the slightly parochial setting (Penarth in the 1950s – 70s) wouldn’t play well, but the play was a resounding success here in Cleethorpes.

I try to familiarise myself with the available work and career support in Wales, I am part of the NTW Community and I am on the mailing list for the Welsh branch of the Writers Guild of Great Britain, but I do still feel isolated from the theatre scene and hiraeth draws me home to watch others making work repeatedly. I would love to make more work in Wales, especially within Cardiff.

If you were able to fund an area
of the arts in Wales what would this be and why?

I would love to offer a bursary to
an emerging writer of mature years, giving them the freedom to write without
worrying about how it would affect their income. Youth is often the only form
of “new” considered by many in theatre. I staunchly believe that there are
other writers out there who could benefit from career development but are
discouraged by perceptions of ageism. Allow more mature people to explore and
to be creative; fund them and then give them an outlet to share their work. It
doesn’t have to be, and should not be, at the expense of opportunities for
younger writers, but there are some amazingly creative people out there who
think they have lost the chance to make a mark creatively. I would seek to
encourage precisely that. 

Can you tell us about your writing
process? Where do your ideas come from?

As I mentioned earlier, I am constantly thinking about what the next idea will be or where the idea will come from. I don’t try to force creativity; I pay attention to the word around me. Moonlight Marionettes was inspired by a photo I saw on the internet. I wrote Indomitable about Elisabeth Sheppard Jones after reading about her on a Facebook page for local memories. The other play I wrote this year, was entitled With Love From Ruhleben.

I was commissioned to write it as part of a project funded by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund and Lincs Inspire Libraries. Ruhleben was a civilian internment camp in Spandau, just outside Berlin at the outset of WW1. Any foreign nationals in Germany at the outbreak of hostilities were rounded up and the males were interred. For 5000 men that was their war. Many men from Grimsby were imprisoned as they had been in German waters at the time. So, I interviewed relatives of men who served and created a fictionalised story that forms part of an educational resource sent out to all secondary schools in the area. A filmed performance of the play on DVD and a copy of the script, accompanies a teacher’s pack for each school.

Can you describe your writing day?
Do you have a process or a minimum word count?

No two writing days are ever the
same for me. I will often have spent months thinking about, researching for or
plotting a play before I commit to writing and I outline the story before I
start writing. I talk about that as a gestation period. Then, eventually, I
will sit down to write. I pour myself a cup of coffee and open up my laptop,
then I begin to write “Act One, Scene One”.

Generally, I write in a
traditionally, linear fashion. I start as early as I can, after feeding and
walking my dogs. I don’t set myself a word or a page count, I write everything
that comes and finish when it feels right to do so. When writing the Ruhleben
play, I sat and wrote for a full twelve-hour day and hammered out a complete full
draft. I’m not proud of that as it went through a lot of rewrites, but I was at
least able to see exactly where I wanted the story to go.

I don’t use a dramaturg, which is
ironic as I am hoping my MA will allow me to offer my services to others in
precisely that role. Instead, as I often direct my own work, the rehearsals
help to re-shape a script. I do sometimes send a script to a trusted colleague,
or fellow writer to give it a once over. If it has any detailed, technical
requirements, I do try to check with an expert, that I haven’t made any glaring
errors.

However, it often depends on which company I am writing for. I have found that different companies employ different methodologies and so I may work with a literary manager or a director on tweaking the final script. I really enjoyed working with the (then) Literary Manager at Hull Truck Theatre, Nick Lane to develop scripts and to shape them for performance. This in turn, also led to me joining the Literary Department as a reader at the time as well.

You have recently started a new
project Review Culture reviewing events across Lincolnshire. Does your
theatrical knowledge impact upon your role as a critic?

Review Culture was set up as a direct response to the death of local news reporting and reviewing in the area I live. During my MA, we have been encouraged to write ABOUT theatre as well as FOR theatre. Dr Sue Healy led some sessions about the work of a reviewer or critic, and I found myself drawn to the work. I love going to see work in performance, be it amateur or professional. I decided that if I offered an online portal that reviewed work free of charge and yet which helped to publicise what is happening across Lincolnshire, it could only be a good thing. As a keen photographer, I also shoot production photos which are featured on the site too. I think that my background does impact upon the review process and upon the final product. We don’t use a star-rating system, the reviews merely reflect the good that we see presented in a show. I know its possible to rip some shows to shreds but that is not our mission. We review a lot of amateur productions and I recognise how much time and effort will have gone into staging work. Our reviews respond to their love and enthusiasm of the form. If a review is somewhat thin, we may not have enjoyed a show quite so much. But if we issue praise, it is because we believe it is well-deserved. After all, if audiences attend a show on our recommendation and it is a dud, they won’t trust us, or keep using our site to check out the reviews. We will become redundant very rapidly.

 Andy, I know you are currently engaged on a course of study and are
specifically focusing on Welsh Playwrights I wonder if it’s possible to tell me
some more about this please.

This is
my pet subject, when I was offered a place on the course, many assumed that I
would choose to write a play as my final project because it is an option
available to me. Even I thought I would most likely choose that option. But
fate stepped in and showed me how much I love research. The Library facilities
at Lincoln are awesome. They run a scheme which allows students to request book
purchases that will assist their studies and I have made great use of the
scheme. I have persuaded them to order plays by a number of Welsh writers
including Matthew Bulgo, Alun Saunders, Dic Edwards and Neil Anthony Docking.
All of which feed into my intended topic for a dissertation.

Tutors within the school are supportive and have encouraged me to pursue my interest as a full study for my final project on the course. I intend to research and write about the way in which Welsh playwrights present nationality and nation in their plays. I have already spent time reading some of the earliest published plays written in English, considering the likes of Jo Francis, Caradoc Evans and latterly, Emlyn Williams, to contrast with the contemporary writers. As yet, I haven’t formulated a question for my thesis, and I am merely reading as much as I can. I hope to refine my field of study and hone the work down to relevant texts over the next two months. Once I have a specific research question sorted, I shall be making contact with as many writers as I can manage, and I hope that they will all have an opinion to share.

My
tutors have warned me that I may be taking on a study that could be better
suited to PhD and will need to be cautious to narrow my work, but we shall see
what comes. Either way, my dissertation will need to be written and submitted
by September 2020.

What excites you about the arts in
Wales?

I find the arts scene and the
theatre scene, in Wales fascinating. It’s a brilliant community to be a part of
and it is remarkably generous, giving and supportive in my experience. I love
the diversity of the work created and the themes explored by writers such as
Gary Owen and Katherine Chandler. The work of Tim Price continues to inspire me,
and I only hope that I can gain a tiny sliver of the success that each has had.
I continue to proselytise for Welsh playwriting in the realm of English theatre.
I desperately want to ensure that exiles are not forgotten among the ranks of
Welsh writers. That is why I love the work being led by Rebecca Hammond of
Chippy Lane, championing those of us who are no longer based in the Land of Our
Fathers. Cool Cymru has made an impact on the world and it would be great to
think that it will continue, and the work of Welsh playwrights, resident and
ex-patriot, will continue to thrive.

What was the last really great
thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?

I know I bore anyone who knows me when asked a question like this, but the single, most influential piece of theatre I have seen in recent years, from my perspective, was Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen, starring the powerhouse that is Sophie Melville.

Sophie is one of the greatest “undiscovered” gems of British theatre and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. What she, Rachel O’Riordan and Gary Owen achieved in that production, has really helped to lift the level of respect for Welsh plays in the eyes of those who are not from, or based in Wales. The whole team responsible for bringing that production into the world deserves praise from designers and tech to the final performance. The work of the Sherman is the last REALLY great thing I experienced, and I hope to experience even more from Cardiff’s premier producing theatre.

(5 / 5)

Prometheus reborn.

This is an ambitious premise.  Take a story that has passed into classic status, that has been reworked countless times in serious and spoof form, that has universal recognition and that has spawned endless clones and then strip it back to its original story line and portray it through the eyes of its creator.  Would it work?  Can it fulfil that lofty aim?

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this production at Theatr Clwyd.  I heard it said that it was a verbose script with a lot of shouting and that the lead playing Mary Shelley was too in your face, but to me this was absorbing, thought provoking theatre that retold the story and yet picked out the social context admirably. 

At times it is not comfortable viewing, it was intended as a
horror story and developed a threatening, suspense filled atmosphere without
attempting to shock for the sake of it. 
The set and lighting was highly effective, with an almost black and
white backdrop yet with a clever use of height that allowed you to see the
story and then see the thought process of the author side by side. 

It was this use of the author that allowed the social context and Promethean nature of the story to breathe.  Especially during the second act, you saw her dictating the nature of the story to drive home the point that she wanted to make.  In that sense the play was as much about her as it was Frankenstein and his monster.  She was a remarkable author.  She was an 18 year old recently married woman who had suffered considerable personal tragedy when this was written.  She was actively involved in events that fermented the social revolution that was taking place in the early 19^th Century and the play reflects that clamour for change.  She then became the fulfilment of some of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft’s desires when as an independent, self-supporting woman, developed her own career while supporting other members of her family. 

She developed themes of throwing off traditional rule and
transforming society through scientific revolution, yet knowing that unfettered
scientific investigation can take things too far.  The book served as an illustration of the
conflict between a traditional way of life, the challenge of science and the
interdependence of different branches of knowledge, such that Science without Religion
is ignorant.  Religion without Science is
blind.   

Most strikingly to me though was Shelley’s  insistence that what people need is love,
compassion and some companionship and if you deny people these basic needs you
are playing with fire. 

It is the stated intention of the playwright, Rona Munro to draw us back to the life of Mary Shelley, and she accomplishes this really well.  Mary is played with huge emotion by Eilidh Loan yet this portrayal does not compromise the telling of Frankenstein’s story.  This is told faithfully and the two male leads, Frankenstein (Ben Castle Gibb on his professional debut) and the monster (Michael Morland) bring out the optimism, despair and tragedy of this striking story pointedly.

 

To me this is a carefully crafted, multi-layered and thought
provoking piece of theatre.  It is
intense and at times bleak.  There is
also much pathos that reflects on today’s society.  The chief desire of the monster is to be
loved, appreciated and understood. When he fails to find those qualities
directed towards him, his nature is transformed to match his hideous
appearance.  Therein lies a paradigm that
speaks volumes to our society. So often we fail to appreciate those amongst us
who we describe as ‘other’ and Shelley comments, neglect ‘others’ at our
peril.  It is no wonder that this story
has been retold so many times and it is great to see a production that remains
modern yet takes us back to Shelley’s original ideas.

Go and see Frankenstein and prepare to be surprised.  Even shocked!

Helo ffans ifanc o’r theatr! Mae Criw Brwd a Theatr
Genedlaethol Cymru yn chwilio am adolygwyr theatr 14 – 21 oed i adolygu eu
drama ddiweddaraf, Pryd Mae’r Haf? yn Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tudful, neu The
Other Room, Caerdydd, fis Chwefror. Dyma ddrama dyner am gyfeillgarwch,
gobeithion ac ofnau pobl ifanc a byddem wrth ein bodd yn clywed eich sylwadau
chi. Cysylltwch â Ceri Williams am ragor o wybodaeth: ceri.williams@theatr.com / 07903842617

Calling young theatre lovers! Criw Brwd and Theatr
Genedlaethol Cymru are looking for theatre reviewers aged 14 – 21 to review
their latest play, Pryd Mae’r Haf? in Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil, or The Other
Room, Cardiff, this February. We’d love to know what you think about this
touching play about friendship and the hopes and fears of young people. Sibrwd,
our language access app, means that you can enjoy the play whatever your level
of Welsh. Get in touch with Ceri Williams for more information: ceri.williams@theatr.com / 07903842617

(4 / 5)

Theatr Clwyd, Friday January 24th 2020. Review by Richard Evans.

Suspense, intrigue, who will get their revenge?

This is a new play, written, directed and lead by Richard
Jones and produced by Phoenix Theatre Company from Mold, and requested by the
Rotary Club.  It was first performed last
May at Theatr Clwyd and reprised this week.

Full marks for bringing a new script and showing the
ambition to stage this play.  It made for
an enjoyable evening’s entertainment, which while being a very wordy script
held my attention to the end.  I
particularly enjoyed the characterisation. 
As the play was set in Hollywood in the 1950’s it spoofed the major film
stars of the day very well, adding a nice touch of humour.

I also thought the live music added much to the play.  The band, J. Edgar and the Hoovers was simple yet highly effective.  A three piece unit played a mixture of covers of 1950’s standards and original compositions tailored to suit the mood and the characters. 

This was a comic murder mystery revolving around a major
Hollywood film producer who had a mega salary and an ego to go with it.  He had got to the top with a mixture of
grandiose gesture, manipulation, blackmail and cruelty such that he incurred
hate in the other characters.  This was
played realistically by Richard Jones and while the first act was dominated by
him, this suited the bombastic nature of the character and fitted the story
line well.  Having gained many enemies on
his rise to the top, there was no shortage of people willing to bop him off! 

The second act saw the introduction of Sam Shade, detective,
a spoof of Humphrey Bogarts film noir character convincingly delivered by John
Kinsey, despite the slightly odd distraction of singing ‘Rawhide’ shortly after
his entrance.  This seemed out of kilter
with the rest of the play.  The
denouement had a suitable twist at the end, allusive of some of the best that
Hollywood produced in the 1950’s and also adding great comic value. 

Perhaps I am wrong, I gained the impression that the first
act, which was short at 40 minutes long ended too early, omitting one scene that
had to be delivered at the start of the second act to avoid effectively writing
out one of the characters.   

I found the script very word heavy and the storyline
repetitive at times yet there was much to enjoy about this play.  It was great to see allusions to other films
or series like Back to the Future and Miss Marple.  The use of Jimmy Cagney’s ‘You dirty rat’ was
great showing the script was cleverly constructed and humourous. 

The topic matter is indeed relevant to what has taken place
in Hollywood down through the years.    However,
I thought the intros in the first act were laboured and could have been
incorporated into the following scenes showing the interaction with the lead
and the rest of the characters.  Having
said this, the acting by all involved was professional and delivered really
well. 

Bearing in mind this is an ambitious piece of theatre,
performed by an amateur group albeit with a long pedigree it was a very good
evening’s entertainment.  Of course it
could be honed and refined, but I did not see anyone leave disappointed and the
play left the audience with a warm, feel good factor. 

4 stars out of 5, 4 rather than 3.5 because of its
originality

In an exciting first for Wales, Taking Flight Theatre Company have
announced that thanks to support from BBC Children in Need, the Ashley Family
Foundation and Wales Millennium Centre, they have opened the first youth
theatre in Wales specifically catering for D/deaf and hard of hearing young
people.

The project has been developed in response
to feedback from young people who had seen Taking Flight’s professional theatre
work. With its emphasis on being inclusive both in regards to casting and
audience experience, people frequently asked the company if there was any way
that they could start a youth theatre to nurture young D/deaf and hard of
hearing talent. In 2015 Taking Flight ran two Deaf-led summer schools and the
feedback was that 100% of participants wanted to be able to attend a youth
theatre regularly.

In January 2018, the company ran taster
sessions at WMC which drew children from Carmarthen, Aberystwyth and
Machynlleth. Again, 100% of children and families wanted ongoing provision. As
a result of this enthusiasm, Elise Davison and Beth House, who started Taking
Flight in 2008, decided to apply to BBC Children In Need to see if they could
attract funding to create something really special.

Creative Producer, Beth explains:

“The youth theatre is such an important and
exciting development. We are regularly contacted by families desperate for this
project to start. We have been talking to young people for so long about a
youth theatre, it is brilliant to finally be able to put the plans into action.

We have so much feedback gathered during
previous projects that will used in planning sessions. We also have a Youth
Advisory group; young Deaf and disabled people aged 14+ who input into all of
our outreach with young people.

The course content will be designed by the
leader alongside input from participants – focussing on areas they want to
develop through creative consultation with group; empowering them to take
control & steer the project as it develops.

We
meet once a week at The Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay at various times
(dependant on age group) and all sessions are led by both Deaf and hearing
staff, in BSL and English. Each week we’ll be playing games, making new
friends, gaining confidence, learning new skills, being silly and having lots
of laughs! The brilliant thing is that the sessions are free as the youth
theatre is funded by BBC Children in Need and the Ashley Family Foundation.

We have high
expectations, working towards sharing events- with the young people working
both as performers and in backstage/ technical roles. Deaf creative industry
professionals will be brought in to run specific sessions such as Visual
Vernacular for performance, physical comedy, puppetry. Each summer and Easter
there will be a weeks’ “residency” (non- residential) for the older groups
where participants will receive intensive training with sharings at the end of
the week. We will also run field trips for older participants to theatre events
run by leading lights in Deaf theatre such as Deafinitely Theatre & The
Deaf and Hearing Ensemble that will inspire and motivate our young
participants. It’s exciting stuff”.

Taking Flight make bold, unusual theatre productions
that place D/deaf and disabled performers centre stage. Their work tours
Wales and beyond and they often find themselves in geographically isolated or
rural places, performing in woodlands, castle grounds, community centres or
shopping arcades as well as traditional theatre venues & schools. 

The youth theatre launch comes at a very busy time for the company,
who have completed two successful tours of England with their critically
acclaimed productions ‘peeling’ and ‘You’ve Got Dragons’ as well as expanding
their work in the area of Access Consultancy.

Artistic Director and company co-founder Elise Davison explains:

“Having developed our own practice over
10 years, we’ve become the “go to” organisation in Wales for advice,
information or inspiration on integrating access & working with inclusive
casts. We’ve worked alongside & supported companies like Likely Story, The
Atrium, Bath Spa University, Cascade Dance Theatre, University of Wales Trinity
St David’s and Mess up the Mess.

Alongside our recent performance of Kaite O’Reilly’s
critically acclaimed play ‘peeling’ at TheaterFestival
Grenzenlos Kulture in Mainz; I was asked to take part in an industry ‘speed
dating’ event where people from throughout the theatre industry in Germany
could ask me questions and learn about Taking Flight’s journey, gaining advice
on how our practices can be incorporated and adapted to fit their
organisations. I’m glad to say it wasn’t as scary as it sounds! I am really
proud to be able to tell the world about what we have been doing in our little
part of Wales”.

You’ve Got Dragons actress Stephanie Back, who is Deaf, is the group
leader for Taking Flight Youth Theatre, she is supported by an assistant, Anna,
who is hearing. Stephanie welcomed the new initiative:

“A Deaf Youth Theatre in
Wales can only provide a wealth of opportunities and benefits for all involved.
It was through theatre that I found my own Deaf identity, I found how I wanted
to communicate to the world and I found the strength to fight for who I was as
a Deaf woman to be accepted in society today. It brings young D/deaf people
together, reduces isolation and teaches invaluable theatre skills which are
otherwise not readily accessible to the D/deaf youth of today”.

Davison continues:

“We so
rarely see a true representation of society on stage – Taking Flight have
worked tirelessly to challenge this under representation. For over 10 yrs we
have been placing D/deaf and disabled actors centre stage.  We have been
frustrated by the lack of positive role models on our stages, especially in
Wales and have worked hard to change this.Taking Flight Youth Theatre
will be developing and investing in the talent of the future. We can’t wait to
get started!”

Taking
Flight Youth Theatre sessions are held at Wales Millennium Centre on Saturdays
during term time. To book a place with Taking Flight Youth Theatre, or for
further information, email beth@takingflighttheatre.co.uk

(4 / 5)

In an apocalyptic world, who would you turn to for help? You Stupid Darkness! shows us the extent of our harm to the World, but in the darkness, there is a light, with a group of volunteers offering their listening skills.

Our stage is set in a call centre/general office set up, while dilapidated from the ranging weather conditions of the destructive World outside, it is like any we would normally see. And when our volunteers come in, it would be hard to think that, once their gas masks come off and the door is closed on the wind, the snow, the gas, that this is set at any time but a usual, current day in England.

Throughout the play we see the volunteers take calls, make tea, eat doughnuts, bide time during the quieter times but ultimately get to know them individually and their growing friendship. Full of comedy, we easily connect with the character’s and laugh at the daily menial issues.

But entwined within this, there are times of sorrow, of pain, where their happy persona’s for the calls goes away and they are people in need of help and to talk themselves. We easily relate to this, showing that no matter the development of the World, we are all still scared, all facing family or other problems and that we can only adapt.

The performers are completely flawless – there is a real feeling to them; their character’s are well defined, they are perfected and they interact with one another with ease, making us feel as if we are looking through a 1 way mirror into their office.

As we get to know them more, we get to know the state of the World more; parts of the building begins to fail and fall, making us jump, and there is a slight uneasy feeling at this possible reality, while the 4 volunteers get on as if it is nothing.

You Stupid Darkness! is heartwarming, but also quite frightning in topic. While making a point on a climate/global level, we also learn a lot about friendship, love and enjoying the little things in life.