10 years after it's world premiere in Chicago, GradCo is proud to present The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown in the Depot Studio at the Grand Theatre, Swansea on September 7th and 8th, 2011.

Newly published author Jamie and aspiring actress Cathy, tell the story of their five year relationship in opposite directions and from very different viewpoints.  This celebrated two-hander musical reminds us that it is possible to feel claustrophobically close and yet worlds apart from the ones we love most.

“Jason Robert Brown’s painfully intimate song cycle, The Last Five Years, is a miniature musical masterpiece…..”  (The Stage)

The Last Five Years is the latest offering from GradCo, a company formed to celebrate the strong reputation South Wales boasts of acting talent.  An extraordinary number of graduates from specialist performance colleges in Britain come from this area, and the company exists to encourage these Welsh graduates to return to Wales and produce fresh, exciting new drama.

The musical is to be performed by Michael Riseley and Zoë George.  Michael graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2010, while Zoë graduated with a BA (Hons) in Law from the University of Wales, Swansea, before embarking on a professional career as a performer. Both have regularly appeared in theatre productions throughout Wales. 

Co-Directors Vivienne Buckley and Rhys Matthews graduated from the Central School of Speech & Drama and RADA respectively, and their last production for GradCo Theatre was The Dumb Waiter, a one-act play by internationally acclaimed playwright, Harold Pinter.  The piece performed to enthusiastic audiences and received rave reviews.

“GradCo are producing work that is enthralling, menacing and…new” (Talent Nurture Wales)

“Exciting, thrilling ...a real voice of the future”   (South Wales Evening Post)