National Theatre Wales Community

May 2009 Blog Posts (51)

How I was scared twice in the dark at The BAC last week.

During my London visit this week, I spent a day in the Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) where I saw 6 shows as part of their BURST Festival.

The theme this year was '51 Reasons for Living', inspired by Barack Obama's presidential acceptance speech and they managed to pack 51 performances into this 16-day festival. Some of these were plays, some were installations, some were performance poetry, some were gigs, some were journeys for one person with a… Continue

Added by Catherine Paskell on May 31, 2009 at 10:24 — No Comments

My thoughts on True/Fiction: a Welsh Company with a London Production

I have just come back from spending a wonderful evening watching a fantastic theatre event. It was in London and it was a play by a young Welsh company.

It was True/Fiction's newest show, The Exquisite Corpse at Southwark Playhouse.

I arrived in an atmospheric cavernous space under the railway arches at London… Continue

Added by Catherine Paskell on May 31, 2009 at 10:00 — 2 Comments

who are these people...not me?

Just an observation and thought to myself but put here because I can....I'm looking at the photographs of the housewarming party and find myself recognising very few people and am wondering how this could be so after being involved in the making of performance works here in Wales since 1991?I know that I can be an unsociable oik at times and Good Cop bad Cops' works dont always have mass appeal(until recently) but still...I wonder if this really is the beginning of something new and… Continue

Added by John Rowley on May 31, 2009 at 4:40 — 2 Comments

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Black RAT's latest production will be touring South Wales this summer!

Following successful productions of A ZOO STORY, MISS JULIE and OEDIPUS, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM is Black RAT’s latest offering to tour South Wales. With a thirteen-strong cast, this lively & energetic version of ‘The Dream’ guarantees all the fun, farce and mayhem of Shakespeare’s best loved comedy.

A royal wedding, eloping lovers, spurned friendships, an am-dram troop and a wood full of… Continue

Added by Alan Humphreys on May 31, 2009 at 2:52 — 1 Comment

Making Hay

While the sun shines unashamadly down on the borderlands - I'm on the last leg of an early morning train n' bus trip to Hay on Wye - land of books. As a theatre type I'm used to Edinburgh. I've never done Glastonbury as I have a tent phobia (if God had meant us to sleep in tents he would have given us inflatable backsides) though I have promised to do the Green Man in I this year which does look fab and where they have assured me that the tents are actually small bungalows in disguise. Anyway,… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 31, 2009 at 0:04 — 3 Comments

Do you want to get involved with NTW? Do you like playing? Call for Hide and Seek Sandpit Participants!

On Thursday 2nd July, we have got one of our first National Theatre Wales events and we would like you to take part.

It's called SANDPIT and it is organised by us, with Hide and Seek, a London-based company run by Alex Fleetwood.

Sandpit, like its name suggests, is a place where people can come together and play games and have… Continue

Added by Catherine Paskell on May 30, 2009 at 4:17 — 6 Comments

Literary agent?

Hi,

I was wondering if I could ask some people's advice?

I don't quite know how to word it, but...

I was wondering if it's possible to invite literary agents or something along them lines to the SpringBoard event at the Sherman, to see my play, Sunflowered?

I haven't a clue about this sort of thing, and was in need of some help:

If it's possible, how many are around in Cardiff, what's the best way of approaching this.. etc.

I will listen to… Continue

Added by Alexander Vlahos on May 30, 2009 at 3:31 — 1 Comment

Hello

Not a very exciting post title I know, the world of blogging is unchartered waters for me. Excited to join this world and that of National Theatre Wales community. What a great idea and a way to communicate with like minded people.

Currently I'm working on the RWCMDs production of Duchess of Malfi on at Sherman Cymru until tomorrow night.

My next lighting design is Sweeny Todd for WNO Max in July, so a bit of a theme of revenge and violence in two very different mediums and period… Continue

Added by Elanor Higgins on May 28, 2009 at 22:27 — 2 Comments

Adding events

For those of you (Nathan, Catherine) who have been trying to add events, we are reserving the 'EVENTS' section of the site for our own National Theatre Wales activities. So do as you are all joyfully doing and use the blogs and forums to talk about what you're all up to. Lucy D

Added by Lucy Davies on May 28, 2009 at 0:09 — 1 Comment

on the road (A5 edition)

In a Hire Fiat with Lucy D on the road after a night of Mary Stuart at Clwyd. Good to spend some time looking around the venue and thinking about possibilities. Being a long term urbanite I always find it extraordinary to look out from Theatr Clwyd onto hills and fields and a smallish town where I lived for five barely remembered years. Feel like I am in a Chekhov but with a Fiat on hand to solve the existential travel issues. Lucy D is a mean driver. Schiller's Queen Elizabeth on the road but… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 27, 2009 at 11:12 — 5 Comments

DIRTY PROTEST: Theatre in the Yurt

Welcome to our Dirty July

GUEST CURATOR to be announced soon, it's going to be a good one.

6 WRITERS, 6 SLOTS, 1 CHERRY POPPER, QUEUING DOWN THE STREET? STANDARD.

Find out FIRST here on the new National Theatre Wales On-line Community.

dirty love of course x

Added by Dirty Protest on May 27, 2009 at 10:02 — 4 Comments

The Sam Harrington Affliction

Hi all. We are a group of graduates at from the University of Glamorgan and are all based in Cardiff. It is a mixture of young British theatre makers who have worked on a script by a new group of writers. It is a stage comedy based around a TV chatshow, with surreal characters and situations. Although this is not a show for the easilly offended, we hope it has something for every, also it is free entry. The details are lsited below and hope to see you there.

Dan… Continue

Added by Daniel Campbell on May 27, 2009 at 8:00 — 2 Comments

Unearthing the Bomb: Writing Political Theatre (13 June)

I'm with Nathan - can't work out how to post an event, so have to plug it in a blog post instead.

Script is running a workshop entitled Unearthing the Bomb: Writing Political Theatre at the Courtyard Theatre, Hereford, on Saturday 13th June 2009.

Led by Alan Pollock, the workshop will explore the use of research and documentary elements in popular drama. How much truth, and how much art should be employed? What do we mean by 'political' theatre? What kind of resources… Continue

Added by Catherine Edwards on May 27, 2009 at 7:07 — 2 Comments

Stephen Burkitt-Harrington

Today i was looking at pictures of the National Theatre of Wales' shop in the arcade where everyone went and had crepes. It was nice to see so many familiar faces that i could put names to. I saw Gareth Bale and Mared Swain and Stephen Burkitt-Harrington. That is three faces and nearly enough names for four people thanks to Stephen. I saw the backs of some heads which were also familiar but obviously harder to put names to.

It does my heart no end of good to see Stephen serving posh drinks… Continue

Added by Nazim Kourgli on May 27, 2009 at 6:45 — 2 Comments

Ludus Ludius Improv Theatre co. Upcoming Events

Can't find how to add events, so I am doing it this way.

UPCOMING SHOWS: Improv UK (Wales) - Shining Wits vs. Ludus Ludius @ Llanover Hall, Saturday 27th June 7:00pm

To attend then please get in touch via email or phone Llanover Hall on 029 2063 1144.

The Flurry of Florence, long-form, Y Llofft @ Chapter Arts Centre, 7:30pm. Phone Chapter Arts Centre: 029 2030 4400.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS: Intensive Weekend Workshop on Saturday 13th June till 14th June,… Continue

Added by Nathan Keates on May 27, 2009 at 6:16 — No Comments

Intensive Improv Weekend Workshop

Intensive weekend workshop is on Saturday 13th June 09 to 14th June, starting at 10 AM till 4PM @ The Annexe, Ebenezer Chapel, Charles Street, Cardiff CF10 2GA. This workshop is suitable for beginners to improvisation and performance.

The journey to the unknown starts off the discovery and exploration of improvisation with Ludus Ludius' focus of play and playfulness. Throughout the weekend we get to know the players and discover the unknown together and exploring what improv is about… Continue

Added by Nathan Keates on May 27, 2009 at 5:51 — No Comments

Shameless advertising?

OK, so I've been told that posting about Unknown Pleasures 2009 on here would just be shameless advertising - but as it's a theatre development project (between Volcano, Taliesin & Swansea Met)I think it's something the community here should know about. Rather than me blathering on, here's a link to an article Paul wrote for the Western Mail (only I can't get the hyperlink option to work - think the link is too long, so you'll have to paste into… Continue

Added by Stella H Patrick on May 26, 2009 at 22:30 — 1 Comment

Work on in New York this July

I know this is miles and miles away from Wales, but if anyone happens to be in NYC this July and fancies a bit of theatrical escapism from Central Park, then I have a piece in this: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/MESTC/events/s09/woodman.html

It's free (always good!) and there should be a much larger site-specific piece to follow around Christmas time, touch wood!

Added by Lisa Parry on May 26, 2009 at 21:25 — No Comments

Lacuna @ Springboard

This is my second play which I wrote as part of the Sherman's New Writing Course last Autumn. It's getting a public rehearsed reading as part of Egin: Springboard at the Sherman. Please feel free to come along and hold my hand.

Matthew X

Lacuna

By Matthew Bulgo

Directed by Suzanne Phillips

Cast: Caitlin Richards and Gareth Milton

Sally can remember everything. Except the face of her lover. Her memory is full, apart from the gaps where… Continue

Added by Matthew Bulgo on May 26, 2009 at 21:08 — 1 Comment

4 more chances to see The Exquisite Corpse

Hello all

Like the title says...only 4 more performances left of True/Fiction Theatre's critically acclaimed production of The Exquisite Corpse. If you happen to be in London between now and the end of the week, do try and catch it!

"Magical... Mesmerising... Beautiful storytelling"

The Guardian (4 stars)

It's running at the Southwark Playhouse, every night until Saturday 30th May at 7:30.

More details can be found… Continue

Added by Matthew Bulgo on May 26, 2009 at 21:02 — 2 Comments