National Theatre Wales Community

May 2010 Blog Posts (96)

A Show That's A Bit Dirty - Hamletown

Hamletown- Directed by Bryn Jennings and Chad Dembski from Canada

Cast- Michael Aubin, Catherine Capelin, Brent Morgan , Aleks Wojitulewicz, Aimee Corbett, John Norton, Helena Harrison, Bethany Seddon.

Today the dirt arrives and I can't wait to roll around in it. Hamletown is set in an artist commune and

follows the story of the collective as they deal with the death of their leader. What attracted me to the project was the… Continue

Added by Brent Morgan on May 5, 2010 at 9:58 — No Comments

Just received this email and thought I'd share it here

"A new digital media centre for Cardiff?

Please find below a link to a short (5 minute) survey in relation to

the potential development of a digital media centre at Cardiff Bay

www.surveymonkey.com/s/dmcquestionnaire . We would really appreciate

your input as this will help us to improve the infrastructure for the

creative and digital sector in Wales.

If you want to find out… Continue

Added by Gavin Porter on May 5, 2010 at 8:37 — No Comments

Alan Harris opening night interview - March 2010

Added by Simon Clode on May 5, 2010 at 6:08 — No Comments

'Piaf'

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to draw everyone to a new production I am about to start on called 'Piaf' based on the life of Edith Piaf. It's being shown from 1st June -5th June at 7.30p.m. with a matinee on 3rd June at 2.00p.m.

Hope you can make it, it should be good.

Ed Llewelyn

Added by Edward Llewelyn on May 5, 2010 at 5:00 — 1 Comment

Where are you from?

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

When I heard that "Shelf Life" was going to be on for three weeks and mainly two performances most show days I felt we might not get the crowds. I was wrong. With sell out performances every day it was a show that couldn't be beaten. As part of the success of "Shelf Life" and also the more recent "Swansea Assembly" which drew crowds of forty plus, it's great to hear that National Theatre Wales want to…

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Added by Neil Taylor on May 4, 2010 at 13:30 — No Comments

Day 66 - Roger Owen - Brecon and Back Again

Tomorrow I will be attending a production meeting for The Persians. Today I spoke to Roger Owen. Roger accompanied Mike on one of the early visits to the military training base in South Wales. He talked of a living hell and his expectation that somehow there would be something profound to be seen there, in this piece of land misappropriated by the military some 70 years ago. Despite his many attempts to find the profound in the remains of farmhouses, he couldn't. He described being… Continue

Added by Dr Tom Payne on May 4, 2010 at 11:30 — No Comments

From rehearsal room to the New

here's the set for The Devil, being fiercely scrutinised by designer Alex Eales in the workshop,

last minute touch-ups,

into the truck,

into the New,

into tech...

we're adding wind and rain and firelight to get it all ready for the first show on thursday... you have treats ahead people - friday's run-through in the rehearsal room made me… Continue

Added by Lucy Davies on May 4, 2010 at 7:47 — No Comments

Lindsey Butcher-Aerial Dancer

Added by Simon Clode on May 4, 2010 at 0:21 — No Comments

Interview with Alan Harris December 2009

I started chatting with Alan back in December and had a few conversations throughout the production of 'A Good Night Out In The Valleys'. This video was shot in December and January. NTW are about to start their 3rd play it's good to look back, 4 months to the…

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Added by Simon Clode on May 4, 2010 at 0:00 — No Comments

Day 65 - Mike Pearson Interview - His Office, Aberystwyth

We spoke for an hour this morning. Cycling around the areas I picked out yesterday. I am looking for a way into this first case study. Does the way forward lie in exploring the relationship between the Persians and Mike's previous work with Brith Gof? Is it about the English language and it's relationship to the the Welsh tongue? I think back to my interview with Eddie Ladd, there is something at play here. Is there an angle exploring the relationship between NTW and the artists… Continue

Added by Dr Tom Payne on May 2, 2010 at 23:53 — No Comments

Peter Cheeseman

Last week, I was told that Peter Cheeseman, theatre director, visionary and agitator, had passed away. I'm really sad that I won't be able to talk with him again. I know that there will be many people who are affected by this sad news, least of all his family; Romy, Kate, Betsy and Chloe. I'm also certain that there will be many, many stories from many people about how Peter influenced their lives. Lots of stories about how he influenced whole generations of theatre makers. How he developed a… Continue

Added by Catherine Paskell on May 2, 2010 at 14:00 — No Comments

Day 64 - Sunday Lunch - Llanbadarn

Fantastic sunday lunch, all the more entertaining as a result of Poppy's insistence on punctuating the meal with musical silence. Like musical statues but with food. I came a close second to last... it seems the unspoken goal was to be the first to finish.

Tomorrow I am meeting with Mike Pearson at 9am. In his office.

I have four areas of interest that I would like him to talk about.

1) National…

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Added by Dr Tom Payne on May 2, 2010 at 11:30 — No Comments

Theatre-in-the-round

The Obituary in the Guardian on his death of Peter Cheeseman a few days after the last posting in which I featured his work at in Stoke-on-Trent with Stephen Joseph and Alan Ayckbourn stimulated me to add the following to the last Swansea U3A posting.

THEATRE

Last week I was pointing up the

similarity between the pioneering work done with theatre in the cultural

desert of Stoke on Trent to the… Continue

Added by Brian Henry Corbett on May 2, 2010 at 6:01 — No Comments

Room to Read 1st May event

Love Reading's Room to Read event on Saturday 1st May was a great success - many thanks to all who came along to make it so! And to the passers-by who stopped to listen, and those who took in the scene from further away. If you missed it this time, come along to the next, which'll be arranged asap. Leona & Laura …

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Added by Leona Jones on May 2, 2010 at 3:30 — 1 Comment

Day 63 - Pool Party - Plas Crug Leisure Centre, Aberystwyth

One of Poppy's school friends had a party at the leisure centre. I chose not to go into the pool for the first part and instead chose to sit upstairs and listen to an audio book on my ipod. I probably should have gone swimming, it has now been over a week since I got any decent exercise. She gave her friend an inflatable Barbie rubber ring and a pair of party shoes. The kind that I won't allow her to wear herself.

I was listening to a book about being organised. I…

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Added by Dr Tom Payne on May 1, 2010 at 7:00 — No Comments

A glimpse of Prestatyn Parish Church and graveyard

This short video gives a glimpse of Prestatyn Parish Church (also called Christchurch) and its graveyard.

Among the graves are those of shipwrecked mariners and six choirboys who drowned in a tragic accident in 1868.

Our exploration of Prestatyn last weekend forms part of our research for The Beach, ntw05 happening this July… Continue

Added by Carl Morris on May 1, 2010 at 3:30 — No Comments