Hi all,

Familia de la Noche are previewing our Edinburgh show The Greatest Liar in all the World next Wednesday 23rd July at Pontardawe Arts Centre before taking it up to the Pleasance Courtyard this summer. A bit about the show:

Familia de la Noche return with their five star darkly funny sequel to Pinocchio, filled with live music, puppetry, physical theatre and clowning. 

‘What it would be like to stroll through the inside of Tim…

Glastonbury Festival aftermath - hundreds of tents, camping equipment, blankets and beer abandoned by festival goers to tired to carry what belongings they've brought back to there car to take home and use again. It feels mental trawling through the post apocalyptic chaos salvaging anything that might be useful. We find everything from cushions, blow up beds, clothes, food, beer, shoes, tents, sleeping bags,…

What a brilliant day rehearsing! I feel incredibly excited to start again tomorrow with a full run having learnt so much today. 

"be Bold"

"Naturalistic???... naaaaaah"

"more tank moments"

It's amazing what these three short sentences from our brilliant director, Catherine Paskell, did for the piece today. Simple sentences which I'll take into everything I do in theatre! My body is aching,…

Hi all, over the next few weeks we have two different creative visits taking place at NTW offices in Castle Arcade. A creative visit is an opportunity for artists, companies or organisations to come to Wales and tell us a little more about their work.

If you'd like to attend one or more of these visits then email me at gavinporter[at]nationaltheatrewales.org

The first visit is from Matt Peacock MBE, Chief Executive of Streetwise Opera on Wednesday 30th…

As you can probably guess by my chosen title, we worked on the second half of the play today!

Working on the second half in isolation was very challenging to say the least, especially when we came to the end scene which we understandably call "mega-scene", as a lot of energy, focus and of course clear, driven objectives were needed. We found having repeated the scenes a few times, we'd occasionally fall into playing the end product.. Every audience member's…

Day six of rehearsals for Henna Night and it was a huge day ... we reached the end of the play!

It has been fantastic layering the different character work we have done, placing them together in the scenes and exploring the journey from where our characters started to where they finish. I found today the Laban work we have been doing a fantastic tool to drive the character and playing physically  has given me the freedom to emotionally find the truthful responses in the…

Well here we are, just a week to go before the winners of the Anglesey Festival 2014 Offshoots go to compete in the British Finals at the Gaiety Theatre Isle of Man with their play After The Flags and Bands. Nerves beginning to jangle but what an achievement to be in the top six in the UK! 

The Gaiety is a fantastic venue and the cast and crew are all looking forward to performing there very much. Good luck boys and girls.

"Census" - by Lissa Kiernan from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo.

The reviews are in for Roberto Zucco . . .

“Mathilde Lopez’s direction is typically kinetic and immersive . . . grimly humorous, and slyly sexy . . . This is theatre at its most involving and provocative.”

Othniel Smith - British Theatre Guide -…

I am interested in failure: mostly in my attitude towards failure and how this attitude affects my behaviour. So I am planning to make a one-woman show about failure. I am right at the very beginning of this project, and in addition to figuring out my thoughts on the subject, I would like to hear what other people think. 



If you are interested in helping, please fill out this…

I’m currently sitting in a music room at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (listening to someone practising the oboe next door) and wondering what to blog about with regard the rehearsal process for liveartshow’s The Future For Beginners. As I’m a writer I’m going to write about…

The writing of the show. It's been a particularly interesting process…

Hi all,   

Dry Mouth Theatre has now less than two weeks until the opening of its debut production of Death of a Salesman at 7pm on Friday 24th of July and 2pm & 7pm on Saturday 25th of July at The Gate Theatre!



It's been an amazing process to put on one of the most influential…

Had the opportunity to meet Miss Heather Comics creator, Heather Wilson, at Galeri 3B in Wrexham last week - this is a fantastic space to get involved in if you're in the Wrexham area; there's also Un Deg Un and, of course, Oriel Wrecsam, run by their fantastic…

The Big Idea: a youth opera mixing up science and identity

This is a guest blog from me on the RSA website, newsletter etc about crowdfunding for my idea, Pandora’s Locker, which uses opera and art production to educate young people in science, identity and self-expression.

Pandora’s Locker is a one-act youth opera that resets the original Greek…

I have the pleasure to work again on the second theatre production of August 012, Roberto Zucco, which it is on at Chapter until July 19th.  Not only making theirtrailer but also their production pictures.  Here, there is a little selection of…

Greetings from the rehearsal room of "What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?" (Ahem, quick plug - Porter's Bar, Cardiff, 14/15&17th July, 7pm ;)

This has been a whole new adventure for me. I've performed this show MANY times over the last couple of years, getting ever more comfortable with his ways & motivations etc. So it has been fascinating to get into a rehearsal room to re-rehearse for this year's shows with a totally new Director.

Working with Lisa…

If there is a crisis in the reviewing of British theatre it is this. It seems impossible that a critic can go to press saying, ‘I loved it; it was amazing; you really have to see it, because I was so involved and delighted that my faculties of analysis were overcome and I surfed a wave of joy through the white waters of all that is theatre’.

I went to see ‘Roberto Zucco’ last night at Chapter; Bernard-Marie Koltes’ play about the non-fictional serial killer.…

Haven't decided whether you want to come to Chapter Arts Centre Cardiff to watch 13 yet???

Take a look at this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8toH4-UevLc

Day three of rehearsals and the excitement of digging deeper into my character and the world of the play is still fresh buzzing in my head. Building on the physicality work from the past two days, we developed it further and continued to play which has helped root the character in me. After the tea-break and fuelling up, we tackled the script. I really enjoyed discovering key tactical moments for my character and I'm looking forward to playing with them tomorrow.

If you've…