Meet our lovely Chorus

On Thursday myself and Leah Crossley found out what it meant for the ladies of Merthyr to be involved in Mother Courage. After our two hour singing session of the raucous and the beautiful we interviewed some of our lovely cast to see why they've decided to get involved, what it means for Merthyr and why you should all come and see it.

Name: Lynett

What made you decide to get involved with the play?

It sounded really exciting to have something actually coming to the valleys rather than being in Cardiff and I wanted to be involved in it because it sounded really good.

Why is it important to you?

I just enjoy meeting new people, doing new things, I like a challenge and so far it’s been a brilliant challenge. I really love it, having a lot of fun and meeting some lovely new people.

Why is it important that it happens here in Merthyr?

Because everything ends up in the cities and I think it’s quite nice that something is going to come to the valleys, where valleys people will be able to see it and it’s going to be affordable as well.

 Why should people come to see the play?

Mother Courage is brilliant it’s really, really different. It’s a completely new staging of it and I think people will be very surprised it’s not what they think it’s going to be. It’s something really worth coming to.

Name: Rachel

What made you decide to get involved with the play?

I really want to get involved with National Theatre Wales because I really enjoy Site Specific plays and how they bring Theatre to life in so many different types of venues and the way they bring new audiences which breaks the conventions of normal theatre and how you just have to sit there.  I think it’s really exciting and I think it brings theatre to a new life.

Why is it important to you?

For me I’ve just moved back to Wales because I’ve been living in Oxford for years, so it gives me an opportunity to get involved with what’s happening in my local area and it gives me an opportunity to meet new people. And I’m interested in Theatre as well.

Why is it important that it happens here in Merthyr?

I think it’s really important to have something positive happening here as you’ve probably seen recently there’s some negative publicity here as you’ve probably seen with Skint, loads of negative media and it’s nice to have positive influences from the arts to show how fantastic the valleys are.

What are the main messages in the play?

It’s about survival; a lot of the characters take on the role of survival.  She just carries on even in the face of adversity, doesn’t matter what people think of her, you just carry on and succeed hopefully.

Name: Laura

What made you decide to get involved in this project?

I decided to get involved in this project to push me out of my comfort zone.  I do quite a bit of speaking in public but as I’m getting older my confidence is drying up a little bit. So it was something that I really wanted to do to take me a little bit further into practicing with my confidence. In my everyday life I manage services for children of prisoners. I have never done anything like this before, I was involved in a television programmed a while ago but that was very much you could’ see what was on the other side. Who was watching you, it just very much focused on my family. So to be in a position where people are going to be watching you live is quite nerve raking but very exacting.

Why is it important that it happens here in Merthyr?

I am totally passionate about Merthyr and about the negative press that we constantly get. I’m also really pleased that it is coming to Merthyr, everything is Cardiff-centric, anything that has any kind of cultural value to it seems to be based in Cardiff, so for it to be based in Merthyr is really important to me and I just think that it goes along with the whole regeneration of the town.

What are the main messages in the play?

I think Mother Courage herself is a very resilient character and some of her traits that she displays resonate a lot with the women that I work with who’s husbands go into prison and the things that they do to survive and the things that they do to look after there children and that kind of fight or flight mentality really comes through and I think it’s really important.

Name: Louisa

What made you decide to get involved with the play?

I love the play, I love the story and because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do to be involved with a group of women, doing our thing.

Why is it important to you?

Because I can sell myself and I can prove to myself that I am not past it. Somebody once said to me, oh Louisa your told old to be an actress, so I’m giving them two fingers.

Why is it important that we do it here in Merthyr?

If you look at the history of Merthyr it’s a town, despite all the rubbish, the nonsense they’ve been through, the joblessness, the heartache and everything it’s a town that is full of spirited people. The people of Merthyr are strong, strong willed and they don’t let anything put them down and I think the people of Merthyr are like Mother Courage they don’t let misfortune put them down instead they give thumbs up and carry on.

Why should people come and see the show?

Because they’ll love us!

Name: Alison Kirby

What made you decide to get involved with the play?

I saw it advertised and I thought it’d be something interesting to get involved in, gets me out of the house from sitting in front of the TV. I’m meeting lot of new people and it gives you a chance to see good Welsh Actresses.

Why’s it important to you?

Because, I think it resonates with our community, we all come from hard working backgrounds, mining backgrounds and a lot of the families of had it hard being brought up and I think this play is very similar. I think we’re very strong and resilient here in the valleys so I think it’s nice for us to have local people involved in it.

Why is it important that it happens here in Merthyr?

From what I just said, it fits in nicely with the play, that it’s a hardworking place.  This town has had its bad times and now it’s being regenerated, it’s looking really nice here and to bring things in and people into this community to see what’s happening in Merthyr is really good.

What are the main messages in the play?

It shows if you try hard in life you’ll succeed with what your doing.

Why should people come and see it?

Because I think it’s going to be a goodnight out and everyone can get involved, it’s not your run of the mill play where you just sit down and watch, you can actually get involved.