photography by Jorge Lizalde

Meilir Rhys Williams

What character are you playing and can you tell us a little bit about them?

I’m playing a character called Tom, he’s 24 years old and he’s about to marry his fiancée Rich. The wedding happens during the course of the play.

How has your experience been collaborating with the community?

Absolutely fantastic, I was a little apprehensive to begin with because I didn’t know what to expect. It has been a joy to see how everyone has intertwined their skills into the play.

What’s your favourite part of the show?

Kissing Aled Pedrick.

If you could give your character advice what would it be?

To spend some time on his own to get to know himself and build his self confidence before looking for comfort elsewhere.

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photography by Jorge Lizalde

Aled Pedrick

What character are you playing and can you tell us a little bit about them?

I’m playing Dave, who’s in a secret relationship with one of the groomsmen Tom. And on the exterior he tries to appear very straight, so he’s struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality and the man he is in love with marrying another man.

How has your experience been collaborating with the community?

It’s been a really educational experience for me. There’s a creative side and a very personal side. On the creative side I’ve never worked with a community or integrated them into a piece before.  Learning how to do something in promenade, so from a directing point of view, it’s been a bit of an eye opener to do something outside and to coordinate people in something so vast and visually driven, as opposed to textually driven – that’s been amazing to learn how to coordinate all of that. And on a personal level, it’s coming home to Swansea and touching base with a community I haven’t been a part of for such a long time, its been almost 10 years now. And more importantly, on a more personal level again to touch base with the LGBT community in Swansea, which I’ve never been a part of cause I came out when I was in London and have never really been involved with that here. So it’s been really beneficial for me as a person as well as an artist.

What’s your favourite part of the show?

My favourite part of the show, without a doubt is when the street is closed and when the dance happens. It’s funny to watch all the cars and people getting irate either side of the blockages and this amazing celebration of partying going on, regardless of what the world does to try and intervene.

If you could give your character advice what would it be?

Be brave.

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photography by Jorge Lizalde

Isabel Briccolani

What character are you playing and can you tell us a little bit about them?

I’m playing a 21 year old lesbian called Abby. She followed a young love down to Swansea and she’s finding her way in the community from then.

How has your experience been collaborating with the community?

It’s been really interesting seeing different stories all blend together. Young people, different backgrounds, coming out, maybe they haven’t come out yet.

What’s your favourite part of the show?

When Dave comes in and interrupts Aby and Kat’s make out session because it really reaffirms what Abby’s character is and what I’ve been working on for the past few weeks which is not letting anybody bring her down or that there’s no such thing as a lesbian and it reaffirms in myself her strength, which I’ve also been able to bring into my on life.

If you could give your character advice what would it be?

Take everyone as they are and don’t be so judgemental.

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photography by Jorge Lizalde

Peri Thomas

What character are you playing and can you tell us a little bit about them?

I play the character of Kat, she’s bisexual, she’s 35 and she really wants a baby, but she doesn’t have a partner.

How has your experience been collaborating with the community?

It feels like everyone is properly in it together, it feels amazing.

What’s your favourite part of the show?

Everything! But if I had to choose, it would have to be when we shut down the road for the dancing on the street. I love that all the car horns are honking, cause when I first heard the car horns honking I thought everyone was celebrating, but actually I think they wanted us to move on.

If you could give your character advice what would it be?

Take each day as it comes, because she’s struggling to find a partner and she really wants a baby. I think at the moment she can’t see the wood from the trees. I can empathise with the fact that she’s 35 and thinking about wanting to have a baby worrying about time running out. But I think she needs to get away and get her head straight. Take a deep breath and carry on..