What's on Now
We have information on 12 productions that are currently, or will be in the near future, showing or on tour in
Wales by welsh companies. Not included here are productions by visiting companies.
Click on the company's name to view their details,including contact information.
A Few Little Drops - Volcano Theatre Company
It’s back! Just in case you’ve not seen enough water this summer, we’vebrought our famous outdoor water show back to Swansea. A FEW LITTLE DROPS returns to the courtyard of the National Waterfront Museum, rinsed and refreshed from its sell-out success at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Catch it while you can, because it’ll only be around for a weekend before it packs up to head across the pond to Vancouver.
So if you missed it last time, let us lure you into our flood-wrecked shack and our giant inflatable wave, as the watery action unfolds around and above you. Unlike an ordinary theatre show, you get to choose what to watch and who to follow. If you split up and explore you may each see a different show, which will give you plenty to argue about afterwards!
You might choose to follow Scott’s expedition to the South Pole, to listen to the strange man who talks to fish, or to watch a beautiful dancer in a waterfall.
You might learn about the weather at sea, the water in your body, or the perfect cup of tea. Choose your path!
Or you might have seen it last time. Come back and choose a different path!
We've built a strange new shack and have two new people in the show. The first is the amazing dangly Matilda Leyser, who you may have seen without knowing it if you watch the BBC – she is unrolling herself down a big red curtain in one of
their clever trailers. She’ll be doing more splashing than dangling this time though. The other is Philip Ralph, a multi-talented fellow who has been in the news a lot lately with his play Deep Cut – a smash Edinburgh Fringe hit about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of young army recruits in Surrey. No autographs during the show please!
A Few Little Drops is at the National Waterfront Museum, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September, and there are afternoon and evening shows.
Tickets are available from TALIESIN ARTS CENTRE on 01792 602060 – please book in advance as numbers are limited. Ticket prices are: £10 full, £7 concessions, and £5 for under-16s. There is also a family ticket available at £25
(for two adults and two children, or one adult and three children). Show times
are 3:30pm, 5:30pm and 7pm.
Performances: 13 September 2008 to 14 September 2008
After the Dance - Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
After The DanceBy Terence Rattigan
Before Gen X and the Yuppies, the Bright Young Things lived a life of parties and frivolity turning the 1920’s into one long party. Now it’s 1938 and the harsh realities of the time are exposed. Another World War looms and suddenly it looks as if the party is over.
The play taps into the young generation’s fear that what comes next will never be as fun as what has come before, but the longer the past is held onto, the worse it is when the inevitable happens…
Caird Studio
Wednesday 3 -
Saturday 13 December
7.45pm
Matinee:
Tuesday 9 December
2.30pm
£7, £5
Performances: 03 December 2008 to 13 December 2008
’boy’ by Dic EdwardsA new play created specifically for children aged 9 – 11 (KS2, Years 5 & 6)
Touring 29th September – 28th November 2008
’boy’ is a poetic story following the lives of one family. Nathan, a boy who can’t keep still, his poetry obsessed Grandfather whose imagination wanders, and Mam, who courageously holds them together.
’boy’ includes a wealth of ideas and information linking with the topics and themes integral to the KS2 English & PSE Curriculum: Language Skills (Speaking & Listening); Poetry; Communication; Friendship and Relationships.
’boy’ has been designed to specifically address classroom-based implementation strategies for developing critical thinking and improving writing through Drama along with other related issues.
For further information, please contact Elaine Lord 01443 430700, or via e-mail: elaine.lord@spectacletheatre.co.uk.
Performances: 29 September 2008 to 28 November 2008
Canterbury Tales - Mappa Mundi
UK Tour 2008A group of pilgrims pass the time on their annual journey to Canterbury by performing some of Chaucer’s best-loved stories including The Miller’s Tale, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale. Mappa Mundi have revived and updated their popular sell-out show, filling the stage with their unique brand of boisterous comedy, romance, fetching images and heaps of wit and charm.
Wales based company Mappa Mundi have built up an enthusiastic following for their entertaining and accessible adaptations of classic works.
October 2008
Friday 3 Theatr Mwldan, CARDIGAN
Bath House Road,
£12 (£10) Cardigan,
Ceredigion
SA43 1JY
01239 621200
www.mwldan.co.uk
Saturday 4 Theatr Mwldan, CARDIGAN
Bath House Road,
Cardigan,
Ceredigion
SA43 1JY
01239 621200
www.mwldan.co.uk
Tuesday 7 Eastbourne College
Thursday 9 The Marlowe Theatre, CANTERBURY
£14.50 (£12.50) The Friars
Canterbury
CT1 2AS
01227 787787
www.marlowetheatre.com
Friday 10 The Marlowe Theatre, CANTERBURY
The Friars
Canterbury
CT1 2AS
01227 787787
www.marlowetheatre.com
Saturday 11 The Marlowe Theatre, CANTERBURY
The Friars
Canterbury
CT1 2AS
01227 787787
www.marlowetheatre.com
Tuesday 14 Alnwick Playhouse
Bondgate Without
Alnwick
NE66 1PQ
01665 510785
www.alnwickplayhouse.co.uk
Wednesday 15 ARC, STOCKTON ON TEES
£12 (£10) Dovecot Street
Stockton on Tees
TS18 1LL
01642 525199
www.arconline.co.uk
Thursday 16 Brewery Arts Centre, KENDAL
£12 (£11) Highgate
Kendal,
LA9 4HE
01539 725 133
www.breweryarts.co.uk
Friday 17 Buxton Opera House, BUXTON
£15 (£13 £11) Water Street
Buxton
Derbyshire
SK17 6XN
0845 127 2190
www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
Saturday 18 Buxton Opera House, BUXTON
Water Street
Buxton
Derbyshire
SK17 6XN
0845 127 2190
www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
Tuesday 21 New Theatre Royal, PORTSMOUTH
20 - 24 Guildhall Walk
Portsmouth
PO1 2DD
023 92 649 000
www.newtheatreroyal.com
Wednesday 22 New Theatre Royal, PORTSMOUTH
20 - 24 Guildhall Walk,
Portsmouth,
PO1 2DD
023 9264 9000
www.newtheatreroyal.com
Saturday 25 Doncaster Civic Theatre,
£10 (£8) Waterdale,
Doncaster,
DN1 3ET.
01302 342349
www.doncastercivic.co.uk
Tuesday 28 The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre, NEWPORT
Bristol Packet Wharf
Newport,
NP20 1HG
01633 656 757
www.newport.gov.uk
Thursday 30 Theatr Brycheiniog, BRECON
Canal Wharf
Brecon
Powys
LD3 7EW
01874 611622
www.theatrbrycheiniog.co.uk
November 2008
Tuesday 4 Roses Theatre, TEWKESBURY
Sun Street
Tewkesbury
GL20 5NX
01684 295074
www.rosestheatre.org
Wednesday 5 The Castle, WELLINGBOROUGH
£12 (£10) Castle Way
Wellingborough,
NN8 1XA
01933 270007
www.thecastle.org.uk
Thursday 6 South Holland Centre, SPALDING
£10 (£9) Market Place,
Spalding,
Lincolnshire
PE11 1SS
01775 764777
www.southhollandcentre.co.uk
Monday 10 Theatre Royal, BURY ST EDMUNDS
5 Westgate St
Bury St. Edmunds,
IP33 1QR,
United Kingdom
01284 769505
www.theatreroyal.org
Tuesday 11 Theatre Royal, BURY ST EDMUNDS
5 Westgate St
Bury St. Edmunds,
IP33 1QR,
United Kingdom
01284 769505
www.theatreroyal.org
Wednesday 12 Theatre Royal, BURY ST EDMUNDS
5 Westgate St
Bury St. Edmunds,
IP33 1QR,
United Kingdom
01284 769505
www.theatreroyal.org
Thursday 13 Greenwich Theatre
Crooms Hill
London,
SE10 8ES
0208 8587755
www.greenwichtheatre.co.uk
Friday 14 Greenwich Theatre
Crooms Hill
London,
SE10 8ES
0208 8587755
www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
Saturday 15 Greenwich Theatre
Crooms Hill
London,
SE10 8ES
0208 8587755
www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
Performances: 03 October 2008 to 15 November 2008
Castradiva - Buddug Verona James / Opera Cocktail
Castradiva by Mark RyanA fictional tale about Pedrolino Il Magnifico, il primo castrato del mondo! with some of the greatest arias written for the castrati by Handel and Gluck.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X9KvTm0nrXI – Gluck Aria from Castradiva
performed by Buddug Verona James
written by Mark Ryan
directed by Chris Morgan
musical director Andrew Wilson-Dickson
Tenby Arts Festival
De Valence Pavilion
BOX OFFICE 01834 845341
http://www.tenbyartsfest.co.uk/event_details.asp?id=193
www.buddug.co.uk
23 sept 2008 @ 8.00pm
Performances: 23 September 2008 to 23 September 2008
Find me a Primitive Man - Buddug Verona James / Opera Cocktail
22 November @ 8pmFind me a primitive man
A revue inspired by a woman’s search for the perfect man - Is her Mr Right really out there?
Opera Singer, actress and comedienne Buddug Verona James sings classics from the Great American Songbook, including songs by Gershwin, Porter, Arlen, Schwarz, Styne and Sondheim, accompanied by three of the most prominent jazz musicians in Wales,
Paula Gardiner, Richard Roberts and Paul Smith.
Neuadd y Dderwen, Rhosygilwen Mansion
BOX OFFICE 01239 841 387
http://www.rhosygilwen.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/buddugveronajames - Stan Still Jordan
Performances: 22 November 2008 to 22 November 2008
A Compelling Evening of Music and DramaMusic Theatre Wales's forthcoming production, For You, is a gripping new opera written by two of the UK's leading creative figures, composer Michael Berkeley and novelist Ian McEwan.
McEwan's first opera libretto is brimming with all the hallmark elements that have made him a number one best selling author. For You explores the venom that sexual jealousy inspires as the comfortable, middle class household of a charismatic but ageing composer is torn apart by a woman prepared to go to any lengths in the name of love ...
The compelling text has inspired Berkeley to write some of his most passionate and theatrical music to date.
Summer Tour 2008
Saturday 31 May 7.30pm & Sunday 1 June, 2.30pm
Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon
A co promotion with the Guardian Hay Festival
Thursday 5 June 7.30pm
Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold
Thursday 19 June, 8pm
Oxford Playhouse
Saturday 19 July, 7.30pm
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Thursday 31 July, 8pm
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Autumn Tour 2008
28, 30 October, 1, 2 November
Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House
11 November
Sherman Cymru, Cardiff
24 November
Gala Theatre, Durham
Performances: 31 May 2008 to 24 November 2008
Hay Fever - Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Hay FeverBy Noel Coward
Director Caroline Leslie
Jackie: Do you suppose they know they’re mad?
Sandy: No, people never do
Judith Bliss, an incandescent star of the London stage, her self absorbed novelist husband and two equally unconventional children live in a world where reality slides easily into fiction.
One weekend each member of the family announces they are expecting a guest. From Judith’s fan Sandy to David’s shy flapper, the unsuspecting visitors are thrown into the family’s melodramatic scenes which results in a comedic chaos… they can do nothing but try to escape.
“Noel Coward’s Hay Fever is a delicious comedy of fabulously bad manners”
The Mail on Sunday
Bute Theatre
Friday 24 October - Saturday 1 November
7.30pm
Matinee:
Thursday 30 October
2.30pm
£7, £5
Performances: 24 October 2008 to 30 October 2008
Les Liaisons Dangereuses - Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Les Liaisons DangereusesBy Christopher Hampton
After the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Director Ruth Carney
To long-time friends and occasional lovers Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, love is an elaborate game of chess with human beings as Pawns. In a world of beautiful women and dazzling men, wit flashes like lightening and
love is a dangerous weapon but behind an exquisite exterior something lies dying… In a few false moves, the ultimate checkmate can be found.
Full of seduction, betrayal, and plenty of illicit passion this is a tale of carnal gamesmanship among the French Aristocracy. This dark comedy paints the pre-Revolutionary Bourgouise in all its cynicism and decadence.
From the original 1782 epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos this triumphant stage script went on to inspire the 1988 film ‘Dangerous Liaisons’.
Bute Theatre
Wednesday 3 -
Saturday 13 December
7.30pm
Matinee:
Wednesday 10 December
2.30pm
£7, £5
Performances: 03 December 2008 to 13 December 2008
Llyfr Mawr y Plant - Bara Caws
Theatr Bara Caws mewn cydweithrediad â Galeri a Theatr Gwynedd yn cyflwynoLLYFR BACH Y PLANT
Sgript Angharad Tomos
Beth fydd y storiwyr Deian a Mali yn ei ddarganfod yn y goedwig? Ar drywydd y Goeden Gerdd, cant gyfle i glywed offerynnau, lleisiau'n canu a sawl cân gofiadwy. Mae’r goedwig yn llecyn llawn swyn i bawb sy’n mentro iddi. Os gwrandewch yn astud fe glywch y gwynt trwy ddail y dderwen, wiwerod yn chwyrnu, llwynog slei yn gwibio heibio a hwyaden fywiog!
Sioe fechan rhyngweithiol gyda band byw i blant bach 3 - 7 oed yw Llyfr Bach y Plant. Mi fydd yn gyflwyniad i rai o ganeuon sioe gerddorol newydd Theatr Bara Caws Llyfr Mawr Y Plant gan Gareth F. Williams a Catrin Edwards
sy’n agor yn Theatr Gwynedd ar Hydref 4ydd 2008.
Yr actorion:
Mirain Haf Roberts a Carwyn Jones
Cyfarwyddo: Leisa Mererid
Cerddoriaeth: Trefniant Manon Llwyd o gerddoriaeth Catrin Edwards a geiriau Gareth F. Williams
Cyfarwyddwr Cerdd: Jochen Eisentraut
Cynllunydd Set: Mari Gwent
Performances: 08 September 2008 to 26 September 2008
The Accrington Pals - Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
The Accrington PalsBy Peter Whelan
In September 1914 Accrington was the smallest town in Britain to raise a battalion to fight in World War One. In less than twenty minutes on 1 July
1916, two hundred and thirty five of them died and three hundred and fifty were wounded in the Battle of the Somme.
Peter Whelan’s moving drama follows the lives of the soldiers, wives, daughters and lovers as the ‘Pals’ prepare for the fatal, final push into no man’s land.
Caird Studio
Friday 24 October -
Saturday 1 November
7.45pm
Matinee:
Wednesday 29 October
2.30pm
£7, £5
Performances: 24 October 2008 to 01 November 2008
The Other Woman - Hijinx Theatre
Hijinx Theatre are currently on their whistle-stop national tour of Wales and England of their autumn show The Other Woman by Paul Swift – in this year which marks the 90th Anniversary of the Armistice, it’s both exciting and sobering to look back at such a cataclysmic period in our historyProtected only by the rugged landscape surrounding her isolated cottage in the heart of the South Wales’ valleys, Megan is left alone with her baby – and a broken plough - when her husband goes off to fight in the Great War.
When a desperate stranger breaks into her cottage, Megan is afraid, but sees an opportunity which can benefit them both. They find an unusual solution to explain his presence at the farm, and become drawn to one another – but no-one could possibly foresee the difficulties that unfold when her husband returns, unexpectedly, from the front.
The Other Woman is a powerful piece of theatre about how far people will go to survive through the harshest of times.
Hijinx Theatre is one of the UK's leading small scale touring companies, with over twenty seven years experience of creating high quality theatre which is accessible, entertaining and challenging for small communities throughout Wales and England. For further information and full tour schedule, please visit the Hijinx Theatre website on www.hijinx.org.uk
Cast & Production List
Writer - Paul Swift
Director - Louise Osborn
Musical Director and Composer - Lucy Rivers
Set & Costume Designer - Charlotte Neville
Production Manager/Lighting Designer/ Company Stage Manager - Jane Lalljee
Lizzie Rogan - Megan
Robert Gwyn Davin - Rhys
Stephen Hickman - Bill Driscoll
Performances: 23 September 2008 to 15 November 2008