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The Sherman Theatre welcomes bhangra and rap to its stage on February 28 – March 1 with Raining Old Women and Sticks, a unique production which will push boundries with its multi-cultural cast, themes and languages. Bradford meets Llanberis, Snowdon meets the mountains of Peshawar, Bhangra meets Welsh rap! English, Punjabi and Welsh harmonise and collide in a play which weaves together the threads of three different cultures to delight, illuminate and challenge audiences in the city of Bradford and the towns of Wales. Stranded by a terrible rainstorm, two young Welsh women from the villages of Snowdonia and two streetwise British Asians from inner Bradford meet in a deserted café. For one rainy hour, they share together their life stories of parental loss and love, forced marriage, unwanted births, curses, blessings and forgotten hopes. But this rain of ‘old women and sticks’, in the words of the Welsh saying, is not accidental and by morning, when the rain has stopped, things will never be the same again. Five actors (Welsh and British Asian), with the help of video projections, masks, food and rag rugs, will lead audiences on a darkly atmospheric journey of trans-cultural discovery. This production is in 3 languages – English, Welsh and Mirpuri Punjabi. Raining Old Women and Sticks is a co-production between Llwyfan Gogledd Cymru and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford. The production has been developed by using a variety of different sources - extensive interviews with young British Asians in Bradford and young Welsh speakers in Gwynedd; Welsh myth and history; Punjabi stories and the landscapes of Snowdonia and inner Bradford. Ian Rowlands, Artistic Director of Llwyfan Gogledd Cymru comments “There is a tendency by some Welsh people to be narrow minded about race. However within the devolved Britain of today, we’re not the only minority fighting for its identity. We should therefore put aside old prejudices and initiate dialogues with all the peoples of these Islands in order to develop a deeper and more meaningful understanding of each other.’ Raining Old Women and Sticks will be at The Sherman Theatre on Tuesday 28 February – Wednesday 1 March at 8pm. Tickets are just £10 (Reductions £8) and can be booked now from the Box Office on 029 2064 6900. |
| Sherman Theatre web site: www.shermantheatre.co.uk |
| Aled Ifan e-mail: m@llwyfan-gogledd-cymru.com |
Friday, February 3, 2006 |
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