ON THE EDGE presented by Michael KeliganCHAPTER WEDNESDAY APRIL 12TH April this year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Royal Court Theatre. Extensive celebrations are taking place at the theatre and on BBC Radio 4. The theatre houses Britain’s leading national company dedicated to new and innovative writers from the UK and around the world. The first play presented was The Mulberry Bush by Angus Wilson, better known as a novelist. It opened on April 2nd. Some fifty years and ten days on Michael Kelligan’s On The Edge project recreates the third play produced at the Royal Court, the play now considered to have marked the beginning of modern British drama: Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. At the time one critic described it as “the play that shocked the world”. It is a sad comment of the continuing poor structure of professional theatre in Wales that it hasn’t been seen here since it toured to the New Theatre Cardiff in July 1957. It is a central thread of Kelligan’s On The Edge project to bring to the fore plays that would not otherwise be seen; as demonstrated by his recent very successful production of Welsh Playwright Ian Rowland’s BLINK, based on matters contained in the Clywch Report. At least two theatre organisations in Wales having refused to produce it. He was also able to give an opportunity for new playwright Neil Rhodes from Oswestry to present his play The Big Crunch that focussed on prisoner abuse in the Middle East. Previous seasons have featured revivals of plays by Alan Osborne, Dic Edwards, Patrick Jones, Mark Jenkins and Ed Thomas, all leading Welsh playwrights. Although it is extremely eclectic the Royal Court’s main focus is on new work by English writers. The Traverse Theatre does the same job for Scottish writers and the Peacock Theatre in Dublin for Irish playwrights. Few Welsh writers have been featured at the Royal Court. It is now time that Wales had its own theatre dedicated to new writing. We are rich in highly talented writers and in wonderful actors to perform for them. Sadly what is lacking here in Wales, to complete the equation, is an equally good supply of directing talent. It is understood that the refurbishment programme for the Sherman Theatre could include a new auditorium dedicated to new writing. A successful outcome of the merger discussions between Sgript Cymru and the Sherman Theatre Company should produce a company to run it. Will that company be able to find its own Welsh Look back in Anger for the twenty first century? A script-held performance of Look back in Anger will take place at Chapter, Cardiff on Wednesday 12th April at 8PM. It will feature Cardiff actor Dean Rehman as ‘angry young man’ Jimmy Porter, who has recently been in productions with Fluellen Theatre and Swansea based, Theatre Na Nog. He made a very big impact in the role of Gary Gilmor in Dic Edwards play Utah Blue in last season’s On The Edge and more recently as the abused prisoner in The Big Crunch. He will be joined by Huw Davies, recently seen in the BBC’s Pople Y Cwm, and who played the leading part in the D M Davies award (the most prestigious award for short films in Europe) winning Film Cyn Elo'r Haul directed by Arwel Gruffydd who also directed the On The Edge production of Birthmarks by Mark Jenkins. Also by David Prince, Rebecca Knowles and Stace Daley who made a big impact in Patrick Jones play, Absents. |
| On the Edge Season web site: |
| Michael Kelligan e-mail: Mgsmkelly1@aol.com |
Tuesday, April 4, 2006 |
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