If you’ve always dreamt of having a spin in a campervan then audiences at Wales Millennium Centre could have their wish granted this spring.
A vintage yellow VW campervan will take up residency outside the Cardiff Bay venue for a series of unusual performances as part of the Centre’s Weston Studio spring line-up.
‘Running on Air’ is a new piece by Laura Mugridge who invites audiences to join her and take part in a performance in a campervan called Joni. Once inside the van, audiences are taken on a virtual and intimate journey from Lands End to Edinburgh and share their experiences of marriage, camping, and celebrating the good life. ['Running on Air', 10-12 June 2011]
Meanwhile inside the Centre, new shows for children, sing-along classics, Welsh-language productions, and a clutch of powerful and dark plays have been scheduled for the Weston’s intimate space. Highlights include:
CHILDREN’S SHOWS
• Bombastic return with a new dance theatre and animation show for young children aged five upwards. The show is set in outer space and contains dancing aliens, floating astronauts and animation to transport you ‘Beyond the Stars’ ['Beyond the Stars', Bombastic, 10 April]
• 'Ŵy ar Lwy' is a collaboration between the Centre and Galeri Caernarfon. This Welsh-language production is aimed at one to four year olds and introduces them to the different seasons. Children can play peek-a-boo in puddles and dance at a butterfly party ['Ŵy ar Lwy', Lyngo Theatre Company, 11 March]
POWERFUL PLAYS AND NEW DRAMA
• ‘Beachy Head’ examines the ripple effect of one man’s decision to take his own life at this notorious location from the point of view of his widow, Amy. At the same time, Matt and Joe discover the blurred image of a man jumping from the cliffs as part of a documentary they are making. ['Beachy Head', Analogue, 7 March]
• ‘Keepers’ tells the true story of two lighthouse keepers stationed off the coast near Pembrokeshire. The men’s relationship is almost as stormy as the weather. When tragedy strikes one of them, the other goes to severe lengths to hide the truth. The infamous incident at Smalls lighthouse resulted in lighthouses being manned by three rather than two people – a significant change in maritime tradition. ['Keepers', The Plasticine Men, 17 March]
• ‘Lockerbie’ is a hard-hitting piece of political theatre based on the Lockerbie bombing where 270 people were killed. It follows a grieving father whose faith in justice and the legal system is shattered as a result of the terrorist attack on Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 ['Lockerbie', Seabright Productions, 20 March]
• Theatr Genedlaethol return to the Centre with playwright Dafydd James’s translation of Spring Awakening. Based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play, 'Deffro’r Gwanwyn' explores teenage sex, suicide, promiscuity and homosexuality ['Deffro’r Gwanwyn', Theatr Genedlaethol, 15-16 March]
ALL SINGING AND DANCING
• 'The Singalong Glee Club' is a celebration of some of the best sing-along classics together with musical gems. Lyrics are provided and requests taken. ['The Singalong Glee Club', Seabright Productions, 1 April]
• 'Bay Divas: Encore!' Jazz trio Patti Flynn, Humie Webb and Jacky Webb return to help the Centre celebrate International Women’s Day. [Bay Divas: Encore! 13 March]
• Pop stars Chesney Hawkes, Girls Aloud and George Michael are just three of the many pop stars parodied as part of Frisky & Mannish’s latest musical show. ['Frisky & Mannish: The College Years', 17 April]
• '5 SOLDIERS' is a new dance piece based on intensive research on the physical demands on the lives of soldiers – from the drudgery of life in the barracks to the anxiety and excitement of operations and the injury caused by warfare. ['5 SOLDIERS', Rosie Kay Dance Company, 23 March.]
Mark Taylor, Wales Millennium Centre Chief Executive said: ‘This season’s line-up at the intimate Weston Theatre provides some powerful, thought-provoking drama, and some playful and captivating plays for children. Following the success of last year’s ‘Wondermart’ a piece of theatre which was held in a supermarket, the Centre is extending its convention of staging drama in unconventional places with 'Running on Air' which is staged in a bright yellow campervan. I hope that audiences at the Centre will continue to enjoy the challenge that interactive theatre brings, and experience the dual role of being participants as well as spectators.’ |
