National Theatre Wales and Told by an Idiot present their celebration of Gwyn Thomas, one of the most distinctive Welsh voices of the last century. This critically acclaimed production comes to the Edinburgh Festival with an outstanding Welsh cast.Taking as its inspiration Thomas’ ink-black comic tales, The Dark Philosophers is a funny, violent and passionate depiction of a community teetering on the brink of humanity. Using Told by an Idiot’s trademark anarchic physicality and inventive storytelling, this adaptation brings out the bleak, wild humour in tales laced with sex, murder and Thomas’ devastating Valleys wit. This production will be performed at the Traverse Theatre as part of the British Council’s Edinburgh Showcase 2011, and is National Theatre Wales’ first performance outside Wales. It was first staged at Newport and Wrexham in November 2010. David Charles’ theatre credits include: The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot); Otieno (Metta Theatre/Southwark Playhouse); The Duchess Of Malfi (Bristol Old Vic); All Our Hellos and Goodbyes (LCR/The Gymnasium); Pedlar (Lead); The Invisible Monkey (New End Theatre) and An Enemy of the People (Clwyd Theatre Cymru). Television credits include: Fantabulosa (BBC, in which he played Charles Hawtrey); M.I.High (BBC), High Hopes (BBC Wales) and A470 (ITV Wales). Nia Davies’ theatre credits include: Six Seeds (National Theatre); The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot); BBC Children's Prom (Royal Albert Hall); Changing Rooms and Come Blow Your Horn (Frinton Summer Theatre); The Lady Vanishes (National Tour); and Merlin and the Cave of Dreams (Sherman Theatre). Television credits include: S4C children’s programme Meees. Nia Gwynne’s theatre credits include: Look Back In Anger (Northern Stage Company); Lie Of The Land (Edinburgh Festival); The Daughter In Law, Dangerous Corner and Love Me Slender (New Vic); The Almond and the Seahorse (Sherman Cymru); Absurd Person Singular (Bolton Octagon); To Kill A Mockingbird and The Invention of Love (Salisbury Playhouse), Mirandolina (Royal Exchange), Ghost City (Script Cymru / Brits Off Broadway), and Dogmouth (The Evidence Room, USA). Television credits include: Casualty, EastEnders, Stick or Twist, Belonging (BBC), The Bill (ITV). Film credits include: Shadow Dancer (BBC Films), Resistance (Rich Films) and The Organ Grinder’s Monkey, (Film4/Warp Films). Ryan Hacker’s theatre credits include: The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot); Carmen (Leicester Square Theatre); and Midnight at the Hotel Beuregard (Rose Bruford College/Paines Plough). Film credits include: Hunky Dory (dir. Marc Evans). Daniel Hawksford’s theatre credits include: The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot); The Bible – A Recital of The King James Bible, Macbeth and King Lear (Globe Theatre); Dancing at Lughnasa (Birmingham Rep Theatre); Judgement Day (Almeida Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing and The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other (National Theatre); Troilus and Cressida, Romeo and Juliet and Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead (Clwyd Theatr Cymru); The School of Night, Cymbeline and The Taming of the Shrew (RSC); and Acqua Nero (Sgript Cymru). Television credits include: Waking the Dead and Colditz (BBC). Film credits include: Pelican Blood and Flesh and Blood. He is an associate artist for Clwyd Theatr Cymru. Bettrys Jones’ theatre credits include: And the Horse You Rode in On (Told by an Idiot); The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot); The Crucible (Regents Park Open Air Theatre); Warhorse (National Theatre West End); Measure for Measure and Cariad (Clwyd Theatr Cymru); Box (Birmingham Rep); To Kill a Mockingbird (West Yorkshire Playhouse); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC - Novello Theatre); Comedy Of Errors (RSC - Novello Theatre / Royal Shakespeare Co); Quinto Quarto (Union Theatre, Southwark); The Little Years (The Orange Tree Theatre); Wait Until Dark (Garrick Theatre/Bill Kenwright Ltd); and Party Time/One For the Road (BAC). Television credits include: Skins (E4). Matthew Owen’s theatre credits include The People's Act of Literature (Windsor Fringe Mariott Award); A Man for All Seasons (Saint Johns Players); Selling Islington and Threesome (Elephant Theatre); The Bacchae (Moonlight Drive Productions); Gross National Product, Hypolotus, and The Lion Who Lost His Mane (Puppetscience). Directing credits include: To Quote the Bard (Elkan Productions). Glyn Pritchard’s theatre credits include: The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot); The Black Album (Tara Arts National Tour); Othello (RSC); The Diver (Soho Theatre/Tokyo Theatre); Under Milk Wood (Tricycle Theatre/London Stage Company); The Bee (Noda Map Japan); A Family Affair (Arcola Theatre) and Yn Debyg Iawn i Ti a Fi (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru). Television credits include: Pobol y Cwm (BBC Cymru). Gwyn Thomas (1913-1981) was born and brought up in Cymmer, in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. Growing up in poverty, he won a scholarship to Oxford University, and returned to Wales to teach. The Dark Philosophers – a collection of short stories – was published in 1946, while his novels include The Alone to the Alone, All Things Betray Thee, The World Cannot Hear You, and Now Lead Us Home. His play The Keep opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 1961, to great acclaim. Paul Hunter is co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Told by an Idiot with Hayley Carmichael. He has been involved as director/devisor/performer in all their work to date, including The Comedy of Errors, The Fahrenheit Twins, and Beauty and the Beast. Other acting credits include: Troilus and Cressida and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (both Shakespeare’s Globe), Rapunzel (Kneehigh), and Les Enfants du Paradis (RSC). He was an Associate Director at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton, where he directed The Venetian Twins, The Beauty Queen of Leenane (winner of MEN Award - Best Production), and Accidental Death of An Anarchist. His other directing credits include: Low Pay, Don’t Pay (Salisbury Playhouse), Senora Carrar’s Rifles (Young Vic) and the original production of The Dark Philosophers (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot) in 2010. Carl Grose worked with Told by an Idiot on Beauty and the Beast (Lyric, Hammersmith). Other writing credits include: Gargantua (this year's National Theatre Connections Festival); Grand Guignol (The Drum Theatre, Plymouth); Cymbeline (Kneehigh/RSC); and Tristan and Yseult (Kneehigh/National Theatre). He co-founded the Cornish theatre and film production company o-region, and also works as an actor and director. Carl first adapted The Dark Philosophers for National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot for the original production in 2010. Angela Davies designed National Theatre Wales’ very first production, A Good Night Out in the Valleys. Her previous work includes Life Is A Dream (Donmar Warehouse), and the original production of The Dark Philosophers in 2010 (National Theatre Wales/Told by an Idiot). She has designed for companies including the RSC, and for several operas. Her current projects include Rigoletto for Grange Park Opera. |
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Friday, June 10, 2011 |
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