A new play set in Wales on the night of the Scottish independence referendum vote tours South Wales next week.
Penned by two Cardiff-based authors, Sara Haways and Leon Russell, whose radical politics challenge what they see as a cosy, soft Welsh nationalism, the work Results Night promises to combine humour with some hard-hitting views.
Sara, said, “We decided to write Results Night in anticipation of the September 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. Few opportunities ever arise for the Welsh nation to engage in the kind of soul searching that this opportunity offers up, and we should make the most of the opportunity.”
The play is part of the successful script-held On the Edge performances curated by actor and director Michael Kelligan, giving voice to new and neglected works by authors with strong Wales links.
Results Night takes place in trendy Pontcanna, Cardiff on the evening of September 18, 2014, in a Welsh-speaking household where Elsabeth and Dafydd Puw are entertaining their potential in-laws, the Kennetts from Surrey. Inevitably, conversation turns to the position of Wales in the greater scheme of things, and especially when the fifth character enters the fray. Leanne is a Valleys girl, a republican-socialist, and a fervent Welsh patriot. Her background and her politics are at considerable odds with the other four characters, and her perspective is the missing ingredient to a combustible evening.
Leon said, “As writers we tend towards the left-republican views embodied in the Leanne character. We are organisers of the annual Cardiff Bay Republican Day, which made front-page news after Leanne Wood AM attended one of our events and swore an oath to Welsh republicanism. We are also members of Cardiff United Nations Association, and will be playing an active role in organising the anti-NATO protest in September of this year, with meetings taking place at our headquarters in the Temple of Peace building.”
He added, “The message of Results Night overall, is that a very safe and tamed version of Welsh patriotism has been cultivate over recent decades, safely curtailed by proximity to the political mainstream and accusations of ‘extremism‘ and ‘racism’ by the opinion-police of the mainstream media. Outside of this well-trimmed cul-de-sac there is a strident Welsh republicanism; internationalist, inclusive, radical, and left-wing. We hope Results Night provides opportunities for meaningful discussion, as well as a very entertaining night out.”
Results Night, Chapter, Cardiff, Tuesday, April 15, 8pm, £4; Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea, Wednesday, April 16, 7.30pm, £4; Riverfront, Newport, Thursday, April 17, 7.45pm, £4. |
