|
Award-winning new play Speechless returns to Cardiff following Edinburgh success
|
A new play inspired by the best-selling book The Silent Twins by Marjorie Wallace will return to Cardiff in September following a critically acclaimed, sell out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it picked up a Fringe First Award, a nomination for an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award and two nominations for Best Actress in The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence.
Co-produced by Shared Experience and Sherman Cymru, Speechless tells the extraordinary story of identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons. Refusing to speak to adults, the twins’ only relationship is their intense and turbulent bond with each other. Speechless is an astonishing and powerful portrayal of the twins’ secret world and their struggle to find a voice against all odds.
Speechless is written by Linda Brogan and Polly Teale, Shared Experience's Artistic Director who has also directed the piece. Polly comments:
“When I first encountered the story of the twins I couldn't get it out of my mind. That two young women so full of hope and aspiration should end up in Broadmoor after turning to violent crime seemed a modern tragedy. It seemed fitting on a project about twins and the relationship between black and white that this should be reflected in the making of the piece. It has been a fascinating process to work with Linda Brogan, a writer whose work I have admired, on this astonishing story."
The Fringe First Award, which commends new work at the Festival, was presented to Polly Teale and members of the cast and crew of Speechless at a ceremony on Friday 13 August. The production has also been nominated for an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award which is awarded to an outstanding play carrying a human rights message. John Watson, Amnesty International's Scottish Programme Director and one of the Award judges, said:
"Speechless combines top notch production values with an incisive exploration of how the constant drip-drip of racism can alienate people psychologically and eventually drive them to a violent and destructive reaction. This production tears apart the veil of complacency in a society which made use of incomers rather than welcoming them, congratulating itself on its tolerance while failing to understand the true nature of equality and respect."
Speechless is on at the Bute Theatre, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on 15 September – 2 October at 8pm. Tickets are £14 / concessions £12 / under 19s £8 and can be booked from the RWCMD Box Office on 029 2039 1391.
|
Sherman Cymru
web site: |
e-mail: |
Monday, September 13, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Older news
stories have been carefully archived.
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
