That Bad News, Good News Thing Again

So after much to-ing and fro-ing to the Arts Council, and much hard work from Adele and Sarah in putting together budgets, we are not going to be funded to do a tour of the play in Wales. There had been talk of getting something up in time for the Assembly elections next spring, but that now will not happen. There we go.

After receiving this news, we let various people who'd expressed an interest in taking the show know we wouldn't be in a position to tour. One bunch of people were the Bush Theatre in London, who have been incredibly supportive and enthusiastic all along. Last week the Bush got in touch, and asked if they could take out a licence, with a view to doing their own production of the play some time in the next twelve months. While this doesn't absolutely definitely mean they'll put the show on, no-one in this business can afford to throw money away, and so the signs are good. But... what an irony that work we struggle to put on in Wales, about Wales, gets ignored here, but is taken up by London and the world beyond.

I suppose we should be used to it by now.

Bad News, Good News, and an Upshot

Some time ago I mentioned that Paines Plough had decided to do a new play of mine in autumn 2007. The play is called The Waiting Room, it's about class and gentrification, and it's set in contemporary Cardiff. Paines Plough are a massively respected, world-renowned company, but they're also fairly small, and they stretch their budget by making sure they co-produce everything they do. They had been looking for a Welsh co-producer for my play, but have been unable to find one. Sgript Cymru were initially enthusiastic, but given that they're about to merge with the Sherman, and it's not clear who will be running the new company, they were unable to commit to co-producing the tour. And because there is no-one in Wales to co-produce a piece of new Welsh work, Paines Plough are not now going to do my play. It would be financially crippling for them to produce it solo: and they have plays set in places like Manchester or Liverpool or London, and find that theatre companies from Manchester and Liverpool and London are eager to co-produce those plays with them.

In contrast: I've just found out that another play I've been working on, called We That Are Left, is going to be produced in spring 2007 by the Palace Theatre in Watford, which has just been taken over by Brigid Larmour. We That Are Left is set in the south east of England, both in the present day and in 1940.

I've been a professional writer for six years now. Wales is the default setting for all my work, because Wales is where I come from, Wales is where I live, and the voices I hear all around me every day are Welsh voices, of various different flavours. But it's impossible for me to avoid the conclusion that whenever I write about Wales, I'm handicapping myself as a playwright. Because I'm writing plays for a country that doesn't really want plays. Or at least not my plays. I should probably take the hint and just, you know, piss right off.

Wales extracts vowels in psychic defence

Hwre! It's working...

Global Recognition

The current issue of Planet (number 178) features an extended review of Enemy, along with some lovely production shots by Kirsten. Available from your local library and all good book shops (if you live in Wales).

edit: and now reproduced here on Theatre in Wales.

yp-dêt

The Bush in London and the Traverse in Edinburgh have expressed an interest in taking the show if we can put together a tour, and obviously we'd like the play to be seen across Wales and to have another run in Cardiff. So Adele and Sarah have drawn up a budget and have applied to ACW... and now we wait and see.

In the meantime I'm working on a new play for the Young Company of the National Theatre of Scotland. And here are the Young Company, in all their youth and beauty - actors Scott, Neil, Kirstin and Maryam in the front, director Steve at the back (producers Sarah and Pamela out of the picture, doing some work). Don't they look happy? Of course they do. Because they are young, talented, they are doing jobs they love; and they haven't read my script yet.

What a difference a fortnight makes...

Having had time to think, David Adams has posted another review here on Theatre-in-Wales.

Review - Western Mail

David Adams gave the play a lovely review in the Western Mail, which Keith Morris has very helpfully put up here, on his Theatre in Wales website.

Less helpfully, the Western Mail waited until Friday 21st of July to print the review, the play having closed five days earlier, on Sunday 16th. Gotta love the way we all pull together in Team Wales...