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.
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.
posted by Gary at 3:49 AM
3 Comments:
Dear Gary, well just to let you know that here in Greece I got funded to do your play about Wales Amser Canser last March. So even the Cultural Ministry of Greece is funding Welsh plays (and believe me they are not funding many productions)...
Thalia Protonotariou, Snaporatz TC, Athens
Hi Thalia,
Thanks for commenting. I knew about the production, and I hope you had a good experience working on the play. I'd be fascinated to know what drew you to a play that - at least to me - seems to spend a lot of time going on about things that are very specifically about Wales.
all the best
Gary.
Dear Gary,
my e-mail is thaliaprot@hotmail.com if you wish to write to me there. Well, I loved your play and me and the actresses working on it spend dozens of hours disscussing it outside of rehearsals.
I've studied theatre in Britain and I 've read many recent British playwrights and I consider you to be a fresh and unique theatre voice in Europe. Your plays were a revelation for me, they gave me back hope about the future of theatre. I suppose what I am saying is that I think you are a great writer welsh or not.
As for the welshness of Cancer Time as the old cliche goes the more specific you are the more universal the outcome. What actually drew me to this play is its politics, poetry and power of emotions. I took the whole language thing as a metaphor too (the impossibility of communicating our truer selves). Moreover, greek is not exactly spoken by tens of millions, so the allusions to the welsh language were welcomed.
I would love to read any of your new plays (I have the Methuen Collected Plays 1)and probably put on another one.
Respect
Thalia
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