Little Dogs Newspaper Programme by National Theatre Wales

In partnership with Inspired by / Wediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i ysbrydoli gan Dylan Thomas

NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

LITTLE DOGS

The nation of Wales is our stage: from forests to beaches, from aircraft HANGARS to postindustrial towns, from village halls to nightclubs. We bring together storytelling poets, visual visionaries and inventors of ideas. We collaborate with artists, audiences, communities and companies to create theatre in the English language, rooted in Wales, with an international reach. You’ll find us round the corner, across the mountain and in your digital backyard. “ One of the best things to happen to the stage in the past five years ” Susannah Clapp, The Observer

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STAFF TEAM

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

KEEP IN TOUCH

Matt Ball / Creative Associate @mattball_ntw Lucy Davies / Executive Producer @lucy_ntw Devinda De Silva / TEAM Co-ordinator @devinda_ntw David Evans / Head of Production @david_ntw Stephen Grant / Finance Manager @stephen_ntw Donna Jones / Finance Assistant @donna_ntw Rhian Jones / Administrator @rhian_ntw Matthew Lawton / Communications Director @matt_ntw John McGrath / Artistic Director @john_ntw Yusuf Mohamed / Community Engagement Associate (De Gabay) @yusuf_ntw Gavin Porter / Creative Associate (De Gabay) @gavinp0rter Catrin Rogers / Media Officer @catrin_ntw Michael Salmon / Company Assistant @michael_ntw Abdul Shayek / Creative Associate @abdul_ntw Jen Thornton / Communications Assistant @jen_ntw

Steve Blandford Phil George (Chair) Jon Gower Richard Hogger Deborah Martell Powell Gemma McAvoy Judi Richards Chris Ryde (Vice Chair) Peter Stead

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Sam Jones C.D.G. / Casting Director Lucy Taylor / Casting Assistant The Corner Shop PR / UK & International PR

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Photographs: Warren Orchard / National Theatre Wales

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NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

LITTLE DOGS

THE CAST

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SIÂN PHILLIPS Siân Phillips trained at RADA.

KATIE ELIZABETH-PAYNE

Recent theatre credits –

Katie Elizabeth-Payne trained at the Rose Bruford Drama College. Since graduating she has appeared in several plays, film and radio work including The Tempest (GoodNight Out, London), Presas (Soho Theatre, London), New Writing Maximilliens Journey (Jermyn Street Theatre, London), Boy Understood (BBC), The Way we Run (Dragon. Grim), Connection Failed (Frapetsus Productions), The Intellects (Sterling), Bred In Heaven (Frapetsus Productions), and The Dead Wretched (MTV).

HANNAH GOOD Hannah Good trained at Drama Centre London. Theatre credits include The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Drama Centre London). This is her first professional performance. Where did you first find love?

REMY BEASLEY Remy Beasley trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Theatre credits include – Gaslight (Theatre Clywd), Love Steals Us From Loneliness (National Theatre Wales/Sherman Cymru), and It’s About Time (Nabokov/Latitude Festival).

Television credits include –

While focusing on her own career, Katie is also a principal actor and collaborator for the contemporary and cutting-edge theatre company DumbWise. Her passion for writing and producing is being realised through DumbWise, having a number of plays currently in rehearsal and development. DumbWise are in rehearsals for an adaptation of Faust to be toured in Brighton and London Summer 2012. She is also currently collaborating on a sketch show to be piloted for television in late 2012.

Perfect Summer (BBC Wales Television).

Where did you first find love?

Film credits include –

I used to play kiss chase, cuddle and torture in school aged 7. The boys used to run up to me and say “Katie, you always chase and torture, but never cuddle or kiss... why?” To which I replied... “My mammy says I’m not allowed to kiss any boy unless they look like Gene Kelly”. Yeah, realised I first fell in love with Gene himself and his umbrella. Needless to say my first boyfriend ‘Dean Locke’ (what a name) looked like Gene Kelly.

20 Questions (BBC Wales Television).

Where did you first find love? I first found love watching Saved By The Bell in the form of Zack Morris. Head over heels I was.

Theatre credits include – The Sea Plays (Old Vic Tunnels), The Passion (National Theatre Wales/Wildworks), The Comedy of Errors (RSC), Measure For Measure, Two Princes, and The Morning of the Two Lights (Clwyd Theatre Cymru), Muscle and Flyboys (ShocknAwe), Romeo and Juliet (Erasmus International Theatre), Hans (Creation Theatre), Rotten and The Boy Who Killed John Hopper (Undeb), Fragments of Ash (Notional Theatre), A Tail of Two Dogs (Out of Order) and Tortoise (DumbWise).

Television credits include – First Light (BBC/Lion TV), The Passion in Port Talbot (BBC) and Mabel’s Story (S4C).

Film credits include – The Gospel of Us (Rondo), Clobber (Boom Pow), and Watch Me (Fiction Factory).

Radio credits include –

Pink Mist (BBC Radio 4), Past Masters (BBC Radio 4).

Where did you first find love? I was young, I was in a rehearsal room. I was working with this girl and I accidentally touched her boob. I apologised. She laughed. I said I was “Sorry for touching your easter eggs”. She laughed again! It was winter...easter eggs? She definitely fancied me. It was awkward, it was the best.

DARREN EVANS Darren Evans trained at Swansea Metropolitan University. Theatre credits include – One O’clock From the House and Family Planning (for Frank Vickery).

Television credits include – Casualty and Being Human (BBC), Skins (Channel 4), Young Dracula (CBBC) and Kiddo (BBC Wales).

Film credits include – Submarine, Hunky Dory and Summer Scars.

Current cabaret – Siân Phillips Crossing Borders (London, New York and continuing UK tour).

Television credits include –

SARAH LISABETH Sarah Lisabeth trained at Trinity University College. Theatre credits include – Mild Entertainment, The Last Supper Of The Ghosts Of Galezza and Requiem (Company 4), Trojan Women (Theatr Pena), Clymau (Trinity College), A Simple Twist Of Fate (Theatr Cerdd A’r Cyfryngau), Away Now To War (Inky Quill), I’ll Be There In A Minute Now (Frapetsus Productions), Kontakt 2, Gospel and 18/6 (Company 4), Twelfth Night (Trinity College), Gormenghast and Oedipus (The Atrium).

Television & Film credits include –

JORDAN BERNARDE Jordan Bernarde trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

I thought I first found love in school but in hindsight that was just confusion as you are confused at that time in your life. It wasn’t until coming to drama school did I actually find love, so it was school just bigger school.

Lovesong (Frantic Assembly, UK Tour & Lyric Hammersmith), Noël Coward’s musical Bitter Sweet (USA), Juliet and Her Romeo (Bristol Old Vic), A Little Night Music (Opera Theatre of St Louis), Calendar Girls (UK tour/West End), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (New York), Regrets Only (New York), Rockaby (Dublin/Barbican Centre), Great Expectations (Cheek By Jowl and Royal Shakespeare Company), The Dark, Maxibules, Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Man and Superman, Night of the Iguana, Vanilla, Thursday’s Ladies, Hedda Gabler (National Theatre, Oslo/ Duke of Yorks, UK tour), You Never Can Tell, Dear Liar, The Dark Lady, Pal Joey (Musical), Peg (Musical), Brel (Musical), Gigi (Musical), Major Barbara (National Theatre), Painting Churches, The Manchurian Candidate, A Little Night Music (National), Marlene (Musical – Paris, South Africa, Dublin, New York, London and UK tour).

I Love Wales (BBC Wales), Rewind (The Atrium), and Nhw A Ni (Theatr Cerdd A’r Cyfryngau).

Lewis, New Tricks, Holby City, La Femme Nikita (Series, USA), The Murder Room, Aristocrats, Crime & Punishment, The Oresteia, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Smiley’s People, How Green Was My Valley, I, Claudius, The Magician’s House, Ballykissangel, Summer Silence (TV Musical) and Snow Spider.

Film credits include – Gigolos, Goodbye Mr Chips, Coming and Going, Dune, Murphy’s War, Valmont, The Age of Innocence, House of America, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Under Milk Wood.

Publications – Siân Phillips Needlepoint (Two Vols Autobiography), Private Faces and Public Places. Siân is a Member of the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards and was made a CBE in 2000.

Where did you first find love? My first love... Oh, where can I begin?! It’s more of a series of loves than one in particular.... My parents, Hannah, Grandparents, Dirty Dancing, Sweets, Spice Girls, S Club 7, Dance, Blueberry Muffins, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, BBF, Childhood Sweetheart, Sherman, Cinema, Stage, Chocolate, Holidays, Eggs, G&T, Cooked Dinner, Life in general... The list just goes on!

MATTHEW TREVANNION Matthew Trevannion trained at Rose Bruford Drama College. Theatre credits include – The Sea Plays (Old Vic Tunnels), Hamlet (Young Vic), Love Steals Us from Loneliness (National Theatre Wales/Sherman Cymru) and @Virtually Read (Roundhouse. Matthew’s debut play Bruised is being staged at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in May this year.

BERWYN PEARCE Where did you first find love?

Where did you first find love? I first found love when i was studying at college. A question that has always interested me is how do you know when you’re in love? What defines it? From my own personal belief I believe that I was. I also do have a very big strong love for my family friends and acting itself but of course that is a different love to which I experienced when I was in college.

Berwyn Pearce trained at Central School of Speech and Drama. Theatre credits include – Deffro’r Gwanwyn (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru/ Welsh Tour), Keeping the Faith (Central School of Speech and Drama) and The Wanamaker Festival (The Globe).

The first time I felt anything like love was my first day at drama school. I saw the girl that went on to become my girlfriend sitting with a guy who became a friend and thought if she’s with him there is no justice in the world.

Television credits include – Pobol y Cwm (BBC).

Where did you first find love? I first found love in school, but then she went off with my best friend Walshy... It’s ok now tho, we’ve had 20 years to get over it.

NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

LITTLE DOGS

THE SPIRIT OF SWANSEA

ACROSS THE CITY, HEARTS ARE BEATING THE MATING RITUAL HAS BEGUN Images:

Dan Green Date:

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

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NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

LITTLE DOGS

THE SPIRIT OF SWANSEA

ACROSS THE CITY, HEARTS ARE BEATING THE MATING RITUAL HAS BEGUN Images:

Dan Green Date:

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

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LITTLE DOGS

direcTor – SCOTT GRAHAM direcTor – STEVEN HOGGETT designer – TIM DICKEL lighTing designer – ANDY PURVES sound designer – CAROLYN DOWNING original music – HYBRID cosTume designer – SIAN JENKINS associaTe direcTor – NAOMI SAID emerging direcTor – LISA WELLS-TURNER producTion manager – CERI JAMES company sTage manager – MATTHEW NORTH depuTy sTage manager – JONI CARTER assisTanT sTage manager – RHODRI HUNT cosTume supervisor – ANGHARAD MATTHEWS assisTanT designer – SARAH VIGARS Wardrobe misTress – MEGAN WATKINS cosTume maker – KATE BOHIN producTion elecTrician – JOHN TEE promoTer – BRENT MORGAN devised by SCOTT GRAHAM, STEVEN HOGGETT AND THE COMPANY

WiTh Thanks To: Julie Hobday Sybil Crouch and all at Taliesin Arts Centre Mabs Noor and all at the Patti Pavilion Kirstie Evans Rachel Dooley Phil Everett-Lyons

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Scott Graham

Steven Hoggett

Director

Scott is co-founder and Artistic Director of Frantic Assembly. For Frantic Assembly, Scott has codirected Lovesong, Beautiful Burnout (Fringe First), Othello (TMA award – Best Direction), Stockholm (including a 2010 revival for Sydney Theatre Company), pool (no water), Dirty Wonderland, Rabbit, Peepshow and Underworld. Director/performer credits include Hymns, Tiny Dynamite, On Blindness, Heavenly, Sell Out, Zero, Flesh, Klub and Look Back In Anger. Scott’s other directing credits include: Home (National Theatre of Scotland), Ker-ching (Sixth Sense), It’s A Long Road and Up on the Roof (Polka Theatre). Scott has also provided choreography and movement direction for Dr Dee (Manchester International Festival/ENO), Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella (Unicorn Theatre), Frankenstein (Royal and Derngate), The May Queen (Liverpool Everyman), Hothouse and Market Boy (National Theatre), Villette (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Vs (Karim Tonsi Dance Company, Cairo), Improper (Bare Bones Dance Company), Dazzling Medusa and A Bear Called Paddington (Polka) and Stuart Little (No 1 tour). With Steven Hoggett and Bryony Lavery, Scott created It Snows, a National Theatre Connections play for 2008. With Steven Hoggett, Scott has written The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre (Routledge).

Steven is co-founder and Artistic Director of Frantic Assembly. For Frantic Assembly, Steven has codirected Lovesong, Beautiful Burnout (Fringe First), Othello (TMA award – Best Direction), Stockholm (including a 2010 revival for Sydney Theatre Company), pool (no water), Dirty Wonderland, Rabbit, Peepshow and Underworld. Director/performer credits for the company include: Hymns, Tiny Dynamite, On Blindness, Heavenly, Sell Out, Zero, Flesh, Klub and Look Back In Anger. As Associate Director/Movement, Steven worked on the multi award-winning production Black Watch (National Theatre of Scotland) for which he received the 2009 Olivier award for Best Theatre Choreography. Steven has recently choreographed the Green Day musical American Idiot, Peter & the Starcatcher (Lucille Lortel Award – Outstanding Choreographer) and Once (all Broadway). Steven has also provided choreography and movement direction for Dr Dee (Manchester International Festival/ENO), 365 (National Theatre of Scotland), Frankenstein (Royal and Derngate), Dido Queen of Carthage, The Hothouse and Market Boy (Royal National Theatre), The Bacchae (National Theatre of Scotland), The Wolves In The Wall (National Theatre of Scotland and Improbable), Villette (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Jerusalem (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Mercury Fur and The Straits (Paines Plough). With Scott Graham and Bryony Lavery, Steven created It Snows, a National Theatre Connections play for 2008. With Scott Graham, Steven has written The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre (Routledge).

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LITTLE DOGS

Tim Dickel

Andy Purves

Carolyn Downing

Designer

Lighting Designer

Sound Designer

Tim graduated from Chelsea College of Art in 1998 in Fine Art. Initially, most of his work focused on designing music videos, working with a broad spectrum of artists such as Diana Ross, Westlife and Tony Christie through to Audio Bullys and Roots Manuva. He then progressed into television and film, and moved to Wales to work on Doctor Who as a Set Decorator and Art Director. This in turn lead to designing the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Tim has art directed several projects including Merlin (TV series), Mr Nice (feature film) and Killer Elite (starring Robert de Niro). In the last year, Tim has designed a Welsh feature Elfie Hopkins and the E4 series Skins. Tim’s theatre/dance projects include working with choreographer Shelley Love for Dance4film and more recently Rude, a site-specific ska musical for Give it a Name.

Lighting designer and creative technician Andy Purves works primarily in visual and movement-based theatre, circus and on projects in found space. Andy trained in sound and lighting engineering at the University of Derby and has an MA in lighting design and theatre-making from Central School of Speech and Drama, where he also tutors in lighting. Lighting design projects include: Lovesong (Frantic Assembly), The Arrival (Tamasha/Circus Space), Beautiful Burnout (Frantic Assembly/National Theatre of Scotland), Stockholm (Sydney Theatre Company/ Frantic Assembly), Babel (Stan Won’t Dance), The Erpingham Camp (Hydrocracker/Brighton Festival), Ida Barr and Office Party (Barbican), Frankenstein (Northampton Royal), Home Inverness (National Theatre of Scotland) and Outre and Ren-Sa (Array). He has toured extensively with Propeller, The National Theatre of Scotland and Spymonkey, designs regularly for Circus Space and has worked for Company FZ, Brighton Festival, Greenwich and Docklands Festival and on La Clique and La Soiree at The Roundhouse and in the West End.

Carolyn’s sound design credits include: Lovesong (Frantic Assembly), Double Feature (RNT), Beautiful Burnout (Frantic Assembly/NTS), Amerika, Krieg der Bilder (Staatstheater Mainz, Germany), King John, The Gods Weep, The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, Days of Significance (Royal Shakespeare Company), After Dido (ENO at Young Vic), Lower Ninth, Dimetos, Absurdia (Donmar Warehouse), All My Sons (Schoenfeld Theatre, New York), Tre Kroner - Gustav III (Royal Dramatic Theatre, Sweden), Angels in America: Millennium Approaches & Perestroika (Headlong Theatre), 3rd Ring Out (Metis Arts), Gambling (Soho Theatre), Lulu, The Kreutzer Sonata, Vanya, State Of Emergency, The Internationalist (Gate Theatre), After Miss Julie, Ghosts, Dirty Butterfly (Young Vic), Belongings (Hampstead), After Miss Julie, Othello (Salisbury Playhouse), Moonlight & Magnolias (Tricycle Theatre), Andersen’s English, Flight Path (Out Of Joint), Topdog/Underdog (Sheffield Crucible Studio), Our Private Life, Oxford Street, Alaska (Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs), A Whistle In The Dark, Moonshed (Royal Exchange Theatre), Is That All There Is, Hysteria (Inspector Sands), Arsenic and Old Lace (Derby Playhouse), The Water Engine (Theatre 503, in association with The Young Vic), Blood Wedding (Almeida), Gone To Earth (Shared Experience), No Way Out (Huis Clos), Stallerhof (Southwark Playhouse), The Watery Part of the World (Sound And Fury).

HYBRID __

Original Music Hybrid are a trio of composers comprising of Michael Truman, Chris Healings and Charlotte James. They have long been associated with a cinematic style of writing since the band’s debut album in 1999 which introduced the Russian Federal Orchestra to the world of electronica. They have recorded classical and filmic elements for each of their four acclaimed studio albums and have toured extensively around the world’s most celebrated music festivals. In 2004, they were introduced to preeminent composer Harry Gregson Williams and a long collaborative career in scoring began to unfold. Working for Harry on such films as Tony Scott’s Man On Fire and Deja Vu honed their skills working to picture and in 2006, their first solo score came together in the shape of Lionsgate’s Catacombs. Since then, the trio have been asked to contribute their unique approach to the area between music and sound design for projects including Cowboys & Aliens, Fast Five, X-Men Wolverine and Unstoppable. Outside of their feature film work, the trio release their band influenced material on their own label Kill City Records and continue to have their work synced to TV and film trailers including the campaigns for Frank Miller’s The Spirit,The Rite starring Anthony Hopkins, episodes of CSI and have had their work used on many TV channels around the world from BBC to CNN to MTV.

Sian Jenkins __

Costume Designer Sian is a graduate of The Royal Welsh college of Music and Drama with a BA Hons in Theatre Design. Since 2001 she has worked extensively as a costume designer in Theatre, Film and Television with casts from 1 up to 100. Theatre Productions include Frida and Diego (Best Design, Theatre in Wales awards 2003), The award-winning NoFit State Circus show Immortal, Shakespeare Trilogy, Hamlet, A Child’s Xmas in Wales, Contender, A Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story (Wales Theatre Company), Cyrano de Bergerac (Theatr na n’Óg), Shirley Valentine and Educating Rita (The Chocolate Factory), and Apologia at The Bush Theatre. Her work has extended worldwide including America and Italy where she worked annually for 5 years with Italian theatre school Elan Frantoio.

Naomi Said __

Associate Director Naomi joined Frantic Assembly in 2010 as Creative Learning Practitioner, delivering workshops and residencies across the UK and internationally and co-directing the Ignition production ‘60 Hugs’ at Corby Cube. In 2011 she was Assistant Choreographer on ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ (Opera Holland Park) and Movement Director on Attachment on ‘Lord of the Flies’ (Regent’s Park). Most recently, Naomi was Company Movement Practitioner for the RSC, working on ‘The Heart of Robin Hood’, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Comedy of Errors’. Later this year, she will perform in ‘Dr Dee’ (MIF/ENO) and her first play ‘The Wedge’ will be produced by Theatre Absolute.

Recently Sian has been working within TV and Film, designing the last two series of Gwaith/Cartref for S4C, Bronson featuring Tom Hardy, I Know You Know, Panic Button and Body Armour. Films out later this year include Elfie Hopkins featuring Jamie and Ray Winstone, and The Numbers Station featuring John Cussack. This is Sian’s first time working with National Theatre Wales and Frantic Assembly and she is really excited about the project.

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Lisa Wells-Turner

Ceri James

Matthew North

Emerging Director

Production Manager

Company Stage Manager

Lisa Wells-Turner is a cross-disciplinary theatre maker with a background in classical music and physical theatre. Recent productions with her company, The Space Between, include producing ‘Work in Process 4: Cross Platform’ with Iris Theatre and directing and creating new devised pieces ‘The Burials of Thebes’ and ‘An Alternative Christmas Show’. Previous work includes two solo shows: ‘Iphigenia’ (2006) and ‘The Opposite of Waiting’ (2008-2010). In 2011 she graduated with an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Central School of Speech and Drama. She is currently on the Yr Odyn Artist Development Programme with Volcano Theatre.

Ceri trained at WCMD and has worked for University of Southern California, The Sherman Theatre Cardiff, Fiery Angel, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, Birmingham Stage Company, Colchester Mercury Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, Oxford Touring Theatre, Unicorn Theatre London, National Youth Theatre Wales, Derby Playhouse, Leicester Haymarket, Music Theatre Wales, Dalier Sylw, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Theatr na n’Óg, Dragons Breath Theatre, FAB Theatre, Shock n Awe, New Vic Theatre, Theatre Bara Caws, Hijinx Theatre, Made in Wales and BBC NOW.

This is Matthew’s third show for National Theatre Wales after The Passion and A Provincial Life. Other companies he has worked for include: Royal Shakespeare Company, Wales Theatre Company, London Classic Theatre, Bare & Ragged Theatre Company, Caerphilly Youth Theatre and Second Thoughts Theatre Company.

Joni Carter __

Deputy Stage Manager Company Stage Manager credits include: Lovesong, Beautiful Burnout, Othello, Stockholm, pool (no water), Hymns (Frantic Assembly) Dr Dee (Manchester International Festival) and Gruffalo’s Child & Gruffalo (Tall Stories). Stage Manager credits include: Vernon God Little, Sweet Nothings, Kursk, generations (Young Vic); Cock, Tusk Tusk and Seven Jewish Children (Royal Court); Pericles, Much Ado About Nothing (Globe Theatre); Three Dark Tales and The Argument (Theatre O). Joni has collaborated with the Young Vic, National Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, Talawa and Theatre-Rites on projects and workshops created for young people. Joni has also project managed live events and installations at the Tate Modern and Royal Festival Hall.

He worked for 8 years as production manager for Cardiff Festival and is a founding member of Mappa Mundi Theatre. He was lighting designer for National Theatre Wales’ productions of A Good Night Out in the Valleys, The Soul Exchange and The Dark Philosophers.

Rhodri Hunt __

Assistant Stage Manager Close to completing a 3-year Stage Management course at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, credits include; Mary Stuart (Chapter Arts), King Lear (RWCMD) and The Richard Burton Theatre Opening Events (RWCMD). This is Rhodri’s first professional production for National Theatre of Wales having just completing a 6 week placement on A Provincial Life and Radicalisation of Bradley Manning.

Matthew also works in television and film. Credits include: The Gospel of Us, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Holby City, Pobol Y Cwm, Sarah Jane Adventures, The Big I Am, Gwaith/Cartref, Great British Stories, Mankind & Sacrifice.

Brent Morgan __

Promoter Brent graduated from Swansea Metropolitan University in 2009. Since then he has performed in and promoted a variety of events and shows from pervasive gaming to club nights. He currently runs a regular scratch theatre night called Scratch That Itch which takes place all over South Wales. He has just finished working with Volcano on their last show ‘Blinda’ and is probably smiling at you now as a member of front of house.

John Tee __

Production Electrician

Sarah Vigars __

Assistant Designer Sarah is currently finishing the final year of her degree in theatre design at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Previously Sarah has designed set and costumes for RWCMD’s production of ‘Arabian Nights’ and has worked as a collaborative designer and puppet maker for two college shows. Sarah has also worked as an assistant within both theatre and tv, including National Theatre Wales’ production of the Passion last year and ‘Sherlock’ for Hartswood Films.

John, originally from Glan Conwy, has worked extensively throughout Wales and beyond, including for Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Theatr Genedlaethol, Mappa Mundi Theatre, Theatr Gwynedd, Sherman Theatre and recently for National Theatre Wales’ productions of A Provincial Life and The Dark Philosophers.

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LITTLE DOGS

SCOTT GRAHAM arTisTic direcTor STEVEN HOGGETT arTisTic direcTor LISA MAGUIRE eXecuTive producer ALEX TURNER adminisTraTor INGA HIRST learn & Train manager

Frantic Assembly creates thrilling, energetic and unforgettable theatre. Vivid and dynamic, Frantic Assembly’s unique physical style combines movement, design, music and text. Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett formed Frantic Assembly in 1994. Scott and Steven have since performed in or directed all of the company’s work. They seek to collaborate on original ideas with today’s most exciting artists. Frantic Assembly has toured widely throughout the UK, building its reputation as one of the country’s most exciting companies. Internationally Frantic Assembly has performed, created and collaborated in 30 different countries. Frantic Assembly operates an extensive Learn & Train programme introducing more than 6,000 participants a year to the company’s process of creating theatre.

“The vibrant and visceral Frantic Assembly”

SCOTT AND STEVEN

INDEPENDENT ZERO

KLUB

LOOK BACK IN ANGER

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it has probably been well documented that frantic assembly was formed by three students at swansea university. To cover old ground again quickly, we met through a drama society that would put on 3 or 4 shows at the Taliesin Theatre on the singleton campus. steven and scott met as cheeky stage manager and unused understudy/prompt on a production of educating rita. Watching from the side it was clear that there must be more to theatre than this. This was beautifully demonstrated when volcano Theatre company directed some of the drama society in a production that brilliantly transcended the talents of those on stage and presented a visceral, dynamic world of theatrical possibilities. This changed everything. We never knew such a language existed but from this point this was all we wanted to do. We devoured everything physical theatre. While we had the energy and the enthusiasm it would have gone nowhere without the guidance of volcano. They recognized something in us and even had the faith to put us into one of their shows (manifesto). The more we learned from them the more we wanted to be them. after a couple of sell out runs in the edinburgh fringe, where we wisely adopted the name frantic Theatre company rather than swansea university drama society, we started to get the feeling that we could make a go at this theatre lark. again it was the guidance and wisdom of volcano that shaped those early years. They provided advice and contacts and hard working and committed role models. in addition, sybil crouch of The Taliesin Theatre was always a supportive and encouraging factor and massively inﬂuential in our decision to start our company in swansea. it made sense to stay close to this support network and be a small ﬁsh in what seemed a small pond, compared to cardiff or london. also the idea of being outsiders, creating work in swansea and taking this energy to cities around the uk suited us.

It’s 1994 and I’ve been running Taliesin for 3 years. We have hardly any staff and its a struggle to get the public to understand that just because we’re in the middle of a university campus doesn’t mean the arts centre is only for students. Swansea is a bit of a desert in 1994 for contemporary work and, with the exception of Volcano, the exciting stuff is located at various points down the M4. As a failed artist myself the best thing about the job is helping those with real talent to get their work seen. And so to 1st March that year when my works diary records that Steven Hoggett came to see me for the first time. Steve and Scott (and Vicki) had been in Dram Soc and decided to set up their own company: Frantic Assembly. They wanted advice on touring their work in Wales. My advice then was “nobody has ever heard of you – so your only chance to get bookings is to offer a play that is familiar. But bring to it your distinctive voice”. In October that year we premiered Frantic Assembly’s first show – “Look Back in Anger”. The mad thing of course is that there was no chance of any grants for them in Wales – Battersea Arts Centre made them an offer and the rest as they say is history. I am SO proud of them and proud that they started their careers here in Swansea. (And glad to welcome them back). –– Sybil Crouch Head of Cultural Services Taliesin Arts Centre / Swansea University

With our third member, vicki middleton, as producer, we set out as a company supported by the enterprise allowance scheme. This meant you could work on and for your company and receive £30 a week from the dss rather than the £40 a week dole money you would receive for actively seeking other work. This was a very grounding experience. To attend Tax seminars with mobile hairdressers and pig farmers focused the mind on making this work practically. We would heartily recommend it! our first show was a radical (and quite disrespectful) adaptation of look back in anger. This was tactical as we realised (or were probably advised by sybil and volcano) that no theatre would book a first time, unknown company with an unknown piece of work. This was our foot in the door and from then on we quickly set out trying to find our voice. The more we did this the more we naturally emerged from being volcano wannabees. The company has now performed, directed, choreographed or taught in over 30 different countries all over the world and little dogs marks our return to swansea after… well, too long. There is something special about this place, its people and its geography. between us we have lived, loved, worked, even married here. coming back to make little dogs gives us an incredible thrill and a chance to write a love letter to the place. it also gives us the chance to say thank you to sybil crouch for the constant support through some really difficult times. and, of course, to paul davies, fern smith and andrew Jones for the inspiration, vision, trust and invaluable guidance. love your work.

LOOK BACK IN ANGER

__ Scott and Steven

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LITTLE DOGS

Q&A WITH TIM DICKEL You have a background in television and film. Is this the first theatre project you’ve worked on? my first experience of theatre was last year for rude, a musical. prior to that the only experience i had was working with a choreographer called shelly love for a dance4film project. i’ve been wanting to do theatre for a while, but you sometimes get pigeonholed if you’re a Tv and film person. Have you worked with Frantic before? What do you think about their process and their work? no, haven’t worked with them before. The nearest i’ve got to their style of theatre was developing projects with some guys from shunt, which has always been in the back of my mind. This physical style suits me more than traditional theatre. What’s your process? How do you start thinking about a design? i read whatever i’m given, which in this case was the dylan Thomas story, and extract small elements of it that i’m interested in. Then, speaking to scott and steven, i wanted to know their focus. coming to swansea was also important for this. as soon as i went on the beach i knew where part of the set was going to come from. The sand drift was coming up to the road towards the patti pavilion and it made sense that it should end up inside. i pull out loads and loads of images and filter them down to things that would be useful for the project. i don’t tend to use designs and theatre as research material, what i mostly look at is particular artists, installation art and photography. This project has been driven by certain artists for me, and it would be Tim noble and sue Webster, dan flavin, and cy Twombly. They have a big impact on the way i’ve thought about the project. What are you most excited about with this project? What’s different about it? The intellectual process, which sometimes is lacking in Tv and film as there’s not time for it. usually it’s ‘we need a set’ and there’s very little time so it’s hard to go into any sort of depth. Working in a theatrical way gives you more time to think about what the piece is saying. it becomes a bit more philosophical and the elements are more dense. making a room that divides is also exciting. What’s been nice with this set is that it’s quite dynamic, and it’s like a little selection of art installations. it’s almost like going back to my roots as a fine art student at chelsea. and i’m working with really nice people! you feel like you’re part of a proper team and everybody’s mucking in together.

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NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

LITTLE DOGS

Q&A WITH HYBRID

Since first bursting onto the scene with the now classic album Wide Angle in 1999, the Swansea, Wales-based Hybrid have been known as one of the most forward thinking and technically skilled acts in electronic dance music. Blurring the line between in-studio production and live presentation, Hybrid are one of the few remaining dance acts to perform live with a classic band setup. Though, much has changed on the road to Hybrid’s fourth artist album Disappear Here. Most notable is the addition of Hybrid’s third member singer/songwriter Charlotte James - to go along with founders Chris Healings and Mike Truman. Charlotte’s impact is marked as Disappear Here is truly an album of real songs and not merely dance beats with vocals on top. It offers a lot more than anything Hybrid has ever previously written and pushes boundaries in every way. With Disappear Here, Hybrid have managed to create an epic and unique sound which has progressed dramatically from its original dance inception but still retains much of what makes electronic music so exciting. The album features guest vocals from Tim Hutton, drums from Alex Madge and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

How did you meet Frantic Assembly? We met frantic in 2008 when we did the music to the production of othello that they did. We very much enjoyed working on that, and have been in constant communication ever since keeping frantic up to date with anything new we may write or any fresh hybrid releases. We’ve been hoping that we may get called upon again to help out in the frantic music department, and here we are again involved musically in the wonderful little dogs.

__ What’s the relationship there? How did you end up doing the soundtrack for Little Dogs? Well we said straight after othello that we would love to do something else with frantic. also the fact that hybrid was formed in swansea (a long time ago!) most of the music we make is made in swansea so it seems right to have that music reﬂect swansea in the play and use us local talents to do something that’s right on our doorstep and something we fully understand as living breathing people of the city.

__ What was Swansea like back then ? hybrid met, and were dJing the back room of swansea’s ‘martha’s vineyard’ club night ‘strictly groovy’. This night was swansea’s ﬁrst underground house music venue and a legendary place to be right then, in fact the dance music scene back then in swansea was up there with anywhere else in the country. We had the Tick Tock hardcore nights and illegal raves every weekend everywhere from derelict b&Q buildings to the beautiful pennard castle on the gower. The taste swansea got for this electronic/ dance/house/rave/hardcore music scene has never left and only recently did we do a night in monkey cafe with 2 legends from those days ‘Top buzz’ and ‘John kelly’. The club was packed in typical swansea style!!

__ Where did you first find love in the city (Swansea) ? i met my wife in the very same night club over 20 years ago and have been married now for 11 years… We’d love to go back to that night club and do it all over again... and again... and again!!!!!

HYBRID: DISAPPEAR HERE

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“Music that manages to be both ominous and luminous at the same time.” __

BBC

“One of the most technically gifted acts in EDM” __

Maxumi.co.uk

“Hybrid just keep getting bigger and better” __

Juno

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“In the ever-changing world of breakbeat, few acts can claim such longevity and popularity as Hybrid. Two producers from Swansea, Mike Truman and Chris Healings, plus a long line of guest vocalists, have created some of the finest albums of the genre. From the groundbreaking mix of live orchestral elements and genre-defining nu-breaks on debut Wide Angle, through to the latest incarnation of their epic, multilayered sound, Hybrid have always pushed the boundaries of dance music production.”

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LITTLE DOGS

Image:

Dan Green Date:

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

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COMING THIS SUMMER

NTW20

NTW21

NTW22

IN WATER I’M WEIGHTLESS

CORIOLAN/US

BRANCHES (WORKING TITLE)

An Unlimited commission for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad By Kaite O’Reilly Directed by John E McGrath IN WATER I’M WEIGHTLESS takes a provocative look at the human body, performed by a cast of six leading deaf and disabled performers. In a dynamic staging combining movement and live projections, Kaite O’Reilly’s poetic, poignant and at times explosively funny texts are inspired by the imagination, experiences and attitudes of disabled people across the UK. With movement direction by Nigel Charnock, this groundbreaking production from NTW celebrates the athleticism, diversity and skill of the company, whilst exploring the endless possibilities of human difference. 26th July–4th August Venue: Weston Studio Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place CF10 5AL Box Office: 029 2063 6464 / wmc.org.uk/westonstudio Tickets: £8-£12

A co-production for the World Shakespeare Festival, which is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company for the London 2012 Festival Directed by Mike Pearson and Mike Brookes The story of Caius Martius, CORIOLAN/US, is re-imagined in an era of 24-hour news, celebrity culture and a new global politics. A site-specific work staged in a secret location in south wales, with outside broadcasts from the battlefield, popular grievances delivered straight to camera and audience participants as the body politic, this production is a mashup of previous attempts to get to grips with a contrary and perplexing figure. 8th - 11th and 15th - 18th August Hangar 858 Picketston RAF St Athan Vale of Glamorgan

In partnership with the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad A new commission from Constanza Macras/DorkyPark Argentinean Constanza Macras has been setting the world of dance theatre alight with her violent, witty, sensual work. From Johannesburg to Berlin, crowds have flocked to see her latest creations. In a special commission for National Theatre Wales and the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Constanza will create a new site-specific show in the forests of North Wales drawing inspiration from the ancient stories of the Mabinogion, and our daily dreams and fears. Wepre Park Connah’s Quay, Flintshire 5th - 15th September

31st August, 6.30pm; 1st September, 1pm & 7.30pm Venue: The Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London Box Office: 0844 875 0073 / southbankcentre.co.uk Tickets: £15

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design: elfen.co.uk