DYLAN THOMAS CENTRE
PROGRAMME May to August 2012
WELCOME
FARZANEH KHOJANDI
Our first ever Under Milk Wood Day celebrates the 59th anniversary of the play’s staging in New York. The Day will become an annual fixture at the Centre, and this year includes displays, recordings, film showings for all the family, and the premier of a new play, Love the Words. Dylan visited Persia in 1951 to write a filmscript for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and we’re delighted to host a weekend of Persian poetry in May. Elsewhere, we celebrate the Shakespeare Olympiad with pupils from Swansea schools, and present drama from this year’s cohort of creative writing students at Swansea University. And there’s plenty to look forward to for the rest of the year, with the Stan Tracey Quintet already confirmed for the Dylan Thomas Festival. Jo Furber, Literature Officer
BOX OFFICE: 01792 463980 Online booking is available: please visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/dylanthomas F
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Passport to Leisure
Friday, 4 May, 7.30pm
PERSIAN POETS TOUR with the Poetry Translation Centre
Persian poetry is famed for the richness of its heritage, and classical poets, such as Rumi and Hafez are read widely. Tonight, five contemporary Persian-language poets show how this tradition continues to be enriched. Partaw Naderi, Farzaneh Khojandi, Azita Ghahreman, Shakila Azizzada and Reza Mohammadi read alongside their translators, Sarah Maguire, Jo Shapcott, Maura Dooley and Mimi Khalvati. TICKETS: F £6 C £4.20 PTL £2.80 MAY - AUGUST 2012
Saturday, 5 May, 11am – 1pm
Saturday, 12 May, 10.30am – 4.30pm
MIMI KHALVATI POETRY WORKSHOP
UNDER MILK WOOD DAY
Join one of our leading poets for a workshop on the traditional Persian form, the ghazal. As well as winning numerous awards for her poetry, Mimi is the founder of the Poetry School, where she teaches. C £7 TICKETS: F £10 Saturday, 5 May, 7.30pm
MIMI KHALVATI Multi award-winning Mimi Khalvati has published seven collections with Carcanet Press, including the T.S. Eliot Prize-shortlisted The Meanest Flower (2007). Her most recent collection, Child: New and Selected Poems 1991-2011 is a Poetry Book Society Special Commendation. Mimi has also held fellowships with The Royal Literary Fund and the International Writing Program in Iowa. She will be in conversation with Parvin Loloi. TICKETS: F £5 C £3.50 PTL £1.80 www.dylanthomas.com
This - the first of what will be an annual event - includes displays, recordings and films, and the premier of a new play, Love the Words. 10.30: Animated Under Milk Wood 12.00: Animated Under Milk Wood 2.00: Love the Words The first stage performance of Under Milk Wood took place on May 14th ,1953, at the Poetry Center, New York, with Dylan and five others – all experienced actors and members of staff at the Center. Their final instruction from Dylan was “love the words”. Devised by Fluellen and written by Francis Hardy, Love The Words looks at the genesis of the play, its influences and inspiration. It also recreates that first ever performance and discovers the stories behind those involved on that most iconic day for Welsh literature. Film screenings free and suitable for all ages TICKETS FOR LOVE THE WORDS ARE: F £6 C £4.20 PTL £2.80 3
EUAN THORNEY CROFT
PHILIP GROSS
GWEN DAVIES
Wednesday, 16 and Thursday, 17 May, 7.30pm
Thursday, 17 May, 10am – 5pm
ROUGH DIAMONDS
WRITERS’ DAY
From war correspondents in Gaza to petty criminals in Swansea, from a courtroom drama which sees the UK itself on trial to a Papal crisis of confidence which brings heaven and earth together in a spectacular showdown. These are just some of this year’s exciting collection of new plays from MA students on Swansea University’s Creative Writing programme. Writers include: Jack Branford, Michael Carey, Kathy Chamberlain, Ding Shun, Keri-Ann Edwards, Pippa Hawkins, Dai Howe, Megan Jones, Sarah Jones, Kelsey Richards, David Shannon, Michele Smith, Géraldine Smits, Kerry Steed, Laura Stowe and Emma Whitney. The evenings, comprising specially selected extracts from the plays, will be introduced and directed by playwright D.J.Britton, Lecturer in Dramatic Writing at Swansea University. The works will be performed by Swansea’s outstanding Fluellen Theatre Company. ALL TICKETS: £3
A day of readings, discussions and performances, organised jointly by the universities of Swansea and Trinity Saint David. Featuring Gwen Davies (New Welsh Review), Fiona Sampson (Poetry Review’s former editor), agent Euan Thorneycroft and poet Philip Gross. Free entry, but please book a place by calling 01792 463980.
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MAY - AUGUST 2012
CHRIS TORRANCE
CHRIS VINE
MARK JENKINS
Saturday, 19th May, 1pm
Friday, 25 May, 7.30pm
Wednesday, 30 May, 7.30pm
THEATRE-IN-FOCUS: fluellen THEATRE PRESENT
HEAT POETS
DOWN TOWN PARADISE BY MARK JENKINS
ALAN BENNETT’S GREEN FORMS Doris and Doreen are office workers in the days before computers, email and team building. They have turned workavoidance into an art form, but times must inevitably change. The wit and humour of Alan Bennett is a pure joy. All Theatre-In-Focus presentations are script-in-hand, and preceded by a talk about the playwright. ALL TICKETS: £5 www.dylanthomas.com
Poetry and music with Chris Torrance and Chris Vine. Torrance has featured in a number of key Revival anthologies, including Conductors of Chaos and Other: British and Irish Poetry since 1970. His major work is the ongoing Magic Door sequence. Vine has worked with companies such as Earthfall, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and the Centre for Performance Research. He is currently based in Brazil, working as composer with Verve Cia de Dança. TICKETS: F £5 C £3.50 PTL £1.80
Rachel is a young lawyer determined to fight oppression, but will the world inside California’s Santanero prison be more than a match for her? measured and provoking ‘‘ Adrama, confident in its craftsmanship… A powerhouse of emotion Kate Stratton, Evening Standard.
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ALL TICKETS: £4
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ANTON CHEKOV
RHIAN EDWARDS
Wednesday, 30 May, 7.30pm
Thursday, 31 May, 7.30pm
Saturday, 9 June, 1pm
FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT - JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE PROGRAMME, EDF
POETS AT THE DTC WITH RHIAN EDWARDS
THEATRE-IN-FOCUS: fluellen THEATRE PRESENT
EDF, who sent a response team to Japan last March, tell the story of the events, their effects on the immediate area of Japan and on personnel and population, and the lessons learned. TICKETS: Free entry
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Clueless Dogs (Seren) is Rhian Edwards’ first full collection. Already a noted performer of both her songs and poetry, this book confirms her startling talent. She’s the winner of the 2011 John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry and Audience Prize, and Ian McMillan describes her as “an astounding Welsh poet with performances that get you in the emotional gut”. Includes open mic. TICKETS: F £4 C £2.80 PTL £1.60
ANTON CHEKOV’S THE BEAR A widow, deep in mourning, is visited by a creditor of her late husband who angrily claims the money he is owed. Chekhov’s wonderful comedy is full of subtle insights into the human condition. All Theatre-In-Focus presentations are script-in-hand and preceded by a talk about the playwright. ALL TICKETS: £5
MAY - AUGUST 2012
Monday 18, Tuesday, 19 and Wednesday, 20 June, 7pm
THE SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE OLYMPIAD Celebrate the Olympic Games with a unique collaboration between Fluellen Theatre Company, the Dylan Thomas Centre and secondary schools in south Wales. Follow the Olympic Torch on an imaginary journey via scenes from Shakespeare’s plays performed by the schools. The route starts in Athens (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and continues via Illyria (Twelfth Night), Verona (Romeo and Juliet), Northern France (Henry V), Scotland (Macbeth), ending in East London (Henry IV Part 2). TICKETS: F £6 C £4.50 U16 £1 www.dylanthomas.com
Friday, 22 June, 7pm
TERRY HETHERINGTON AWARDS EVENING Celebrate the achievements of this year’s entrants into the £1000 Terry Hetherington Award for writers under 30. Winner Lowri Llewelyn Astley, second placed Mao Jones and third placed Georgia Carys Williams TERRY will receive their awards and read HETHERINGTON alongside other entrants. We’ll also launch Cheval 5, which contains a selection of this year’s entries, and is published by Parthian Books. TICKETS: Free entry
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Thursday, 28 June, 7.30pm
POETS AT THE DTC WITH ANNE-MARIE FYFE JOHN HARRISON
Wednesday, 27 June, 7.30pm
JOHN HARRISON: FORGOTTEN FOOTPRINTS Welsh Book of the Year Winner John Harrison journeys into the heads and hearts of those who were driven to explore Antarctica, in an evening of stories, both personal and historical, from a traveller with many years’ experience of this mysterious continent. Features stunning photography and atmospheric soundscapes. John is a travel guide, adventurer, and award-winning writer whose most recent book is Cloud Road. TICKETS: F £7 C £4.60 PTL £2.40 8
Anne-Marie Fyfe’s collections include Understudies: New and Selected Poems (Seren, 2010). She has won the Cardiff International Poetry Prize; runs CoffeeHouse Poetry’s readings and workshops at London’s Troubadour, organises the annual Hewitt Spring Festival in the Glens of Antrim, and chaired the Poetry Society from 2006-2009. Includes open mic. TICKETS: F £4 C £2.80 PTL £1.60
MAY - AUGUST 2012
CHARLES DICKENS
RHYS OWAIN WILLIAMS
Saturday, 11 August, 1pm
Saturday, 14 July, 1pm
Thursday, 26 July, 7.30pm
THEATRE-IN-FOCUS:
POETS AT THE DTC WITH THEATRE-IN-FOCUS: fluellen THEATRE PRESENT ADAM SILLMAN AND RHYS OWAIN WILLIAMS CHARLES DICKENS’ A double header to celebrate a THE LAMPLIGHTER
fluellen THEATRE PRESENT
BRIAN FRIEL’S AFTERPLAY A small run down café in 1920s Moscow: Uncle Vanya’s niece, Sonya, is sitting alone until the Three Sisters’ downtrodden brother, Andrei, arrives. Ireland’s greatest living writer gives us his own brilliant and very individual take on Chekhov. All Theatre-In-Focus presentations are script-in-hand and preceded by a talk about the playwright. ALL TICKETS: £5 www.dylanthomas.com
new series published under the banner of The Crunch spoken word night at Mozart’s. The Crunch Poets Volume 1 features Crunch co-founder, Adam Sillman, alongside another Swansea poet with a growing reputation, Rhys Owain Williams. Includes open mic. TICKETS: F £4 PTL £1.60
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In the bicentennial of Charles Dickens’ birth, a rare chance to see the farce that he wrote especially for the Victorian comic actor William Charles Macready. All Theatre-in-Focus presentations are script-in-hand and preceded by a talk about the playwright. ALL TICKETS: £5
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SOMERSET PLACE, SWANSEA SA1 1RR 01792 463980 www.dylanthomas.com dylanthomas.lit@swansea.gov.uk
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DYLAN THOMAS CENTRE
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the details of this programme are accurate, the City & County of Swansea reserve the right to alter any part of the programme without notice. Photo credits: Rhys Owain Williams by Rhys Jones
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MAY - AUGUST 2012