4 Theatre/Culture


Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time that plays Wales Millennium Centre nextweek


THE winner of seven 2013 Olivier Awards,


this highly-acclaimed


National Theatre production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time arrives at Wales Millen- nium Centre next week as part of its first ever UK tour. Based on the award-winning


novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott, the story fol- lows fifteen-year-old Christopher who has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspi- cion of killing Mrs Shears’ dog, it takes him on a journey that up- turns his world. The story features two cast members that hail from Wales. Swansea’s Joshua Jenkins will play the role of Christopher while Bargoed’s Jessica Williams gets to work on both sides of the stage as Movement Captain, un- derstudy and an ensemble cast member taking on the roles of Punk Girl and Mrs Shears. In 2012, Jessica began working for Frantic Assembly as a prac- titioner. She works for them na-


tionally and internationally, most recently co-directing the National Youth Theatre of Wales’ show Dead, Born, Grow and working with Newcastle-based company Open Clasp. Andy Howells re- cently chatted to Jessica about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.


How did you find yourself becoming a Movement Captain? I started in dance as a teenag-


er and went to Ebbw Vale school to do A-level dance there, then I trained in London as a dancer at the London contemporary dance school then the last cou- ple of years I’ve been working for a dance company called Fran- tic Assembly, a musical theatre company who make the move- ment for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.


Did you always have an inter- est in dance and performance? I was in the Blaenau Gwent


Youth Dance Company The Move and I used to go to Rubicon in Cardiff and Diversions – now


Festival for plays


THE Sherman Theatre will be presenting five different plays by eight different school and youth theatre groups on April 11 and 12 as part of Connec- tions, the National Theatre’s annual festival of new plays for youth theatres and schools. Every year 10 new plays are written exclusively for Con- nections by both established and emerging playwrights, giving 5,000 young people aged 13 to 19 access to the best new writing for theatre. They also experience profes- sional theatre-making: cre- ating marketing campaigns, designing sets and costumes, operating lighting and sound boards and stage-managing their performances. Each com- pany has the chance to per- formin a leading regional the- atre, at one of 27 Connections festivals around the country. From Plymouth to Inverness


and from Cardiff to Newcas- tle, Connections celebrates


great new writing for the stage and the energy, commitment and talent of young theatre- makers. The Sherman Theatre re- cently confirmed the five per- formances: Hood by Katherine Chandler presented by Sherman Youth Theatre, Bishop Gore School, Swansea, and Found in the Forest Youth Theatre. The Boy Preference by Elinor Cook presented by Sundial Student Youth Theatre. The Edelweiss Pirates by


Ayub Khan-Din presented by Llanelli Youth Theatre Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent presented by Roses Youth The- atre and Remote by Stef Smith presented by Bradley Stoke Community School. Ten companies chosen from around the country will then perform at the National Thea- tre festival from July 1 to 7. For tickets, call 029 2064 6900 or visit shermancyrmu.co.uk


Win a ticket to laughter


THE relaxed cabaret-style comedy club in The River- front’s Studio Theatre takes place on the last Friday of every month. And we are giving away a


pair of tickets for the event on April 24. Just tell us which theatre the Comedy Shed takes place in at the Riverfront. Send your answer, name, ad- dress and contact details on a postcard to Comedy Shed Com- petition, Editor’s PA, South Wales Argus, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP20 3QN or you


can enter by text. Start your message with COMEDYSHED, leave a space and then send your answer, name and ad- dress to 80360. Messages cost 50p. Closing date: April 19.


WINNER: Jessica Williams and Joshua Jenkins in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time


known as the National Dance Company of Wales. I’ve not done any acting until this job, so it’s a bit of a shift in direction for me.


Can you tell us about your role in The Curious Case? My role in the show is that I


look after the movement. There’s a lot of movement, it’s not a mu- sical, it’s a play. There’s a lot of music and a lot of movement and I keep an eye on all of it and


keep them all on their toes, make sure they are doing everything properly, look after their fitness – all the warm ups and things – and I’m in the ensemble of the show and say a couple of lines as well.


The show is rated 11 Plus and there is some swearing, is it suitable for families? It’s really at the parents’ discre-


tion. There is swearing and but there’s younger members of the


audience who still enjoy the pro- duction. It’s a great story and you see the journey of a young per- son. It hits a lot of marks with dif- ferent people. You could take the whole family and everyone would get something different from it. It’s a really big opportunity for


me. It’s nice to be on two sides of it with the cast and working on the other side making sure things are going well.


In The Spotlight


WHEN it comes to ensuring a full house for a classical con- cert these days, especially in Wales, there are few things as effective as those two magic words – Bryn Terfel. Whether it be to deliver a few audience favourites as part of the St David’s Day celebration at St David’s Hall (his most recent visit to these parts), or to sing the part of Wotan in a 10th anniversary performance of Wagner’s Die Walküre at the Millennium Centre, Britain’s favourite opera singer is your man. His popularity is, of course, understandable and entirely justified. When it comes to singers of


world stature, he is up there with the best, and continues a line of great Welsh operatic stars such as Gwyneth Jones, Margaret Price and, perhaps most obviously, Geraint Evans .


As an operatic bass-baritone


he has starred at all theworld’s major opera houses and ap- peared in most of the major roles.


He initially specialised in


Mozart before moving on to many other of the great op- eratic roles. Most recently he has focussed on the great Wag- nerian roles in recent times. Apparently future plans in- clude some Russian opera and possibly Schubert’s great song cycle Wintereise in the concert hall. He is clearly someone who relishes a range of diverse challenges. Last year he took the title


role of Sweeney Todd, along- side actress Emma Thomp- son’s Mrs Lovett, in the New York production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical and is currently reprising the role in London for English National Opera. Terfel’s immense dramatic


gifts would seem to be ideally suited for this monstrous role. Bryn Terfel Jones, now in


his 50th year, is clearly held in very special affection here in Wales. He certainly seems to relish


his role as an ambassador for his country and has a very


ANDYHOWELLS chats to dancer and actress JessicaWilliamswhofeatures in The Curious


Friday, April 10, 2015 Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide Cast members are returning home


Do you get home to Wales very often? It’s been more difficult since I


started this tour as we started rehearsing in November but I’ll be staying with my parents while we’re in Cardiff.


What are you most looking for- ward to about your return to Cardiff? The theatre community of Car-


diff is a great bunch of people so I’m looking forward to catching up with people. I’m also look- ing forward to the audience. The Millennium Centre is such an amazing venue; I remember standing on the main stage as part of a workshop performance and thinking “Wow! I’ll never get to stand here again, this is amaz- ing!”


How would you sum up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time? I think a beautiful story. It’s re-


ally well told in so many different ways to tell the story with the set, movement, text and actors. Josh who is playing the lead is from Swansea, so it will be his home venue as well.


The Curious Case of the Dog


in the Night Time runs at Wales Millennium Centre from April 14 – 18. Check wmc.org.uk.


By


GERAINT DAVIES


A true talent and great ambassador for Wales


breakthrough as Wales’ repre- sentative in the Cardiff BBC Singer for the World competi- tion in 1989 – he won the lieder prize but had to settle for sec- ond overall. This proved to be the springboard for the amaz- ing career that followed. I remember a small incident


that occurred at the Wales Millennium Centre on its opening day in 2005 that, for me, summed up the down to earth quality of the man. As part of an education pro-


ject I took a group of school- children to perform a song that they had written as part of the celebration. As the youngsters rehearsed,


MAGIC: Bryn Terfel


real and sincere will to con- tribute to the Welsh heritage from which he grew. As a young singer he com-


peted in eisteddfoddau in North Wales, was a member of of the National Youth Choir and made his first major


surrounded by the general hubbub of preparation for the big night, Bryn Terfel, one of the stars of the opening gala, walked by. He stopped to lis- ten.


When they finished the song


he made a point of coming forward and complimenting the group, and particularly the starstruck 14-year-old lead singer. A special moment.


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