STORM.2: THINGS COME APART Though race rioting had occurred earlier in the 20th century, 1919 was the year that saw it erupt in British port cities and towns: Glasgow, South Shields, Salford, London, Liverpool, Newport, Cardiff and Barry. Blacks and Arabs were savagely beaten; in Cardiff, ex-servicemen stationed in the area were among the 2,000 whites who firebombed black businesses and houses. They headed lynch mobs that terrorized Butetown’s black community, with shooting incidents and razor fights during the four-day riot where three were killed. In Barry, there was a stabbing death. These riots are the subject of this play, which is part of a six-production series called The Storm Cycle conceived, designed and directed by Mike Pearson and Mike Brookes. Created for National Theatre Wales, Storm.2: Things Come Apart explores two key themes; truth and testimony. Why highlight this dark incident from Cardiff’s past? “To recover happenings for which there are no monuments, but that might remind us of what might happen – even in a famously multicultural city – when we fail in our civic duty to respect and care for our fellow citizens,” they reply. Pearson and Brookes give more insight on this significant new theatre piece ripped right from the front page: “It’s important to us to present exactly what the papers said, on the spot, at the moment, without any later interpretation. And it is dramatic – as reporters try to make sense of what’s happening hour by hour, and as they themselves are swept up in events. There is no official account of the four days of rioting, so we are combining spoken words, period maps and archival images to track the course of events, in a venue close to the ‘storm centre’ of 1919. Combining texts, photographs and plans of the city in 1919, we are inviting the audience to imagine the riots along with us – locating places long built over, picturing the movements of the crowds and their quarry in still familiar streets. Audiences are free to sit and listen, to come close and examine material, to have a cup of tea – as events relentlessly unfold.” RHONDA LEE REALI Tabernacl Church, The Hayes, Cardiff, Wed 21-Sat 24 Mar Tickets: £10/£7.50/£5 Wed 21 only. Info: 029 2037 1689 / www.nationaltheatrewales.org
RICHARD III REDUX King Richard III, the last king of the House Of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. Notorious for being an evil, villainous ruler often described as the ‘Bogeyman’ through various theatrical workings, including that of William Shakespeare. But what if he wasn’t? What if he was a she? What if Richard didn’t share the same tropes of villainy as Hollywood’s representation of deformed, maniacal antagonists? The Llanarth Group’s one-woman show begins its theatrical run by aptly premiering at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on International Women’s Day, before embarking on a tour across Wales. This groundbreaking production sees the brilliant Sara Beer portraying the damned king in a much different way from traditional iterations of the infamous leader, adding charm, wit, satire, humour, and being represented by an actor of the opposite sex with the same form of scoliosis. The interweaving of stories tackling self-referential themes of acting, difference, and a twisted historical ruler creates a truly inventive production that innovates the way in which we view period-based theatre and film. “It’s not a production of Richard III as such, but a commentary on the way that he’s been portrayed by Shakespeare and also by non-disabled actors who have performed the character over the years,” Beer explains. The play is directed by Llanarth’s Artistic Director Phillip Zarilli and is written by Kaite O’Reilly, who worked with Beer on the magnificent and critically-acclaimed Cosy. “Kaite said it would be really interesting to explore Richard III with me, because I have the same impairment as him,” Sara says. “It’s very rewarding to be working with people that understand you; it’s just a thrill to have somebody write a show for you, you’ve got so much more ownership of the character.” Richard III Redux premieres at Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre on Thurs 8 Mar before travelling cross-country over the next month, including stops in Aberystwyth, Mold, Milford Haven and Cardigan. ROSS DAWSON Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Thurs 8-Sat 17 Mar; various venues thereafter. Tickets: £12/£10. Info: 029 2030 4400 / www.chapter.org BUZZ 28