A magical day of world class, site-specific theatre, from established and emerging Welsh artists, will be performed on our very doorstep!
You’ve heard of the Edinburgh Fringe, but this is the first of its kind in Wales, with 5 brand new, 15 minute plays written specifically for the festival. Heart of Wales Fringe Festival is breaking barriers in the arts and raising the voices of rural Wales.
On Saturday 28th September, there will be plays popping up throughout the town in unique non-theatrical venues, including a fish and chip shop (where you get a play, a packet of chips and a pop), a cafe, a pub, the castle ruins and even a mini bus!
All of Llandovery’s the stage!
Llandovery is set to host an array of brand new theatre productions, created by prominent Welsh writers and theatre makers specifically for unexpected locations within the town centre. The reason? To make theatre more accessible.
For most working class people the arts have become an elitist activity, where the phrase ‘Theatre is not for me’ can be heard again and again in rural areas. But this didn’t happen over night, if you think of the astronomically priced tickets, the lack of access to public transport in order to get to theatrical venues, and then when you get there the narratives just don’t speak to this audience.
This was the catalyst for the event organisers, Luke Bailey and Ella Peel.
Luke said, “The Festival has been designed to engage seasoned theatre-goers and first timers alike. The unusual venues will play host to performances designed solely for them. There are five brand-new, one-act, plays commissioned specifically for the Festival.”
Ella added, “Our aim of the Theatre Festival is to showcase the stunning tourist destination of Llandovery, my hometown, to visitors in fresh and inventive ways. We hope the event will also challenge locals to engage with the community, their home, their nation and the arts in powerful new ways.”
Embedding the voices of Llandovery in the Welsh theatre canon.
All of the artists and creatives involved have been selected from the extraordinary Welsh and Wales-based professionals, majority of which are from within 30 miles of Llandovery. They range from emerging talent to established professionals, from BAFTA and RTS writer and actor, Mared Jarman, to first time writer and local girl, Natasha Barresi.
The diverse narratives capture themes that are relevant to Llandovery’s past, present and future, exploring issues such as the local anti-pylon campaign, the reclamation of a Celtic and Queer identity and even tackling the emotive question: when is a Welsh learner considered a Welsh speaker.
Some writers have taken this a step further, by creating verbatim pieces. Jonathan Gunning’s play ‘Llandovery 2084’ which is set in a dystopian not to distant future, is an amalgamation of a series of interviews conducted with Llandovery folk. It is the answers of locals that has formed the dialogue of this state-of-the-nation play.
Free activities
During the Festival there will also be free adult masterclasses, children’s workshops, street performers, stalls and after show talks. All taking place in and around Llandovery’s market square, prepare to be dazzled by spectacular scenes around every corner!
Save the date: Saturday 28th September.
To watch any of the plays you can book your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/heart-of-wales-fringe-festival
Or feel free to come along and soak up the atmosphere with us from 10am