Features
From Twitter to the Theatre: Becoming Part of National Theatre Wales
March 7, 2012 Nicola  |
Members of the community are given the opportunity to work alongside professional actors in the latest National Theatre Wales production.
In January 2012 National Theatre Wales posted a message, which was then shared on micro-blogging site Twitter, calling for 12 non-professional actors to apply to be part of the latest National Theatre Wales production being performed at the newly-refurbished Sherman Cymru in Cardiff.
The play in question is A Provincial Life. It’s an adaptation of a short story by Chekhov called My Life - The Story of a Provincial. Led by a cast of professional actors and directed by renowned Welsh theatre director Peter Gill, A Provincial Life tells the story of a young man in 1890s Russia who renounces his life of education and privilege to work as a construction worker on a railway line and then a labourer and painter, much to the disapproval of his family and society in general.
The play raises questions about equality which seem to resonate highly with National Theatre Wales. The company, which was formed in 2009, is grounded in its belief in the ability of social networking to democratise art as something that people from a variety of backgrounds can get involved in. The importance of social media for National Theatre Wales is evident upon entering the Sherman Cymru theatre, where a giant screen displays numerous tweets relating to the production which have been collected under the hashtag #ntw17.
In addition, National Theatre Wales also has its own social networking site – National Theatre Wales Community – where some of the numerous people involved in the production, from actors to crew members, blog about their experiences of everything from initial rehearsals to the opening night performance. The Fresh Outlook spoke to two members of the ensemble to find out more about what it is like to be part of such a prestigious production.
John Atkinson has been acting since the early 1980s. After moving from London to Cardiff, he found acting to be a useful way of getting to know people. “I’ve always been interested in acting and when I came down here I didn’t know anybody, so I latched on to the Everyman Theatre,” says the 66-year-old. A former civil servant, John has appeared in a number of productions, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was directed by Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with a variety of people,” says John modestly, although he is clearly very hard-working. He describes how, when his marriage ended and he lacked a “domestic base”, he took part in three plays back-to-back.
Furthermore, rather than viewing his early retirement from his work as a civil servant as an opportunity to take it easy, John already knows what he is going to move on to once A Provincial Life finishes: “When this finishes, I’m in A View from the Bridge at Chapter [Arts Centre]. This finishes on the Saturday and the technical run for the next one is on the Sunday.”
Although he has a fascinating list of credits to his name, John admits that working with Peter Gill on A Provincial Life is “beyond” anything he has done previously, and he almost can’t believe that he has been offered such an opportunity. “I got the call and thought, is this a wind up?” he laughs. He is quick to praise the director and the professional actors for being so welcoming towards the ensemble cast members. “I didn’t expect to be treated as well as we were considering we were working with a professional group of actors,” he admits. “Right from the start we were given our own copy of the script and met the artistic director of the company.”
Fellow ensemble cast member, 18-year-old Abigail Fitzgerald, agrees, telling The Fresh Outlook: “Everyone has been so welcoming . . . We had our fist ever meeting in the National Theatre Wales offices in Cardiff when the main cast came down from London . . . Peter came up to every single one of us and introduced himself.” Indeed, for Abigail that first meeting between the professional and non-professional actors was one of the highlights of the whole experience: “Having everyone together was magical,” she enthuses. Abigail hopes that her experience with National Theatre Wales will help her to gain a place at a London-based drama school in order to fulfil her ambition of becoming a professional actor.
While both John and Abigail are keen regular performers, John explains that you don’t need a lot of experience to be part of something like A Provincial Life, “just real enthusiasm”. He also points to a number of benefits that performing can offer: “You become part of a big community, with everyone working together with the same aim. It’s great for self-confidence because everyone has a voice and everyone has something to say.”
A Provincial Life is on at Sherman Cymru, Cardiff from March 2-17, with tickets priced from £15-£25.
You can get involved with National Theatre Wales by becoming a TEAM member; simply visit nationaltheatrewales.org/community for more information. You can also follow all the latest developments on Twitter via the hashtag #ntw17.
By Sarah Hill
[Image courtesy of Farrows Creative/ National Theatre Wales]
Hi Sarah,
I am currently writing a feature for my journalism module at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Whilst researcching I stumbled upon your article about young non-actors being involved in a play at the National Theatre Wales and I was wondering if I could ask you a question regarding my article topic.
Do you think that there are some spectators who think that students art i.e drama, music, fine art, photography etc, is not art-worthy due to their age? Why do you think they think this?
I would massively appreciate if you could get back to me ASAP.
Many thanks,
Megan Nicholson
Hi Megan,
I’m not sure how much I can say on the topic as I’m not an expert, but I think for many spectators, the company or name behind the art is more important than their age. For example, I think that in the case of A Provincial Life, the name of the director was an indication of quality, so the age of the performers didn’t matter. (I believe the cast contained people from 18-60+)
Also, I think some universities are well-known for producing excellent art and the age of the students doesn’t seem to matter; they seem to be viewed more as future names in the art world.
Like I said, this is just my opinion but I hope it helps.
Sarah