It's the Glamorgan Drama League's turn to host the Wales Final Festival of One-Act Plays. It's now all hands to the deck to get everything ready for when much of the amateur theatre community in Wales descend on us to see the best of the best from the One-Act Festival rounds. The festival will be held at the Taliesin Theatre in Swansea on 4 and 5 June, starting both nights at 7pm.

Tickets cost £7.50 per night, or £13 for both nights and are available via the Taliesin Box Office on 01792 602060, or via their website www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk.

Full information about accommodation etc is available through the festival flyer: you can download the festival flyer in English (pdf 1.7mb) or download the festival flyer in Welsh (pdf 4mb).

The British Final Festival will be held at Village Theatre East Kilbride (Host country Scotland) on 25 & 26 June 2010.

Just one more round left now for the the Wales round of One-Act Play festivals in 2010. It is

The adjudicator at all of these regional rounds will once again be Ian Sarginson GODA who was such a success at last year's festivals.

The regional rounds will then be followed by the Wales One Act Final at the Talisiesin Theatre in Swansea on 4 & 5 June 2010, and the British Final Festival - Village Theatre East Kilbride (Host country Scotland) on 25 & 26 June 2010.

Here's hoping GDL will have a presence at both! (16.09.09 updated 04.05.10)

Lots of developments on the communications front here at GDL. A Facebook page is on its way imminently, but we are already up and running on Twitter: follow us at http://twitter.com/glamorgandrama.

We also have updated our email addresses, so please prepare your email address book for:

Secretary: Suzanne Kibble via email at: secretary@glamorgandrama.org
Treasurer: Ben Wheeler via email at: treasurer@glamorgandrama.org
Glammies contacts: To register dates for all youth and adult Glammies entries/Glammies Appraisers' Co-ordinator:  Annette Littlechild glammies@glamorgandrama.org
Young Glammies Moderator / GDL Chair : Teri McCarthy info@glamorgandrama.org
Adult Glammies Moderator / GDL Vice Chair: Lon David webmaster@glamorgandrama.org (this email address can also be used for Glammies purposes, if you need to contact Lon)

These details are also on our Contact us page. 18.03.10

All change on the GDL Officer front, as new Treasurer, Ben Wheeler of Swansea Little Theatre, and new Secretary, Suzanne Kibble of Telstars Theatre Company, take up their new posts.

Many thanks to Suzanne and Ben for agreeing to take on the roles, great to have them on board! 18.03.10

Unequal Spaces seminars : Disability Arts Cymru has announced three one-day seminars on participation, training and career development in the arts for young disabled people.

Unequal Spaces you give you the opportunity to meet some of DAC’s talented young artists, as well as learning how to get to the heart of best practice in accessibility and inclusion.

Unequal Spaces will be held at the following venues:
Thursday 18th March - Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Thursday 25th March - Grand Theatre, Swansea
Friday 16th April - Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold

Each seminar will begin at 10am and finish at 4.30pm. It costs £25 for Disability Arts Cymru members, £35 for non-members and £10 for young disabled people under 18.

For further information and to book a place telephone 029 2055 1040 or email post@dacymru.com. 02.03.10

The list of all the winners, shortlisted entries and nominations at this year's Glammies is now available on the Glammies pages: adult or youth, together with an overview of the evening.

A photogallery of the evening is also now available. 18.07.09 updated 08.11.09

Entries will only be accepted for one more week as the The Drama Association of Wales annual One-Act Playwriting Competition will shortly be closing for 2010.

You are welcome to download the press release about the competition in English (Word doc), information in Welsh (Word doc), or a bilingual application form (pdf).

The closing date for entries is 31st January 2010. So if you're planning on entering and haven't done so yet - you'll need to hurry!

22.09.09 updated 23.01.10

Disability Arts Cymru is organising a Creative Writing Competition for young disabled writers: Ignite the Flame. This is the information they've circulated:

Are you a young disabled person living in Wales who has a way with words?
Enter one poem or one short story of up to 500 words using “what ignites the flame for you?” as your inspiration. Think about excellence, friendship, respect, determination, inspiration, equality.

Entries will be accepted from two age groups: 13-16 years old and 17-25 years old. We will work with the winners from each category to develop their writing skills. The winners' work will be included in an anthology in 2012.

To enter, send your poem or short story to Ignite the Flame Competition, Disability Arts Cymru, Sbectrwm, Fairwater, Cardiff CF5 3EF Tel: 02920 551 040 Fax: 02920 551 036. Or you can email entries to: post@dacymru.com. You can also enter by audio or CD-rom or any other format preferred. Closing date: 29th January 2010. 22.12.09

We are always looking for more people to join the team of appraisers for The Glammies, and will be holding another training/introduction session this autumn for anyone interested in joining the team.

The next training session will be held immediately following the next GDL Delegates' meeting, which is at 10.15am on 17th October in the Drive Offices in Nantgarw. Anyone interested in finding out more about being an appraiser is welcome to attend. Existing appraisers who'd like a refresher are also very welcome: in fact, it'd be great to have you around to share your experiences!

The sessions will be led by adult Glammies moderator, Lon David, and will be very informal. Prospective new appraisers are taken through the materials available to them to help them with the role, and any questions/concerns are answered. Please let Annette Littlechild (appraisers' co-ordinator) know if you're planning on attending.

If you're interested and would like to find out more, please do come along, even if it's just to find out more about the process. 21.08.09 updated 16.09.09

There have been a number of changes within the GDL committee recently.

Suzy Stacey, who has served as the GDL's Treasurer for some years, has moved across to Secretary. Ben Wheeler, known to many as the One-Act Festival Stage Manager, while the festival's been held in Swansea, has taken over as Treasurer. Contact details for both of them are available on our Contact Us page. STARS Performing Arts Director, Nerys Jones, has taken on the role of Training Officer. Welcome to Nerys and Ben.

Thanks are due to John Minkes, of Telstars Theatre Company, who took up the reins of Secretary - on a temporary basis, mind you! - and has stayed and done fabulous things for much longer than any of us had ever anticipated: especially John! Thanks John, for all your hard work on behalf of the GDL. 10.08.09

Members of the Drama Association of Wales staff have new email addresses:

Administrator Gary Thomas is Gary@dramawales.org.uk Please also use this address for enquiries about Summer School.

Queries for library, membership services, playwriting competition, DAW publications to Teresa@dramawales.org.uk or Leon@dramawales.org.uk

General enquiries to info@dramawales.org.uk

A new website for DAW is currently under development by Beach Software, run by GDL's own Ben Wheeler, and it is due to be up and running very soon. updated 16.09.09

We came, we saw, we got the results! On Saturday 9th May, the 2009 Glamorgan One-Act Play Festival drew to a close following 3 nights of diverse and exciting plays. A page reporting on the whole event, including photos, will follow shortly, but in the meantime, here are the results:

THE GLAMORGAN COUNTY CUP
FESTIVAL WINNER - ADULT : Players' Theatre, A Doctor by Persuasion

MARI MAJOR YOUTH AWARD
FESTIVAL WINNER - YOUTH : The Unknown Theatre Company, Ghost City

BOB McTURK MEMORIAL TROPHY
BEST DIRECTOR : Gareth Gibbs, A Doctor by Persuasion

THE BEST OVERALL INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
Melissa Moore - Would-be novelist and other characters, The Unknown Theatre Company, Ghost City

THE BEA WELLS MEMORIAL TROPHY
THE BEST OVERALL INDIVIDUAL COMEDY PERFORMANCE
Jonathan James - Sganarelle, Players' Theatre, A Doctor by Persuasion

THE JEAN HOWELL TROPHY
ADJUDICATOR'S AWARD: Graham J Evans for his new adaptation of Moliere's play, A Doctor by Persuasion

As it was the last night of the entire Welsh round for 2009, adjudicator Ian Sarginson was able to announce those companies going through to the Welsh One-Act Final in Milford Haven on 5th and 6th June. There were two plays from Gwent, two from Pembrokeshire - but Glamorgan also came away with two productions going forward!

So for another chance to see Ghost City from The Unknown Theatre Company, and A Doctor by Persuasion from previous British finals winner Players' Theatre, book now for 6th June. Tickets are available from The Torch Theatre Box Office on 01646 695267 or online on www.torchtheatre.co.uk. Good luck both!

Here's keeping everything crossed that Glamorgan will be represented in Ireland too! (10.05.09)

The Drama Association of Wales Theatre Summer School 2009

A choice of 2 courses is available during this year's course, which will be held at Swansea University, 8-14 August: a week-long residential training holiday designed for amateur actors and directors.

VOICE IN PERFORMANCE. Tutor: Joan Mills

All actors, no matter how accomplished need to pay attention to their voice. It is a continuous, developing study for all performers if the voice is to remain flexible, communicative and healthy.

This workshop will explore the most useful practices which develop range, power and expressive potential of your voice. This course is suitable for all levels of experience. Using her vast experience Joan will encourage beginners to explore and build confidence and the more experienced will be offered more advanced challenges and will be encouraged to extend and further develop the vocal range and ability. This course will be fun, physically based and playful: laughing is guaranteed!

The course will include singing as well as spoken text but those who have a fear of harmony should not be deterred. Throughout her career, Joan has led workshops for those who claim not to sing and has helped hundreds of non-singers to become comfortable with this part of their voices.

ACTING & CHARACTERISATION. Tutor: Richard Cheshire

Participants of this course will be encouraged to investigate and experience key rehearsal methods used by contemporary professional theatre practitioners to help establish, build and develop characters from a variety of plays. Practical workshops will be structured to provide opportunities for individual, small group and ensemble work and will aim to explore a variety of theatrical styles.

Richard believes that learning should be fun and the course is structured for anyone with a keen interest of acting, regardless of past experience, who wants to improve and/or refresh their skills.

Discounts are available to DAW Individual members which means that you can book on to this course for as little as just £440. And that includes tuition, accommodation and all meals!

For full course details contact: Gary Thomas, Drama Association of Wales, The Old Library, Singleton Road, Cardiff CF24 2ET (T) 029 2045 2200 (E) gary@dramawales.org.uk (10.06.09)

If you're interested in entering a show for the 2008-09 season, you'll need to be a member (see our Joining page) and all the rest of the info is available on the Glammies page, including information about our entry form & guidelines/rules.

Please note that if your membership subs must be up to date if you want to enter a production for the Glammies, and you must give us AT LEAST four weeks notice, or your entry is not valid.

Final date for shows to be seen for the 2008-09 Glammies is 30th April 2009. Entries seen after that will be part of the Glammies 2009-10.

2009's One Act Festival dates have now been finalised and they are as follows:

The Wales final will be held in Milford Haven on 5th and 6th June, and the British Final in Northern Ireland on 3rd and 4th July. Here's keeping everything crossed that Glamorgan will be represented at both!

A series of dates important to GDL activity over the next year has been announced:

Glammies: the last date that a show can be seen by appraisers for the 2008-09 season is Thursday 30th April.

The Glammies night will be held at the Paget Rooms, Penarth on Sunday 28th June 2009. Further details on booking tickets etc will circulated when available.

Glamorgan One Act Play Festival: the festival will be held once again at the Dylan Thomas Theatre in Swansea, hosted by Swansea Little Theatre. The dates are 7-9 May 2009. The last night is the final night of the whole of the Welsh round of One Act Festivals, and is the night when those groups who proceed to the Welsh Final (in Pembrokeshire in 2009) will be announced, so it's likely to be a sell-out night as representatives of competing companies from all over Wales will descend on us to find out if their production has got through.

Get your ticket order in early to be sure of a seat! 25.09.08 updated 22.02.09

Entries for the 2009 Glamorgan One Act Play Festival have now been announced. Full details of the shows, the companies and the running order are available on our One-Act Festival page.

Entered companies who need another copy of the entry documents (dates, deadlines etc) can find them at the 2009 One Act Resources page.

Cardiff Players

cardiffplayers@hotmail.co.uk

www.cardiffplayers.org

GDL member group Telstars Theatre Company staged a wonderful performance of Les Clarke's moving play Watching the Magpies at the Wales Final Festival of One Act Plays at the Blackwood Miners' Institute on June 5th and 6th this year.

Telstars did a sterling job, but were up against very tough competition, especially from Blackwood Little Theatre with their detailed and very funny production of Last Tango in Blackwood which GODA Adjudicator Paul Fowler chose as the overall winner of the competition.

BLT went on to represent Wales at the British Final Festival of One Act Plays in the Taliesin Theatre in Swansea on 4th and 5th July, but sadly, despite a first-class performance, didn't win the award, which went to the Scottish entry from Stewarton Drama Group, One Good Beating by Linda McLean.

10.06.08

updated 30.08.08

The Drama Association of Wales's prestigious One Act Playwriting Competition for 2009 is now well underway. The competition aims to encourage the writing of plays for amateur theatre in English and Welsh. If you're planning on entering, there's not too long left as entries are accepted only until 31st January 2009.

In addition to cash awards, prize-winning plays will be considered for publication.

For full information see the attached press release from DAW (Word document, 31Kb), or the course leaflet/application form (pdf file, 2.7Mb).

Congratulations to Cardiff's Telstars Theatre Company, who once again flew the flag for the GDL at the Wales One-Act Final, which this year was held at the Blackwood Miners Institute on 6th and 7th June

The full list of finalists was as follows:

FRIDAY
1.  One Season's King              New Tabernacle Players
2.  Watching the Magpies         Telstars Theatre Company, Cardiff
3.  Last Tango in Blackwood      Blackwood Little Theatre

SATURDAY
1.  Auto Da Fe                          Castle Players ADS, Beaumaris
2.  Lucy in the Sky                    Phoenix Theatre Company, Clwyd
3.  A Dog's Life                         Guilsfield ADS 14.05.08

updated 10.06.08

Cardiff-based member group, The Unknown Theatre Company, is currently auditioning for its next production Back to the 80s - a lively musical opportunity to re-visit many of the most popular musical memories of the 1980s!

New members, aged between 13-25, are actively welcome to join the award-winning group for this exciting and energetic show. Rehearsals are in Cardiff on Tuesdays and/or Sundays. Full details are available on the Unknown Theatre website www.unknowntheatre.co.uk

New members are also welcome to join The Unknown YoYos, the company's special group for members aged 8-13.

As the Company also stages straight plays, it is keen to hear from young people (13-25) who might be interested in this area.(01.10.08)

Writer and DAW member Russell Webster is looking for companies to try out his new plays.

The plays are as follows:

1) April Showers: 5F 2M  A mix of young and old cast members.
The play centres on a young girl "in trouble". The mother has news of her own too.

2) The Iron Rainbow: 9M 1F 
Mainly for young men, this play is set in a bail hostel. Tensions run high, and the play deals with some contemporary issues.

3) Blue Crystal: 2M 
Two young men talk about the issues surrounding drug use. One is hooked, the other has different dreams.

If you're interested in finding out more, please contact Russell direct on russellwebster@ntlworld.com 8.9.08

Ty Newydd, The National Writers' Centre for Wales based in Llanystumdwy, is running a special course: DRAMA: THE NEXT STAGE - October 6 - 11 2008. Course Leaders will be Gilly Adams and Charles Way.

This is a course designed for writers who have some experience of writing for theatre or radio and who wish to deepen their understanding and practice. It will be an intensive week with opportunities to create new work as well as develop existing scripts. Professional actors will get involved with the process at the end of the week.

The course is run in partnership with the Drama Association of Wales: DAW members are entitled to a discount of 10% on the course fees. Applicants should contact Gary Thomas or Teresa Hennessy on 02920 2045 2200 or email: aled.daw@virgin.net  for details.

Please note that the closing date for applications for the the bursaries offered by DAW for this course has now passed.

Fees: Residential: £480 (single); £420 (shared) Tel: 01766 522811 post@tynewydd.org www.tynewydd.org

The Drama Association of Wales's highly successful Summer School is moving home. In Lampeter for several years, for 2008, the School will be held 10-16 August at Swansea University. Bookings are now being taken: places are limited, so it's always worth booking early.

Last year's extremely popular tutor Phil Clark (known by many in Cardiff for his many successes at the Sherman Theatre, but with many other strings to his bow) will return, this year joined by Rebecca Gould who has specialised in directing new plays. Until recently she was Associate Director at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, but is currently a Learning Associate at the RSC.

The theme of this year's School will be BEING BOLD: Steps Towards Braver Productions. Here's the overview for the week: "So often during short rehearsal periods, amateur theatre companies are forced to work to tight deadlines. The advantage of a week-long summer school is that it allows the artists to experiment with new, challenging and exciting rehearsal techniques that can invigorate a pressured rehearsal period. The course will encourage the artist to be brave and experiment with new rehearsal techniques that could lead to a more ambitious theatre-making process."

Discounts are offered to DAW Individual members which means that you can book on to this course for as just £420 - and that includes tuition, accommodation and all meals!

For more information: please contact Gary Thomas at Drama Association of Wales, The Old Library, Singleton Road, Cardiff CF24 2ET (T) 029 2045 2200 (E) aled.daw@virgin.net (21.04.08)

After a fairly steady stream of entries over the year, by the end of the season, entries for the Glammies suddenly flourished to the point that we are back at last year's level of 11 adult shows! There was a sudden rush of entries to the Youth Glammies too, although these have been mainly in the Drama, rather than the Musical category, which is a real change from past years.

All the shows have now been seen, and the Moderators are busy collating final reports for circulation to the companies. Marks will be totalled and final decisions made very soon. As soon as it's possible, shortlists for the acting awards will be available on this site.

With all these entries, and with the standard so high, who will pick up the coveted trophies this year? Make sure you're there on the night to find out. Tickets for the Glammies, which are limited in number this year, are available now. Full details of the shows entered and how to buy tickets are available via the Glammies pages. 20.04.08

The list of acting nominations for this year's Glammies awards, compiled from the performances which particularly impressed the Glammies appraisal team this year, is now available on its own page.

The short listed candidates will be announced on the night at the Glammies awards on 17th May at The Electricity Club in Cardiff. See the Glammies page for full contact information, if you are interested in attending. Tickets are limited this year, so please get your booking in as early as possible. (05.05.08)

The Unknown Theatre Company is on tenterhooks at the moment as Sarah Lark, from Cardiff, has successfully completed the first five live rounds of BBC1's I'd Do Anything - a competition to help find the cast of a new West End production of Oliver! She'll be singing again next Saturday, on the next live show.

Sarah was a member of of the company from outset, playing Peter Pan in the group's first ever production in 1997, but she has very much kept up her connection with the company, appearing at last summer's 10th anniversary concert at Dyffryn Gardens.

The show is on BBC1 on Saturday evening prime time, and all GDL members are urged to vote for Sarah! For further information on the show, see the BBC's website for the show.

Good luck, Sarah! 23.03.08 updated 29.04.08

DCMS conducts first National study of voluntary arts activity in England

On 1 February 2008, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be launching the first ever national survey of amateur arts groups in England. Groups of voluntary and amateur participants from all artistic walks of life - from music, dance and crafts, to theatre, visual arts and literature - are being encouraged to participate by going to http://www.artsurvey.org.uk and completing a short online questionnaire before 29th February.

Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge, said: "The arts are a really important part of so many people's lives. Taking part in local voluntary arts groups is rewarding, fascinating and fun. This survey is the first step to connect with those involved. Over 70% of people in England take part in artistic activities in all their many and varied forms - but for too long, local arts groups have not been fully recognised as an important part of our thriving arts scene. This survey will try to map voluntary and amateur arts groups and look at how they are supported and how more people could be encouraged to get involved."

The survey will be open from 1-29 February, 2008. The results will be published in summer 2008. 23.01.08

The Drama Association of Wales Playwriting Competition for 2008 is currently underway, and welcoming entries in 3 categories: an open section, plays suitable for performance by a cast of 16-25 year olds and scripts in the Welsh language. There is a prize of £200 for each of these categories. A further prize of a bursary for a Ty Newydd theatre writing course will be awarded to the best play from a Wales based writer. In addition to cash awards, prize-winning plays will be considered for publication. The closing date for entry is 31 January 2008.

After several years, our regular venue for delegate meetings, the Drive Office at Pontyclun, is shortly to be unavailable to us.

John Minkes, GDL Secretary writes: "Drive's lease on Ty Canol is ending and we need to find somewhere new.  Drive have kindly offered us free use of their new office but it is in Nantgarw, five miles north of Cardiff and therefore very much at the eastern end of our area.  Alternatively, Suzy Stacey, our Treasurer, has equally kindly offered her house in Llantrisant. 

Please could you let me know of any other possible venues.  We need somewhere which is available free of charge for meetings of up to fifteen people on Saturday mornings approximately every six weeks.  It would be nice to have somewhere which is reasonably central to the GDL meetings.  Or if we had a venue in the west, we could alternate meetings between one end of Glamorgan and the other.  Please let me have any ideas before the AGM/delegates' meeting on Feb 2nd and I will collate all the information." John is contactable at johnminkes@tiscali.co.uk (31.12.07)

Several members of the current appraisal team took part in an extremely useful review of appraisal procedures following the delegates meeting on 15th September. Some details on forms were clarified, final agreement was given to the Glammies rules for entry, and the current marking system was looked at. A decision was taken to keep the current marking system for this year, as some shows have already been appraised, but to re-visit it in time for the 2009 year, perhaps to bring it closer in line with the GODA system. All the forms, appraisers' materials and other paperwork has since been updated and are available via the Glammies appraisers' page .

We're still looking for new appraisers and are looking to run another training session (it won't last very long, it's not *that* difficult!) in the very near future. If you think you'd like to have a go at appraising, please let us know on glammies@aol.com so that we know to contact you when the training is arranged.

The GDL AGM was held this year on Saturday February 3rd, at the Drive Offices, Pontyclun.
The following officers were (re-)elected on the day.
•  President - Peggy Mason-Gray
•  Chairperson - Teri McCarthy
•  Vice Chairperson - Lon David
•  Secretary - John Minkes
•  Treasurer - Suzy Stacey
•  Training & Development Officer - vacant

Thanks to everyone who works so hard on behalf of the GDL, both those in office and those who are not. Without the commitment of this group, the GDL wouldn't exist. The AGM, and the delegates' meeting which followed, looked forward very much to an exciting 2007: the GDL's 60th birthday.

WNO is opening up to members of the public, as part of an 'Open House' project which will run from 31 May to 3 June.
to get more information go to www.wno.org.uk/what.main.html
You can:
· join members of the WNO Orchestra to PLAY tunes from Carmen - all welcome - any instrument   /  any standard!  (Yes really) 
· join members of WNO to SING tunes form Carmen - all welcome, no experience - just a love of singing!
· learn how to write a song with a professional song writer
· create art inspired by Carmen with a WNO designer  
and a lot more besides.  While everything's free, for some of the workshops you need to register.

America's New "Great Lakes"

Geoff and Barbara Lake, seen here at last year's Glammies, are due home again in time for the next GDL Delegates meeting on 19th May.

Geoff writes " It's been a great time here in Florida and we will be looking to the autumn when we will return to our other life. We can't believe that it's six months, it seems to have flown by. We have made so many friends and enjoyed lots of activities and, as the Americans would say we've become acclimated."

GDL stalwarts, Geoff and Barbara Lake, who between them have filled several of the posts on the GDL Committee for years, and who invented and for many years have been the main organisers of The Glammies, are heading off to Florida for their semi-retirement. But they'll be back in late spring - in time to help with the Glammies buffet!
Thanks to George Smith, of Bridgend Castle Players, for organising the successful 'au revoir' bash at Bridgend Tennis Club on 4th November: an opportunity for representatives of a number of groups to say thanks to Geoff and Barbara, for all they've done for so many people.
Thanks too to John Minkes, of Cardiff's Telstars Theatre Company, who has kindly agreed to take over the position of GDL Secretary, now that Barbara has stepped down from the role.

Have a wonderful time, Geoff and Barbara. We're waiting for the postcard!

The GDL AGM will be held this year on Saturday February 3rd, at 10.15am at the Drive Offices, Ty Canol, Clun Avenue, Pontyclun. Nominations are welcome for the posts listed below, and should be passed to the GDL's new Secretary, John Minkes (johnminkes@tiscali.co.uk ) by January 13th, though nominations can also be made at the AGM itself.
•  President
•  Chairperson
•  Vice Chairperson
•  Secretary
•  Treasurer
•  Training & Development Officer
Representatives of all member groups are particularly encouraged to attend the AGM, to ensure their groups' opinions are heard as plans are made for the future.

Disability Arts Cymru are running the Next Level in equality courses in Swansea in September and October. These are advanced equalities and inclusion courses that give you advice, guidance and information to help you make your services more inclusive and more accessible for everybody. Full information, together with an application form is available as a Word document

For any further information, contact Maggie Hampton, Director, Disability Arts Cymru , Sbectrwm, Bwlch Road, Fairwater, Cardiff, CF5 3EF
Tel/Textphone: 029 2055 1040 Fax: 029 2055 1036
www.dacymru.com/index_e.html    Disability Arts Cymru was formerly known as Arts Disability Wale

Our workshop for appraisers was held in Pontyclun on 10 September and was a great success.  Out of the discussions, some materials were created to help Appraisers, new and old.  New pages especially for appraisers (or those interested in joining the team) are now available here. 

Cardiff Players' stalwart, Mike Barlow, has stepped down from the position of GDL Chairman after 6 years in the post.  At the League's AGM in Pontyclun yesterday, Mike confirmed his intention, expressed at the last AGM, of wanting to hand over to another. Standing Vice Chairman, Teri McCarthy of Telstars Theatre Company, was in the wings ready to assume the role.  The Unknown Theatre Company's Lon David has now taken over as Vice Chair.

Many thanks to Mike for his years of sterling service to the organisation.  We are all sure that he won't be able to keep away from us for long, and we all look forward to his continuing presence at GDL events.

The Arts Council of Wales has available, FREE of charge to arts or charitable groups and individuals, quite an array of display sections, counters and screens in ply and other timber. The materials are bulky, and you would need to arrange your own transport to collect them.

If you're interested, please contact (by the end of June):
Valmai Ward, Administrator
Principality Collectorplan + ACW Art Collection
The Arts Council of Wales, 9 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3NX      
(029) 2037 6524

This comedy thriller is set in Harry and Emma's luxury flat on the Sussex Coast. Harry and Paul are two award winning TV crime writers who have worked together successfully for years. However, they lead very different lives and Harry decides he would rather write on his own. Paul refuses to allow Harry to break up the partnership and they are therefore locked together in a dance from which murder seems the only escape.

WHY COME?
Mark Protheroe returns to the Neath Little Theatre stage in his first full length role in decades! Lee Edwards is a shambling alcoholic (in the play that is). Amy Hall fingers her fabric in her role as a dim interior designer. And Michael Dickerson dons a shabby mac that would put Columbo's to shame. Don't miss it - it will be loads of fun so come see, help out and spread the word!

For tickets, call 01639 643462, or NLTtickets@hotmail.co.uk

neathlittletheatre@hotmail.com

When Sue decides to try a 'get away from everybody' caravan holiday, little does she realise that she's booked into the caravan site from hell. She is soon taken under the wing of expert but inadequate caravaner, Neville. That's when he's not engaged in battle with his wife ... or trying to cope with his separated sister-in-law.
 
Matters become complicated with the arrival of the enthusiastic Tony and his reluctant girl friend. Neville decides that a communal barbecue is the order of the day ... then things really start to hot up!

Tickets can be booked by telephone on 01639-792497 or online at www.bignightboxoffice.com

The Briton Ferry Little Theatre website: www.bflt.org.uk

by Mike Leigh. This play, written after Abigail's Party, is typical Leigh, with well drawn characters. 

It concentrates on the lives and relationships of four friends as they spend an evening together. As the alcohol releases inhibitions, their dreams, despairs and regrets rise to the surface. This is a strong, emotional journey and contains strong language and adult references.

Tickets £8.50 / £7 concessions

To book call 01792 473238 or see the SLT website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Did you know that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim share a birthday? Did you know that this year will be Sondheim's 80th birthday?

As a special tribute to these two "Masters of the Musical", The Unknown Theatre Company will be performing a specially chosen selection of songs by the two composers - and opening night is their birthday: 22nd March.

Tickets: £8.50 / £7.50 concessions.

To book call 029 2076 6056 or see the Unknown Theatre Company website.

In Antigone, set in ancient Thebes, Antigone is determined to give a sacred burial to her brother, Polynices, who has died on the battlefield. But her uncle Creon, the tyrant king, forbids her to do so under pain of death, because, he says, Polynices is a traitor. Antigone gives up her family, her fiancé and even her own life to do what she believes is right.

Six Primroses Each, set during World War 2, follows a group of Evacuees, as they have been sent to the country to get away from the bombing in London. Sat in a village hall, waiting to find out who they are living with, the children reveal their fears, frustrations and home sickness.

There is no charge for tickets, but please get there early for a good seat.

www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

This fast paced and funny show is the most famous of Cole Porter's musicals and is packed with his most capitvating tunes including: De-lovely, I Get a Kick Out of You, Friendship and, of course, the show-stopping number Anything Goes!

All performances start 7.30pm.

11-13th March Paget Rooms, Penarth - book online or phone 029 2049 0019

Tickets £9 (£8 concessions)
Full details are on Concept's website:
www.concept-players.com

Further details to follow.

To book tickets for The Mysterious Mr.Love please email cardiffplayers@hotmail.com or phone 029 2031 0984 or 07704 848306

www.cardiffplayers.org

The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin Mcdonagh is a blend of black comedy, melodrama, horror and bleak tragedy.

Set in the remote Irish village of Leenane, Connemara, the play centres on the life of Maureen Folan, a 40-year-old spinster who takes care of her 70 year-old, selfish and manipulative mother Mag. Sisters of Maureen have escaped into marriage and family life, but Maureen is trapped in a seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

Set in Mag and Maureen's shabby rural cottage, The Beauty Queen of Leenane weaves its way through both dark and comical moments, slowly building to a disturbing climax with a claustrophobic sense of entrapment.

For tickets, call 01639 643462, or NLTtickets@hotmail.co.uk

www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk

This years pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, written by the Society's Chairperson, Joyce Harding, was first performed eleven years ago. Joyce has updated the script and given it a new director in Pauline Mills.

This classic fairytale, although Pauline has given it her own personal touches, will still captivate the audience and still contains local and topical humour with all the standard pantomime ingredients. (oh yes it will...)

Tickets: Adults £5.00, Children £4.00.
There is a 10% reduction on all bookings of ten or more tickets.

Tickets can be booked by telephone on 01639 792497 or purchased at the door on the day.

www.bflt.org.uk

PLEASE NOTE: the dates of this production have been changed from the original October production.

Gerry Stratton has organised a small family dinner with his sons Glyn and Adam at his favorite restaurant to celebrate his wife Laura's fifty-fourth birthday. 

The occasion suggests a happy, domestic scene, but gradually we are made aware of the family skeletons... 

"funny, very funny, and not at all funny, quintessentially Ayckbourn."  The Times

Tickets cost £6 / £5 concessions and are available from the Secretary on 029 2040 7866, on the door, or online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/telstarstheatre

SHAKERS is a fascinating and often hilarious view of the reality which lurks behind a trendy cocktail bar where everyone wants to be seen, from the local check-out girls to the chinless wonders, from the yuppies to the local lads tittering at the thought of a `Long Comfortable Screw'. We are given a wickedly funny glimpse of this world, and its plastic palms and pina coladas, by four female actors playing the long-suffering waitresses who work there.

Tickets £6.50 on the door (price includes programme), Tuesday Night OAP/Student concessions £5.50).
Contact the Players for details of their 3 for 2 offer

To book tickets please phone 029 2031 0984 or 07704 848 306 or email us at: cardiffplayers@hotmail.com
website: www.cardiffplayers.org

When the Millar of Hilltown dies, all his worldly possessions are divided betwwen his family.

To his wife, Bessie, he leaves the bakery, while to his two eldest children he leaves the Mill. His only other possesion, his cat, he bequeaths to his youngest son, Tom. However, the cat turns out to be a very special cat indeed and life for Tom will never be the same again...

Join us for this well loved tale of Puss in Boots adapted by Brian Willis and directed by Simon Morgan, the team behind our successful production of Sleeping Beauty in 2007. Staged in the special style of Swansea Little Theatre, this is a Panto for all the family that you won't want to miss...

Tickets: £8.50 (£7.50 concessions)
To book, call Box Office on 01792 473238 or email on info@dylanthomastheatre.org.uk www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

The Unknown Theatre Company works its magic on Frank Loesser's classic musical re-telling of Damon Runyon's stories.

Gambling, religion, love and great music.

What more could you ask for?

Tickets: £8.50 (£7.50 concessions).

Box Office: 029 2076 6056 or by email:
jane@unknowntheatre.wanadoo.co.uk

www.unknowntheatre.co.uk

Further information to follow.

Please note start time of 8.30pm

Pre-ordered tickets:

Adults £7 / £5 Concessions.

Box Office 029 2093 0562 / 077 4319 0281

Imagine...returning from a pleasant anniversary celebration with your oldest friends to find that your house has been burgled. Theft , Eric Chappell's witty comedy-thriller, succeeds in disturbing two seemingly happy marriages and one formerly strong friendship with its subversive observation. Theft is a tongue-in-cheek delight, packed with stinging one-liners, daring reversals and many sharp comments on marriage, money and crime.

To book tickets for Theft please email cardiffplayers@hotmail.com or phone 029 2031 0984 or 07704 848306

www.cardiffplayers.org

So you thought you knew how fairytales went?

The Youth Academy have this term tackled a devised project and have explored what happens once the book is closed...

Meet characters as you've never seen them before, see their story from a different prospective and watch as fairyland is thrown into the 21st century!

This is a club night performance: if you'd like to attend, please contact Clare on Clare@dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

The incredibly fast moving plot of this hilarious farce by Marc Camoletti presents a challenge to the Players, lots of fun for the audience and a story with more twists than a corkscrew!

The West End production ran for 8 years (and subsequently all over North America), with rave reviews everywhere.

Sheila Tracy wrote in The Stage: "Without doubt the most hilarious two hours I have spent in any theatre and never has adultery seemed so inviting and such fun".

Tickets: £6 with concessions on Wednesday at £5 Special Offer! 3 for 2 tickets ordered and paid for before the day of the performance.

To pre-book tickets please contact 029 2019 5463 or cardiffplayers@hotmail.com .

www.cardiffplayers.org

Here's a link to a map of the venue .

For tickets call 01639 643462.

See the company's website www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk for further information.

further details to follow

Tickets £5.00

To book, call 01639 792497

For any further information, and further detail about the show, see the Briton Ferry Little Theatre website www.bflt.org.uk

further details to follow

Tickets £8.50 / £7.00 concessions

For tickets call 01792 473238

For further information, or to buy tickets on line, visit www.swansealittletheatre.org.uk

Directed by Clare Friswell


When young Jim Hawkins is left a treasure map by the dying buccaneer Billy Bones, he sets sail on the Hispaniola in search of the island. Among the crew, the one-legged Long John Silver becomes his greatest friend - but Silver has a shocking secret in store, and when they reach their destination, Jim faces danger and adventure greater than he could ever have imagined.


Tickets cost : £8.50/£7 (concessions)

For tickets call 01792 473238

Further information, or to buy tickets on line, visit www.swansealittletheatre.org.uk

Pre-Book: Adults £7 Concessions £5
Pay on the night : Adults £8 Concessions £6

Tickets available from

Box Office - 029 2093 0562 / 077 4319 0281

or email: starsperformingarts@hotmail.co.uk

www.starsperformingarts.co.uk/

By Roger Leach and Colin Wakefield

Audience With Murder is a witty thriller that is sure to confound and amuse you.  The play moves from a seemingly innocuous play reading through a murder mystery in the classic style, to a final terrifying and violent climax. 

First produced at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004 this play was subsequently presented to critical acclaim at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in 2006.

We could tell you more about this play but that would spoil it for you.

To pre-book tickets please contact 029 20195463 or cardiffplayers@hotmail.com

www.cardiffplayers.org

An opportunity to see the One-Act Festival entries from two of Cardiff's award-winning companies, before they're performed in Swansea at the festival a week or so later.

The Big World of Little Don Carlos - a new one-act play written by Jo West

Macbeth Rise to the STARS - adapted for family entertainment, with a twist!

Tickets: £6 / £4 concessions

Box Office 029 2093 0562

'Rent' 1-4th April 2009

The Welsh amateur premiere of Jonathan Larson's musical. More details to follow.

Also see www.retroacademy.co.uk or email admin@retroacademy.co.uk for further information.

It is the final days at William Ocean High as the class of youngsters choose their prom partners. Join Corey Senior as he remembers the songs, the girls, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and of course ...the Rubik's cube!!

... Eye of the Tiger ... Material Girl ... Footloose ... Come on Eileen...

More than 25 toe-tapping songs from the '80s to sing along to as you take a walk down memory lane!

A musical by Neil Gooding.

Tickets: £8 / £7 concessions. To book call 029 2076 6056 or see the Unknown Theatre Company website.

The Curious Case of 0 : see the number zero be put on trial for trying to possess a value she does not have.

Number 9, C and Lord M all give evidence but do they find the defendant guilty or not guilty.... you decide!

I never saw another butterfly - Over 15,000 Jewish children passed through Terezin, and only about a hundred were still alive when Terezin was liberated at the end of the war. One of the survivors, Raja, having lived through it all, teaching the children when there was nothing to teach with, helping to give them hope when there was little enough reason for hope, creating a little world of laughter, of flowers and butterflies behind the barbed wire, tells the true story of the children. It's her play and it's theirs. There were no butterflies at Terezin, of course, but for the children, butterflies became a symbol of defiance, making it possible for them to live on and play happily while waiting to be transported.

To book, call Box Office on 01792 473238 or email on info@dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

For more company info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Here's a link to a map of the venue.

For tickets call 01639 643462 or email neathlittletheatre@hotmail.com

See the company's website www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk for further information.

"You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games."

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? comprises three acts which take place over one late evening/early morning. George is a history professor at a university, and Martha is the daughter of the university's president. They invite a new professor (Nick) and his wife (Honey) for drinks following on from a party they have all attended. What follows is a no-holds -barred insight into the couple's relationships - George and Martha's being particularly volatile and tempestuous. The dialogue is relentlessly scathing with some extremely dark undertones - and not for the faint hearted.

NB THIS PRODUCTION STARTS AT 7pm.

Tickets £8.50 / £7.00 concessions.

For more company info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

At lonely Fal Vale station in Cornwall on a bleak night in 1925, a small group of passengers find themselves stranded overnight. Local legends abound with haunting tales of a ghost train and the mysterious death of the former stationmaster, but who knows what is really true?

Written by Arnold Ridley (best known for his role as Private Godfrey in Dad's Army) this classic thriller is filled with suspense, mystery and a dramatic storyline which will leave you guessing till its conclusion.

To pre-book tickets please contact 07770 935933 or 029 2019 5463 or cardiffplayers@hotmail.com

For any further information see the Cardiff Players' website www.cardiffplayers.org

Hollywood in the 1940s -- a writer with a complicated love life - a producer with the knack of getting his own way - unrequited love, blazing passion, glitz and glamour, murder and mayhem. From the same pen that wrote Sweet Charity and Little Me, Concept Players bring this multi-Tony Award winning musical to vivid life.

Tickets £8.00 / £7.00 concessions. To pre-book tickets for Penarth, please contact 029 2070 4951 or book online. For tickets for Abergavenny, plesae contact 01873 850805 or book online.

For any further information see the Concept Players' website : www.concept-players.com/

Join fearless adventurer Phileas Fogg and his faithful manservant as they race to beat the clock!

Phileas Fogg has agreed to an outrageous wager that puts his fortune and his life at risk. With his resourceful servant Passepartout, Fogg sets out to circle the globe in an unheard-of 80 days. But his every step is dogged by a detective who thinks he's a robber on the run. Danger, romance, and comic surprises abound in this whirlwind of a show.

Tickets £8.50 / £7.00 concessions.

For more company info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

By Derek Benfield

Ferris is looking after his sister's seedy hotel. Two young couples arrive. Roger has arranged an assignation with Sally, leaving his wife Helen at home, but Helen and Geoff, Sally's husband, have also made plans for a naughty weekend together - at the same hotel.

The mischievous Ferris discovers their guilty secrets and tries (at some financial reward to himself) to prevent the inevitable meeting of husbands, wives and lovers in assorted compromising situations.

To pre-book tickets please contact 029 2019 5463 or cardiffplayers@hotmail.com

For any further information see the Cardiff Players' website www.cardiffplayers.org

Not just your usual carols and traditional Christmas songs (though you'll find those too).

This is The Unknown Theatre Company inviting you to share some musical theatre magic, including songs and dances from musical favourites from shows old and new.

Join the entire company for a real Cracker of an evening!

Tickets: £5 / £4 concessions
Call 029 2076 6056, or email jane@unknowntheatre.wanadoo.co.uk
www.unknowntheatre.co.uk

A Theatrical Family Comedy!

Box Office: 029 2093 0562 / 077 4319 0281

Tickets £7 / £5 concession

starsperformingarts@hotmail.co.uk

www.starsperformingarts@hotmail.co.uk

Here's a link to a map of the venue .

Tickets : £5

For tickets call 01639 643462 or email neathlittletheatre@hotmail.com

See the company's website www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk for further information.

Arthur Miller's searing American classic.

more details to follow soon.

See the company's website www.blackwoodlt.org.uk/index.html for further information.

A tragedy of the inadvertent involvement in war of a poet and a peddler, set in Dublin in 1920 during the guerilla warfare between the insurgent Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British forces.

The peddler, Seumas Shields, takes into his tenement quarters Donal Davoren, a struggling, self-proclaimed poet whom the neighbours mistake for a brave IRA fighter.

The dramatic events which then begin to unfold  reveal to Davoren his cowardly self-deception and the fact that he is really only a "shadow" of a gunman.

Tickets available from Box Office 029 2019 5463 or cardiffplayers@hotmail.com

For any further information see the Cardiff Players' website www.cardiffplayers.org

New GDL members, Taffs Well-based Concept Players, bring a piece of new writing by group member Nigel Holloway to Llanover Hall in Cardiff.

Also performances in Church Village on 10th November and Blackwood on 11th November. See the website for further information.

For further information see the Concept Players website www.concept-players.com

THIS WEEK!

"Hilarious comedy of mistaken identity"
Greg and Ginny are living together, but Greg is becoming somewhat suspicious that he is not the only man in her life: little things like telephone calls that are cut off the moment he answers, a drawer full of boxes of chocolates, a pair of slippers that are certainly neither his or hers. 

This hilarious comedy will have the audience in stitches and as confused as the cast.
"One of Ayckbourn's best"

Tickets £6.00 / £5.00 concessions from
www.telstarstheatrecompany.co.uk/tickets
or at the Door
For further information see
www.telstarstheatrecompany.co.uk

The annual Dylan Thomas production of Under Milk Wood, this year directed by Stephanie Jefferies.

Tickets : £8 / £6 concessions

Theatre Box Office: (01792) 473238
and
The Swansea Information Centre:
(01792) 468 321

For more info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Tickets: £6 (concessions Wednesday)
Available from Box Office 029 2019 5463

For any further information see the Cardiff Players' website www.cardiffplayers.org

New GDL members, Taffs Well-based Concept Players, bring the modern classic to the Penarth Paget Rooms for 2 nights only.

More information to follow soon.

PLEASE NOTE THIS PRODUCTION IS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ONLY

For further information see the Concept Players website www.concept-players.com

First performed in a hit off-off-Broadway production, The Guys is a timeless drama about the surprising truths people can discover in ordinary lives, and the connections we make with others and ourselves in times of tragedy.

Written by Anne Nelson as a response to the events of September 11th 2001, this powerful and emotional play has its Welsh premiere at Briton Ferry on September 11th 2008.

Tickets: £4.50 (non-refundable)
Available from Box Office 01639 792497

For any further information, and further detail about the show, see the Briton Ferry Little Theatre website www.bflt.org.uk

Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book is brought to the stage in a classic adaptation.

See Baloo, Bagheera, Mowgli and Shere Khan brought to life by this youth theatre company. With original music by Tracey Mann, this is set to be a wonderful family show, to be enjoyed by all!

Tickets : £8 / £6 concessions
Box office: 01792 473238

For more info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

A quirky twist on the classic fairytale.

Join Aimee, Falulalalalalalaalaa, and Barry, the jazz lovin' penguin, in their all singing, all dancing quest to find out that little man's name.

'An hour or so of pure fun' S.W. Echo.

This Cardiff performance is a preview before the company transfers to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (Venue 13 Lochend Close, Canongate. 1-9 August 2008, at 4pm.)

Tickets: £5
Available from RWCMD box office on boxoffice@rwcmd.ac.uk Box Office 029 2039 1391

For any further information see the Unknown Theatre Company's website www.unknowntheatre.co.uk

Come share an evening with Charles M. Schulz's famous creations. They're all there: Charlie Brown, Sally, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder and, of course, Snoopy.

With a charming score by Clark Gesner, and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, this a delightful show will keep you smiling for days!

Adults £8.50 Concessions £7.
Special offer: buy a ticket for The Oedipus Plays and to You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for £16/£13 concs.

Box Office: 029 2076 6056
jane@unknowntheatre.wanadoo.co.uk

please note this production is only for TWO nights

Caroline Reader's modern adaptation of Sophocles's classic trilogy: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone.

This version of the ageless stories, told in modern language and with a sideways slant, bring the tragic events in Thebes to life.

Adults £8.50 Concessions £7.
Special offer: buy a ticket for The Oedipus Plays and to You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for £16/£13 concs.

Box Office: 029 2076 6056
jane@unknowntheatre.wanadoo.co.uk

www.unknowntheatre.co.uk
please note this production is only for TWO nights

Come and see STARS Performing Arts present... Alice in STARSland!

This is our very own Wonderland! With dance, disco, magic and riddles!

A modern children's (and adults') comedy with visual theatrical movement!
We have lots in store... 

Adults £7 Concessions £5.

Box Office: 029 2093 0562 / 077 4319 0281

starsperformingarts@hotmail.co.uk

www.starsperformingarts@hotmail.co.uk

For more info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Here's a link to a map of the venue .

For tickets call 01639 643462.

See the company's website www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk for further information.

The highbrow world of collectable art is the focal point for this witty and cleverly written play.

Set in Paris, France in the mid-1950's, the famous painter Paul Sorodin dies, and his estranged wife and children living in England quickly arrive to seize their inheritance, but his works are not entirely what they seem and blackmail ensues!

Ticket Prices £8.00 / £6.00 Concessions

Call (01792) 473238 to book
www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

The Unknown Theatre Company

Return to the Forbidden Planet

Howardian Centre
Hammond Way
Cardiff
(need a map ?)

7.30pm
Wednesday 2nd - Saturday 5th April 2008

The next production from Cardiff's award-winning youth theatre company is Bob Carlton's hilarious spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies, sprinkled with more than a little of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Join the cast for a ride to the stars as they work their way through the familiar hit songs such as 'Teenager in Love', 'Good Vibrations', 'Tell Her', 'Great Balls of Fire' 'Young Girl', 'Shaking All Over', 'It's a Man's World', 'Shake Rattle and Roll','The Young Ones' and many others.

A great evening out for everyone!

Tickets: £9.50 / £8.00 concessions
Call 029 2076 6056, or email jane@unknowntheatre.wanadoo.co.uk

www.unknowntheatre.co.uk

Here's a link to a map of the venue .

For tickets call 01639 643462.

See the company's website www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk for further information.

Curtain Call - a comedy by Bettine Manktelow

Sparkling dialogue and comic situations - a day in the life of a harassed theatre manager as he prepares for an important visit from someone from the Arts Council in respect of a grant. The manager has to grapple with his lovelorn secretary and her romance with the Front of House Manager, a disgruntled backstage crew on the verge of a strike and the temperamental lady director of the local amateurs. That's not to mention the intervention of the dictatorial husband of the said lady director who also happens to be Chair of the Theatre Trust!


Tickets: £6.50
To book call 08703 120266
www.orbit-theatre.net

Swansea Little Theatre

Nicholas Nickleby

and

The Fairyland Detective Agency

The welcome return of Swansea Little Theatre Youth.

Performed as part of a Swansea Little Theatre Club night, so the performances are not open to the general public, but if you would like to attend, contact the group.

Further details to follow.

www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Cardiff Players

Blue Remembered Hills

The Mike Barlow YMCA Theatre
The Walk
Cardiff

7.30pm
Wednesday 27th February - Saturday 1st March 2008

Originally written for television and adapted for the theatre, Blue Remembered Hills remains one of Dennis Potter's best known and most successful plays.

Set in the Forest of Dean on a summer afternoon in 1943, Blue Remembered Hills follows a group of 7 year olds (all played by adults) as they fight, play, argue, bully and laugh until a tragic event brings their world crashing down around them.

Tickets £6.00 (concessions Wednesday)
available on the door

call 029 2062 1074 or via the website : www.cardiffplayers.org

Tony Wendice has married his wife, Sheila, for her money, and now plans to murder her for precisely the same reason. He arranges the perfect crime, blackmailing an acquaintance into committing the deed, while at the same time arranging his own airtight alibi. When the plot goes awry, however, Wendice shows just how cruelly resourceful he can be, even as he struggles to avoid disaster, barely keeping one step ahead of a Scotland Yard police inspector.

A runaway Broadway hit, one made even more famous as an Alfred Hitchcock film, Dial "M" for Murder is one of the great thrillers of all time.

Tickets £6.00 available on the door call 029 2062 1074 or via the website : www.cardiffplayers.org

Brian Willis's original pantomime Sleeping Beauty wakes 'em all up in Swansea!

Tickets cost £7.00/£5.00 concessions and are available on 01792 473238, at Swansea Information Centre, or on the door.

For more info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Written by great American playwright Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie is one of the most delicate explorations of the frailties of the human condition.

Tickets £5.00 available from 01639 643462
or email - neathlittletheatre@hotmail.com

For more info check out the Neath website www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk

by Ronald Harwood

Can an elderly Ukrainian gardener, long time resident in England, be guilty of complicity in the holocaust? Is it simply a case of mistaken identity or if not did he have no choice but to be seen to be joining in to avoid death himself?

Uncomfortable questions are posed by the author in an attempt to understand the major horror of the 20th century.

By the author of The Dresser and Quartet.

Tickets £4.00 available from 01639 760983

For more info check out the Briton Ferry website http://www.bflt.org.uk/

Amaline Theatre Company

The Dead Wait

Llanover Hall
Romilly Road
Canton
Cardiff

7.30pm
Thursday & Friday
28th & 29th June 07

You've been waiting for this moment all your life
    Your life leaves your body
      You go into the light
         and you.....um....wait!

An eclectic group of strangers are thrown together to confront their own life and, more importantly, death.  Amaline Theatre Company invite you to join them in this deliciously dark and painfully poignant journey into the unknown.  Because only when you accept your own death, can you really start to live your life."

Tickets will be available on the door.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email us on amalinetheatre@yahoo.co.uk

Blackwood Little Theatre

Death by Fatal Murder

Blackwood Little Theatre
Woodbine Road
Blackwood
Gwent7.30pm (doors open at 6.45pm)

Weds- Sat
20th - 23rd June 2007

This hilarious farce sees the return of the amazing Inspector Pratt....the world's most accident prone and incompetent detective.

Inspector Pratt's record of crime detection at Bagshot House is not enviable. In his two previous visits, chronicled in 'Murdered to Death' and 'Secondary Cause of Death', the body count mounted disastrously as he looked on, helpless and hopeless! Now he is back and, as usual, chaos reigns supreme. During the course of his latest investigations, Pratt meets the new owner of the house, Nancy Allwright and soon he is embroiled in more mystery, aided and abetted by Miss Maple and Constable Thomkins. Upper-crust Ginny and Italian gigolo, Enzo help with enquiries but danger soon looms with an unexpected arrival and a frightening suggestion by Welsh busybody, Blodwyn Morgan. 

Tickets are available by calling 01495 223485 or by email on Blackwoodtheatre@googlemail.com Website: www.blackwoodlt.org.uk

Facilities:  Disabled access, Licensed Bar, refreshments, hearing loop.

Swansea Little Theatre

The Truth

The Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea

7.30pm
Tues - Sat
12th-16th June 2007

It's Terry Pratchett.

Done by Swansea Little Theatre.

And that's The Truth.

More information available here soon.

In the meantime check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Swansea Little Theatre

Steel Magnolias

The Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea

7.30pm
Tues - Sat
15th-19th May 2007

The close-knit women at Truvy's Beauty Salon, the unofficial hub of Chinquapin, have lots of time to gossip.

Alternately hilarious and touching, the play focuses on the camaraderie of six Southern women who talk, gab, gossip, chitchat, needle and harangue each other through the best of times - and cry, caress, comfort and repair one another through the worst.

For more info check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Cardiff Players

My Three Angels

The Players Theatre
The YMCA
The Walk
Cardiff

7.30pm
Wednesday -Saturday
25-28 April 2007

Christmas Eve and it is only 105 degrees in the shade!

Welcome to French Guiana where paroled convicts from the local penal colony move about with relative freedom. What we soon learn is that on the outside
it is often very hard to tell who the real criminals are.

My Three Angels takes a warm, witty and romantic look at our long-standing moral convictions of what is right and wrong. We are taught that good must surely and always triumph over evil. But as is the case in our story, does the end always justify the means? This you will have to decide for yourself as our felonious trio intervene in the lives of an innocent family which is now perched on the brink of financial ruin.

Proficient in the illicit skills of theft, forgery, extortion and yes, even murder, our unlikely heroes arrive in timely fashion to remind us all of what is truly most important. An honest appreciation of life, love and the simple serenity of domestic bliss. An old fashioned and wonderfully crafted fable to take home.

Tickets £5.50 available on the door call 029 2055 4430 or email:
cardiffplayers@hotmail.co.uk

Telstars Theatre Company

A Double Bill:
A Little Extra Help & Murder at the Wedding

St Alban's Church Hall
Swinton Street
Splott
Cardiff

8.00pm
Tuesday
17th April 2007

A Little Extra Help: Life is not always as it seems and supermarkets are not simply just about buying your groceries.  It is amazing what you can find there; great bargains, fantastic service and even love....with a little extra help!"

Murder at the Wedding: Murder at the Wedding the first in a series of Daft plays from the 'Starlets' on Radio ' Lakeside '. But what is happening in the background while the play is being broadcast? Will Lottie ever sober up? Will Millie steal her man? Will Abigail, Wendy and Roger ever allow anyone else to use their mic? Tune in for hilarious consequences.

Both plays will be Telstars entry into the Glamorgan Drama League One Act Festival.  Be one of the first to see them before they perform in Swansea.

For tickets call 029 2040 7865.

More information about Telstars Theatre Company is available on their website http://www.telstarstheatrecompany.co.uk

Swansea Little Theatre

Great Expectations

The Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea

7.30pm
Tues - Sat
27th- 31st March 2007

Charles Dickens is given the Swansea Little Theatre treatment.

More information available here soon.

In the meantime check out the Swansea website www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk

Neath Little Theatre

Quartet

Neath Little Theatre
Westernmoor Road
Neath

7.30pm
Mon - Sat
5th - 10th March 2007

Here's a link to a map of the venue .

For tickets call 01639 643462.

See the company's website http://www.neathlittletheatre.co.uk for further information.

Llantristant Drama
The Pompeii Panto

Llantrisant Church Hall
Swan Street
Llantrisant

7.30pm
Fri & Sat
2 - 3 March 2007
also matinees on Saturday 3 March and Sunday 4 March at 3.00pm

The Pompeii Panto by Jim Sperinck performed by Llantrisant Drama.

Tickets are £5 and £3.50 (concessions).

Tickets are available on the door or they may be booked via Suzy Stacey on 01443 223184.

The Unknown Theatre Company

How to Eat Like a Child (and other lessons in not being a grown-up)

Roath Church House
Penylan
cardiff (need a map ?)

6.30pm
Saturday 24 Feb 2007

This is a production especially for the younger members of The Unknown Theatre Company. A very special revue of songs and sketches based on Delia Ephron's best-selling book 'How to Eat Like a Child', the show reveals many of those secrets that all children know, but that adults have usually forgotten...

And an extra treat! There will also be a performance of songs-from-the-shows from the older members of the company.

Tickets cost £6 / £4.50 (concessions)

call 029 2076 6056 or email:
jane@unknowntheatre.wanadoo.co.uk

www.unknowntheatre.co.uk

Cardiff Players

Blithe Spirit

The Players Theatre
The Walk
Cardiff

7.30pm
Wed - Sat
28 Feb - 3 March 2007

Blithe Spirit is the story of novelist Charles Condomine, who invites an eccentric and breezy, lady medium to his country home in order to learn the language of the occult for his latest novel, The Unseen.

Little do Charles and his second wife, Ruth, dream that the séance staged by the medium will summon back Charles' first wife, who has been dead for seven years. First wife, Elvira, still beautiful and mischievous, returns to torment Charles by reminding him of their days and nights together during their marriage. Only Charles can see or hear his first wife.

How he manages to extricate himself from this blithe spirit makes for a hilarious conclusion.

call 029 2055 4430 or email: cardiffplayers@hotmail.co.uk www.cardiffplayers.org