A Good Clean Heart Comes To Pontio Bangor Following Edinburgh Festival Fringe Debut
Following their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut, Neontopia & Wales Millennium Centre will bring winner of Wales Theatre Award 2016 Best Playwright in the English Language, Alun Saunders’ funny and moving play, A Good Clean Heart, to the Studio Theatre space at Pontio, Bangor on Wednesday 5 & Thursday 6 October.
A Good Clean Heart, originally produced by and premiered at Cardiff’s award-winning pub theatre The Other Room, is a moving coming-of-age story about two brothers raised by different families, speaking different languages.
Having suppressed any desire to know more about his early life, before he was adopted, on his 18th birthday Hefin discovers not only that has a sibling, but that he wasn’t – as he’d always believed – born in Wales. On a defiant whim, Hefin takes a trip to meet his long-lost big brother, and crash-lands in a totally alien universe, just two hours down the M4.
Directed by Mared Swain, and with animated surtitles in both English and Welsh, A Good Clean Heart asks whether the love between two siblings raised in different cultures can overcome their differences
Writer Alun Saunders said: “Mared and I came to the conclusion whilst at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 that we should form a company and do our very best to take a production there the following year. That’s here and now. Oh my.
“I’m as excited as a leaping gazelle (though less graceful) to have, not only managed to establish Neontopia as an exciting new company with one of my best friends, but to also be taking a piece of work – of which we’re really proud – and putting it in front of an international audience at this year’s Fringe before touring to our favourite venues around Wales.
Mared and I met on the National Youth Theatre of Wales, have always remained friends, and have now established a solid and trusting working relationship. I wrote A Good Clean Heart whilst going through an incredibly difficult and complicated adoption process – I’m also proud to say that I now have two children who inspire me and bring me a heap of joy every single day, and also a play which will, hopefully, do the same for other people.”
Director Mared Swain said: “Last year, when we originally staged ‘A Good Clean Heart’ at The Other Room we were overwhelmed by the positive response, by critics and audiences alike. Alun and I had put so much work into the production, that we felt that it was only the beginning of our journey with this play, and here we are now, on the next chapter, as Neontopia, taking our first ever production to Edinburgh and a National Tour, we really don’t do things by halves!
“Since last year, a lot has changed in our lives. We have taken this time to form Neontopia, and have really embraced this opportunity to develop the play. This production feels very different to last year’s, and I am glad that I have had the opportunity, as Director to explore a new approach to the play, ( something we don’t always get to do as artists) . I am extremely excited to share this new production, to a wider audience in Edinburgh and across Wales, and I can’t wait to see what the response will be.
Louise Miles-Crust, Head of Programming at Wales Millennium Centre said: “We are thrilled to be co-producing A Good Clean Heart with Neontopia. The production was a great success at The Other Room in Cardiff and we really happy to be able to enable it to be seen by a wider audience in Edinburgh and around Wales.”
Full listings information:
A GOOD CLEAN HEART
A Neontopia and Wales Millennium Centre co-production, in association with The Other Room and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru
Pontio, Bangor 5 & 6 Oct 7.30pm
TICKETS: 01248 382828 / pontio.co.uk
Writer: Alun Saunders
Director: Mared Swain
Set and Costume Designer: Carl Davies
Video Designer: Zakk Hein
Lighting Designer: Elanor Higgins
Sound Designer: Dyfan Jones
Production Manager: Glesni Price-Jones
Cast:
Hefin: James Ifan
Jay: Oliver Wellington
Recommended for ages 14+.
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