“A Good Night Out in the Valleys” opens tonight at the Brentwood Miner’s Institute in Gwent tonight.
It is based on real Valleys stories with plenty of laughs and will feature live music performed by bands from each institute’s local area.
In the day, the coal mines had thriving communities and quite a bit of wealth in the South Wales valleys. The people in those communities were full of a sense of pride and spirit, hence, the creation of the miners’ institutes. They took a penny from every pound they earned as miners and built institutes which became their theatres, meeting places and snooker halls.
The cast includes Sharon Morgan, winner of last year’s BAFTA Cymru Best Actress Award for her role in Martha Jac a Sianco, who also appeared in BBC Wales’ Torchwood and Belonging. Boyd Clack, star of BBC Wales’ High Hopes and Satellite City, as well as Twin Town, will also appear, alongside Siwan Morris, star of Channel 4’s Skins and who last year performed in Sherman Cymru’s acclaimed Cloakroom. Siwan has also appeared on television in Con Passionate and Caerdydd.
Three young actors from BBC Wales’ Belonging will also appear: Oliver Wood ( who played Asbo), Huw Rhys (Carl), and Amy Starling (Nurse Spencer). Huw also appeared in Caerdydd.
A Good Night Out in the Valleys is written by Alan Harris, originally from Church Village, Pontypridd. His play The Gold Farmer will be performed on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 6th February.
The play is directed by National Theatre Wales Artistic Director John McGrath, previously Artistic Director of Contact Theatre, Manchester. John trained in New York, where he was also Associate Director of Mabou Mines. In 2005, he was awarded the NESTA Cultural Leadership Award.
