The North/South Divide

I’m sure it will not have escaped your attention that I have just written a blog post about National Theatre Wales’s second year production programme. That blog post was very positive because I do believe that their programme is strong, blending their trademark location-driven productions with more traditional theatre. However, I do have one, rather large, issue with the programme – the large discrepancy between the number of shows staged in South Wales and North Wales.

Of the eight productions that will be staged in Wales - (ignoring therefore The Dark Philosophers stint in Edinburgh) two, The Village Social and the NoFit State production will tour, another, Branches (Working Title) will be staged in the forests of North Wales. The other five, will all be performed in South Wales. A Provincial Life at Sherman Cymru in Cardiff, The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning in Haverfordwest, Little Dogs at the Patti Pavilion in Swansea, In Water I’m Weightless at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff and Coriolan/us at the Dragon Film Studios near Bridgend.

I understand that there could be a number of creative and practical or logistic reasons for this – the company is based in Cardiff, larger population centres in South Wales, critics/ reviewers who are unwilling to venture far from locations on the Paddington – Swansea train route, a larger number of creative professionals/ companies in South Wales, especially Cardiff, larger number of appropriate theatres/ venues in South Wales. Or it could just be that the majority of those who work for, and with, NTW have a better knowledge of South Wales having lived or worked there.

However this problem is not unique to NTW’s second year production programme – their first year programme included thirteen productions, of which four (For Mountain, Sand and Sea – Barmouth, The Beach – Prestatyn, The Dark Philosophers – Wrexham, The Weather Factory – Penygroes) came to North Wales, another (Outdoors – Aberystwyth) was in Mid Wales, whilst the rest (nine –The Dark Philosophers was performed in both Wrexham and Newport) were in South Wales.

I hope that this is merely a teething problem, and that as NTW develops it will not only start to explore the vast swathes of the country untouched by its latest programme, but also consider the geographical distribution of its productions whilst devising its programme. After all, it would be a pity if a large chunk of the population missed out on what NTW has to offer.