A captivating play that unfurls the intricate relationship between history, land and consequence.
Produced by a Welsh-led creative team, the premiere of Tachwedd (November/The Slaughter) will come to London this October in a co-production with Phoebe Stringer Productions and Theatre503. Jon Berry’s new play, set in Bethesda, North Wales, interlaces Welsh myth and history to reveal how four individuals’ decisions dramatically alter their futures.
A son struggles under the weight of inheriting the family farm while the town suffers from mass layoffs and the landscape seems to tear itself apart navigating the shift between agricultural, industrial and contemporary ways of living. As tensions rise, the show charts the families’ relationship with their land from the pre-historic to the modern day and their journey to reconcile the inescapability of the past with the weight of the future, from leaving home to returning to a place of regret. Unfurling the intricate relationship between history, land, and consequence. At once enigmatic and blisteringly direct, this beautiful production invites you to question the past, challenge the present, and bear witness to the forces that shape our collective destiny.
Tachwedd turns the notion of a ‘state-of-the-nation’ on its head, intertwining religious fervour, royal hunting parties and palpable national angst to create an evocative, searing piece of contemporary theatre.
The Welsh cast is made up of Cardiff-born Carri Munn, an actor, writer, director and stand-up comedian, Glyn Pritchard, recent Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama graduate Bedwyr Bowen and Saran Morgan, whose theatre credits include Bara Bread and Inheriting Gods (Theatr Gwalia).
Writer Jon Berry said, “I've always wanted to tell epic stories…Tachwedd for me is the culmination of many years of interrogation, of interacting and negotiating with a history that I am at once a part of and a minute force within. I'm excited to see how people respond to the work, and to hopefully continue the conversation of Welshness through theatre for today.”
Company information
Directed by Jac Ifan Moore; Written by Jon Berry; Set and costume design by Rebecca Wood; Produced by Phoebe Stringer.
Listings information
Theatre 503, 503 Battersea Park Rd, London SW11 3BW
15th October – 2nd November, Tuesday – Saturday 7.30pm
2.30pm Saturday matinees
12:00pm Parent & Baby matinee Wednesday 30th October
£6.00 - £22.00 (£18.00 concs, two Pay What You Choose performances)
Further Information: Theatre503 | Tachwedd (November/The Slaughter)