upfront
upfront
DYLAN THOMAS:
IN THE RAW
PERFORMANCE artist Marc Rees’ new theatre production Raw Material:
Llareggub Revisited is yet another site-specific show of epic proportions. The
100th anniversary of the birth of renowned Swansea-born poet Dylan Thomas is
in full swing and Rees, along with National Theatre Wales and BBC Cymru Wales,
have dared to try and rejuvenate Thomas’ most famous work: Under Milk Wood.
Originally written for radio in 1945, the play follows the thoughts and dreams of
the fantastical inhabitants of a small Welsh seaside town called Llareggub.
“To re-imagine the world of Under Milk Wood, Wales’ most famous play in the year
of Dylan Thomas’ centenary. That was a really exciting gift,” says Rees.
One point that Rees wants to make, however, is that this production isn’t about
him but about the people of Laugharne, the town which is thought to have
inspired Thomas’ ‘play for voices’.
“For me it’s about what Dylan said; that what the town needed was a play about
a town where the people play themselves. So it was very exciting to go to a town I
knew very little about. I really explore and examine the underbelly of Laugharne.
Which Dylan described as the strangest town in Wales – and it still is, which is great.
“It’s Dylan and Laugharne and it’s not ju