upfront
NOISES OFF
HAVE you ever sat in a theatre , watching a play , and thought to yourself , ‘ I wonder what goes on behind the scenes ?’ Well , with Michael Frayn ’ s Olivier and Evening Standard award-winning play Noises Off , you don ’ t have to wonder . Directed by Lindsay Posner , Noises Off tells the story of a touring theatre company stumbling their way through dodgy rehearsals an unconvincing opening night and even worse curtain closing finale . A farcical , slapstick comedy with bags of effervescent British humour , Noises Off was originally written in 1982 , but still stands the test of time following great success at The Old Vic theatre and West End . This month the performance runs from Tue 11-Sat 15 June at the Wales Millennium Centre , Cardiff Bay . Renowned playwright Michael Frayn has thrilled countless audiences over the years with successful work such as Copenhagen , Afterlife , and Benefactors . Frayne ’ s inspiration for Noises Off came directly from his debut London play , The Two of Us , a play starring Richard Briers and Lynn Redgrave . “ In the closing piece , a farce , they played five characters between them ,” explains Frayn . “ There had to be a series of quick changes , and when I saw what that entailed , I thought that it was funnier than anything that was happening on stage .” From here , Noises Off was born . Neil Pearson stars as the play ’ s hapless director Lloyd , and sums up the play within a play perfectly . “ It ’ s very close to what it must feel like to put on some play that nobody ’ s proud of in a theatre that is more used to hosting tribute bands .” From his breakthrough role in Drop The Dead Donkey , to appearances in Bridget Jones ’ s Diary and ITV ’ s Monroe , Pearson is a familiar face across the UK . The play also features an excellent array of further British acting talent which includes Maureen Beattie – best known to us from The Bill , Lewis and Taggart – alongside David Bark-Jones , Simon Bubb , Danielle Flett , Geoffrey Freshwater , Thomasin Rand and Sasha Waddell . An hilarious play within a play , Noises Off is a classic British comedy which beautifully captures the fun , frivolity and often absurd nature of life behind the curtain . LAURA RILEY pic : JOHAN PERSSON
Noises Off , Tue 11-Sat 15 June , Wales Millennium Centre , Cardiff Bay . Tickets : £ 18- £ 32 . Info : 029 2063 6464 / www . wmc . org . uk
SUNDAY SCHOOL
SCHOOL is back in session at the prestigious Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay as Sunday School , a brand new programme of inspiring free talks , promises to fuse the old with the new and bring Welsh communities together through an exciting range of relevant topics of discussion . The talks , which will last no longer than an hour and start at the amiable time of 12pm , are based on subjects such as art , science , literature and business , focusing on issues , ideas and inspiration from our own Welsh communities . “ We want to create a new kind of Sunday School which is open to everyone ,” explains James Nee , the founder of Sunday School . “ We hope the general public will embrace it as the place to hear from inspiring and courageous people and learn more about Wales and their communities ,” continues James , who is endeavouring to change the perceptions of Sunday School as an outdated concept simply reserved for the religious . Through speakers such as Phil Mackenzie from Sherman Youth Theatre who discusses his groundbreaking theatre project Kontakt and the power of conversation and charisma on Sun 16 June , this not-for-profit programme will provide an inspiring range of engaging and thought provoking topics which move away from the traditional perception of Sunday School by showcasing the creative flair and ingenuity of Wales and its various communities . All talks will be filmed and recorded for MP3 players , so even if you can ’ t make a particular talk , there will be opportunities to catch up on talks and engage in new ideas online or on your way to work . The talks kick off on Sun 2 June with Adam Price , a former Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr , proposing that Wales should join the likes of New York and Venice to create a consortium of Guggenheim museums for the world ’ s best modern art . The fortnightly talks continue for three months and include talks from Luke Palmer from Orangebox discussing how we can design for a better future , and writer Jon Turney talking about the influence of science fiction on innovation . To attend , simply register on the Sunday School website and follow the latest announcements on Facebook and Twitter . HELEN CAMERON
Sunday School , Pierhead Building , Cardiff Bay , from Sun 2 June . Info : www . sundayschoolwales . org
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