A TALE OF TWO CITIES – TWINNED AND CULTURED

Like a good wine, friendship and performance art needs time to become great.

As from a tiny seed the grape grows and ripens, our journey to AMAFEST began small via Drama Association of Wales.

It was over a year ago, that we were approached by the Chair of DAW, Teri McCarthy, who shared an email from a festival organiser (Nelly) in Stuttgart. It enquired whether a group would like to represent Cardiff at the 8th annual AMAFEST theatre festival in Stuttgart; Cardiff’s twin city. A visit by Nelly to the Wales One Act, allowed us to meet and plan. And so, the seed was sown.

Fast forward a year, and not only had The Unknown Theatre Company decided on a production, we had also arranged for Nelly’s group to perform as a guest at the Glamorgan One Act Festival.

Our production, The Amazing Adventures of Little Red written by Lesley Ross with music by James Williams, was chosen because as well as being a wonderful moral fairy tale, with fantastic songs and opportunities for an entertaining production, we felt that it would be a visual piece that anyone not English speaking, would still be able to follow and enjoy. Auditions were held and 6 young people signed up to be a part of the visit.

Of course, it wasn’t just a case of turning up… there were flights to be booked, a minibus to organise, rehearsals to schedule and costumes to source and make.

We were a little concerned when the director Kieron Rees wanted to include three different sized axes – should they go in checked luggage or hand luggage and what might the airline say about those! But all was ok.

Day One. We arrived in Stuttgart on Wednesday 10th June with the festival

beginning the following day.

Day Two. Our itinerary was packed. It began with a reception at City Hall

where we met with the International Relations contact who told us about the links between our city and Stuttgart. Following this, we had a walking tour of the city, visiting the main attractions and sights and learning about its history.

After lunch, it was time for the opening ceremony. We were very proud of our group who wowed the audience with their rendition of Calon Lan. Two performances – one from Estonia and one from Italy followed. Then there was opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy some wonderful pizza together.

Day Three. The day began with Commedia Dell’arte mask workshop based on original mask archetypes, demonstrating how characters can be brought to life solely through body language. As expected, our group got totally immersed in the workshop and came away feeling they had learned lots of new skills. The afternoon brought a production from Poland/Croatia. Then at 5p.m. it was our turn to perform. We were well received and had a standing ovation which was amazing and made the commitment and hard work worthwhile. Two further productions – one from Poland and one from Ukraine finished the evening.

Day Four. Ice creams all round were a delightful surprise before another chance to see the city with open air poetry at each stop. The evening brought a performance by a group from Georgia before the final production of the festival from Poland. The closing ceremony came all too fast as we celebrated the joy, we had all experienced and the friendships we had made. And a reminder that theatre crosses all borders and all languages. Physicality and emotional delivery are just as important as words on a page.

And best of all… we have been invited to return with a production to the festival next year. 9th AMAFEST, the ideas are starting to grow! We just need to sort out some funding…

Jane Donoghue

The Unknown Theatre Company