EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - A Good Clean Heart

We speak to Alun Saunders from Neontopia about their 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show A Good Clean Heart.

Why did you decide to perform it in both Welsh and English?

I (along with thousands of others) live my life in two languages, every single day. I wanted to see something which integrated both languages in a new and exciting way. There could easily be a version of this play which is wholly in the English language (actually, that version is published alongside the bilingual version - purchase your copy after the show! *winks*).

I wrote the play about a character from Wales and a character from England (sparked by scratch event with Invertigo Theatre), looking to explore the nationality/national identity of both, especially having really contrasting senses of national pride.

During development, Kate Wasserberg - Artistic Director at The Other Room - was really enthused by the idea of a dual-language play as a means of really emphasising the cultural differences between the (separated) brothers in the story. I ran with this like a wild thing, as the only play I'd seen which had successfully done such a thing was Gary Owen's Amgen/Broken. Mine was to be The Other Room's very first piece of new writing, during its inaugural season of work, and it was important to make an impact.

Gary Owen's work is a huge influence on me - he's also been my dramaturg on another project through NTW - and Amgen/Broken in particular is a bilingual play which stays with me.

There's a ridiculous lack of exciting bilingual work in Wales, considering we're a nation with two languages. The Other Room, as well as our creative team, took a gamble with the original production of A Good Clean Heart, and I'm really, really proud to say that it paid off: Welsh-speakers showed great excitement at seeing something new and original, and Welsh learners as well as those with no knowledge of the language reacted with huge enthusiasm at how accessible it was to them. If it ain't broke, paid â'i thrwsio hi [don't fix it].

What have you done to make the show more accessible?

We knew that accessibility was key to making A Good Clean Heart work, and Kate & Mared's vision for the piece was to project the (English-language) surtitles onto the set - along with a few other 'surprises' - in an exciting way. This, of course, we did and this will also be done in our new production for 2016.

Seeing as we surtitled HEFIN's inner monologues (spoken in Welsh) in English, one surprise we added was to surtitle JAY's inner monologues (spoken in English) in Welsh also. Some might question why, but we wanted a balance, and as I adapted both characters' text into the other language, I saw it as how they would speak had they been raised in the other's 'home nation'.

We're really excited to bring the piece to Edinburgh, where there may be a multitude of cultural parallels, similarities and differences.

Who would you recommend A Good Clean Heart to?

You. You, right there, reading this. Come on, come see us!

But also, those who enjoy fast-paced, funny, moving, great stories. We strive for dynamic theatre which excites people in some way - any way - and our nightmare would be for anybody to leave having felt bored. If you like your theatre gentle and meek, then A Good Clean Heart probably isn't for you...

Are there any other productions you're hoping to catch at the festival?

There's a shedload of seriously cracking Welsh work going up this year, in particular our friends Gagglebabble and National Theatre Wales with Wonderman; August07 with Yuri (which will be performed in 'Wenglish'); and the Torch Theatre's Oh, Hello, which I didn't get to see last year and heard brilliant things about.

Some of last year's highlights for me were both Swallow and Crash at the Traverse - Orla O'Loughlin directed Swallow and has directed Milk there this year, so I can't wait to get there and see that.

I'm also hoping to take my kids on their first ever trip to Scotland, so I'm on the lookout for the best children's theatre pieces.

What's next for the show after the Fringe?

It certainly doesn't end there - we're really excited to be taking A Good Clean Heart on tour immediately after the Fringe. Venues right across Wales have been really supportive and excited about taking the production.

We'll be announcing the full tour imminently, but we're really excited to be ending with a week's run at the Wales Millennium Centre October 18-22, which coincides brilliantly with National Adoption Week - incredibly apt for the subject of our play.

All information regarding the tour will be up on our website, and on our social media channels - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - as soon as it's announced.

Looking forward to our Edinburgh residency!

Timings and ticket information for A Good Clean Heart are available on the edfringe website.

Photo credit: Aenne Pallasca

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