Chris Urch's LAND OF OUR FATHERS to Embark on English Leg of UK Tour This Winter

Fresh from the current Welsh tour which started at the Wales Millennium Centre, Chris Urch's critically-acclaimed debut play LAND OF OUR FATHERS, directed by Paul Robinson, will embark on the English leg of its UK tour. This funny and deeply moving Welsh mining drama is packed full of blistering comedy and echoes a generation of lost voices. Presented by Theatre503, Tara Finney Productions and Wales Millennium Centre, LAND OF OUR FATHERS begins in January and runs through March 2016.

It's May 1979 in South Wales. Thatcher is counting her votes, Sid Vicious is spinning in his grave and six Welsh miners are trapped down a coal mine. As the men await their rescue, secrets emerge and accusations fly. Within two weeks, everything they believe in and everything they know will have changed.

Thanks in large part to a superbly claustrophobic set, director Paul Robinson pushes these opposing figures towards each other with tremendous effect. He conducts proceedings with a deft touch, allowing his exceptional cast to mine laugh-out-loud humour from sequences where it shouldn't exist... It's breathtaking. (The Stage)

Paul Robinson, Artistic Director at Theatre503, comments, The response so far has been thrilling and we're delighted to be bringing the production to some fantastic venues in England in the New Year. The story is so universal with characters that you can't help but fall in love with, and we hope the play will continue to bring laughs and tears as it continues its journey.

Described by the Guardian as 'undeniably powerful' and The Times as 'a high-voltage production', LAND OF OUR FATHERS was a winner of Time Out's Critic's Choice and Fringe Show of the Year 2013.

Co-producer, Tara Finney, says, "I am delighted to be taking LAND OF OUR FATHERS on tour, enabling more people around the country to see this beautiful play. I have no doubt it will continue to enthral people as we move from the Welsh to English venues."

Original cast members Joshua Price (Llwyth/Tribe) and Taylor Jay-Davies (Great Expectations - West End, The Passion) reprise their roles as Mostyn and Chewy. They are joined by John Cording (Pobol Y Cwm, Da Vinci's Demons), Tomos Eames (Pride, Resistance), Cornelius Booth (Pride & Prejudice) and Robert Jezek (The Bodyguard - West End).

IF YOU GO:

LAND OF OUR FATHERS by Chris Urch

2 hours 20 minutes, including interval

Tickets are available from theatres (see www.landofourfathers.com)

Performance Dates:

27th - 30th January - Live Theatre, Newcastle - www.live.org.uk
2nd - 3rd February - MAC Birmingham - www.macbirmingham.co.uk
5th - 6th February - Derby Theatre - www.derbytheatre.co.uk
9th - 10th February - Northwall Theatre, Oxford - www.thenorthwall.com
13th February - Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton - www.tauntontheatre.org.uk
16th - 19th February - Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds - www.theatreroyal.org
22nd - 24th February - Sheffield Theatre - www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
1st - 5th March - Liverpool Everyman - www.everymanplayhouse.com

Theatre503 is the award-winning home of ground-breaking plays. It produces work that is game- changing, relevant, mischievous, thrilling and theatrical. Theatre503 has been a flagship fringe venue for over thirty years, and has grown from strength to strength under the artistic leadership of Paul Robinson over the last 10 years. Proud to be 'arguably the most important theatre in Britain' (The Guardian) it stages more than fifty new plays or readings each year and offering more opportunities to new writers than any theatre in the country. For more information about Theatre503, see www.theatre503.com.

Tara Finney Productions was set up in 2013 to produce the critically acclaimed LAND OF OUR FATHERS (Time Out's Fringe Show of the Year 2013) at Theatre503 which transferred to Trafalgar Studios in 2014 and tours nationally this year. In 2015 she produced WINK by Phoebe Eclair- Powell and is currently developing new plays with Jon Brittain and Luke Barnes. For more information about Tara Finney Productions Ltd, see www.tarafinney.com.

Wales Millennium Centre is a landmark arts venue and a cultural destination. Opened in 2004, its founding mission is to bring the best of the world to Wales and to showcase the best of Wales to the world. The Centre is internationally recognised for its striking architecture and was recently declared a National Treasure by the National Lottery following a public vote. On its 7.5 acre site in Cardiff Bay, the Centre has a 1900 seat lyric theatre, named after its founding patron Sir Donald Gordon, designed for opera, large scale musicals, ballet and contemporary dance. Other performance spaces include a 250 seat studio theatre, a dance house, 350 seat recital hall and a state of the art recording facility, BBC Hoddinott Hall. Annually the centre receives over 1.5 million visitors making it Wales' number one visitor attraction. The Centre provides one of the largest free performance programmes in the UK and engages with nearly 90,000 young people annually through its Creative Learning and Community Engagement programme. Wales Millennium Centre is also home to eight other cultural organisations, including Welsh National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Literature Wales, as well as inclusive arts organisation, Hijinx Theatre and the Touch Trust. Wales Millennium Centre is a registered charity, number - 1060458. For more information, see www.wmc.org.uk.

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