National Theatre Wales & Hide And Seek Host THE BEACH

What makes people leave their home town, and what makes them come back? What happens to them in the meantime? For National Theatre Wales' fifth production this July, three leading young Welsh artists will create a unique outdoor game in Prestatyn, north Wales, with serious issues at its heart.

The Beach is a brand new theatre game, commissioned by National Theatre Wales in partnership with Hide&Seek, one of the leading designers of theatre games. Theatre games are interactive events in which the audience's experience is determined by their own choices. Participants are given set aims, which they must achieve within the rules of the game. Playfulness and spontaneity are the watchwords.

The game will start and end on the beach in Prestatyn. The audience will form teams of six, each with its own identity, and each member will be given an identity card giving details of their own role. The teams will be asked to complete six tasks, each in a separate zone in and around the beach.
The tasks will be an exhilarating test of memory, logic, speed and perception. For example, they might be asked to mix cocktails at a silent disco, compete in a race or match famous faces from the town to their descriptions.

The name of the game is to bring back Prestatyn's missing generation, and to answer the question ‘what would bring them back'? The team with the most points at the end of the game will be given a chance to make their pitch.

The show has been created by Rhiannon Cousins, Bethan Marlow and Carl Morris, and is directed by Catherine Paskell.

Rhiannon Cousins is a scriptwriter from Brecon. After working as an assistant director in film and television for five years, she began writing for the screen in 2002, having won the S4C 20th Anniversary script writing competition with her film Bys Priodasol (Wedding Ring Finger), which she also directed. Since then, Rhiannon been commissioned by S4C, BBC Wales and ITV Wales, and has written multi-platform online drama. This is her first time writing for theatre.
Bethan Marlow is a playwright and multi-platform writer, raised in Bethel, north Wales. She trained as an actor in London before becoming a writer, which took her to South East Asia and Africa. Theatre credits include Sgin Ti Gariad? (Sherman Cymru), KKK (RSC), Wales v England (Paines Plough's LATER) and Patroiophobia (Sherman Cymru). Her online credits include Such Tweet Sorrow (RSC), Cei Bach (S4C) and Hatty Rainbow - an online drama she produced independently on youtube.
Carl Morris lives in Cardiff and works as an advisor helping companies use the web to find and grow communities. He is also the face behind Sleeveface, a global photography project in which people obscure parts of their bodies with vinyl record sleeves. His personal blog is at quixoticquisling.com

Catherine Paskell is a creative associate at National Theatre Wales, and a theatre director originally from Cardiff. She trained on the MFA Theatre Directing at Birkbeck, and has produced work for theatres and touring companies including Oldham Coliseum, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Trafalgar Studios, Contact Manchester, Theatre 503, The Finborough, Tara Arts, Haddo House Opera, Baron's Court Theatre and the Octagon Theatre Bolton, where she was also Resident Assistant Director.

Hide&Seek are a game design studio dedicated to inventing new kinds of play. They founded the UK's first festival of pervasive games in London in 2007, which is now the Hide&Seek Weekender, taking place every summer on London's South Bank. They run the Sandpit, a series of events around the UK and a thriving network of artists, game designers and players, and they create social games and playful experiences for clients in the commercial, public and cultural sectors.
www.hideandseek.net

27 July - 1 August 2010
7pm (meet behind the Nova Centre, on the seafront)
Prestatyn, Denbighshire
Tickets £2

Box office
Scala Arts Centre, Prestatyn
Tel. 01745 850197
www.scalaprestatyn.co.uk

In partnership with?Hide&Seek and Scala Arts Centre, Prestatyn

Created by?
Rhiannon Cousins?
Bethan Marlow?
Carl Morris

Directed by
Catherine Paskell

Designed for adults, and young people aged 14+

Game length: 3 hrs

The game takes place outdoors, so please wear suitable footwear and clothing, and suncream if necessary.

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