“To begin at the beginning…”
Arguably Dylan Thomas’ most famous work, Under Milk Wood is a piece of classic 20th century Welsh poetry. Originally written as a radio play, Under Milk Wood explores 24 hours in the sleepy costal town of Llaregub (Bugger all spelt backwards). It introduces the audience to its, somewhat eccentric, residents. All busy in their own lives and eavesdropping on each others lives. From the gossiping Mrs Pugh, always hounding Mr Willy Nilly the postman for more news, The distant lovers of Mog and Myfanwy, and the endless tales of blind Captain Cat this town has more than one story to tell. All woven together by our narrator, the mysterious ‘Voice’ who threads the fabrics of this world together.
Hwyl Theatre’s 2024 production merged traditional Welsh culture and voices with a bold colour design. The show literally takes a black and white world and bringing it into full colour, live! With a 19 strong cast and large crew this has been the largest scale Hwyl show to date.
Under Milk Wood was staged at Lyttelton Arts Factory on the Friday 15th – Sunday 17th and Thursday 21st – Saturday 23rd November 2024. The run time was approximately 1hr 45m, with a 20m interval.
Cast (Alphabetically):
Alexandra Ketko – Mrs Cherry Owen and others
Andrea Hunt – Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard and others
Claudia Hall – Polly Garter and others
Ethan McIntyre – Nogood Boyo and others
Giles Wood – Mr Pugh and others
Grace Opie – Lily Smalls and others
Harry Lawrence – Voice
Helen Fearnley – Mrs Organ Morgan and others
Jamie L’Huillier – Mr Beynon and others
Louisa Clarkson – Mrs Beynon and others
Makayla Hulme – Gossamer Beynon and others
Michael Woods – Sinbad Sailors and others
Oscar Geronimo Days – Mr Mog Edwards and others
Peter Rutherford – Captain Cat and others
Sam Bowden Cooke – Jack Black and others
Spencer Smith – Mr Ogmore and others
Tim Guy – Mr Cherry Owen and others
Trish Mary Purcell – Mrs Pugh and others
Will Wallace – Mr Willy Nilly and others
Crew:
Director: Harry Lawrence
Khalil Qualls: Assistant Director, Props Master
Musical Director: Peter Robertson
Artistic Producer: Margaret Haverland
Technical Producer: Holly Osgood
Assistant Producer: Jasmine Wilde
Greer Borthwick-Taylor: Production PA
Bernadette Richardson: Stage Manager
Anna Willows: Assistant Stage Manager
Alec Dunstone: Technical Director
Georgia Smith: Costume Lead
Emily Thompson: Costume Assistant
Megan Thomas: Costume Assistant
Sam Rogers: Makeup Lead
Shayla Thomas: Makeup Assistant
Nic Chappell: Props assistant, Poster designer
Kristen Truman: Front of House Coordinator, Programme Designer
Marianne McLoughlin – Marketing
Nikki Bleyendaal – Intimacy Coordinator
Charlie Mannering – Band Drummer
Benjamin Sinclair – Band Pianist
Hwyl Theatre 