Find out what’s on in South Wales this week
Video artist Josephine Sowden, who (controversially) won the Gold Medal at the 2013 National Eisteddfod, will be exhibiting her new piece A Change Of Worlds (Oriel Mwldan, Cardigan, Sat 22 Aug-Sat 10 Oct. Admissions: free) from this week. The piece is set to explore ideas of femininity and how they have changed over time from ancient admiration to modern day suppression and scrutiny.
The stage is also inspired by the past as Cilgerran-born singer/director/theatre maker Angharad Evans takes on the stories of the village in In The Light Of Tom Mathias (Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan, Fri 21-Sun 23 Aug. Tickets: £10 / £8). Inspired the once-forgotten images of the 20th century photographer, Tom Mathias, the site-specific performance will also take its audience right into the world of his images.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tues 18-Sat 22 Aug. Tickets: £17.50-£45.50 / £50.50-£55.50 premium seats) makes its debut in Cardiff this week, following its booming success in the West End. Based on the infamously funny 1988 film this comedy musical relives the mischievous behaviour of two con men fighting it out in an attempt to swindle an American heiress.
More musical as Legally Blonde, The Musical (Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Tues 18-Sat 29 Aug. Tickets: £24-£26 / £22 conc / group discounts and family tickets available) struts and hair flicks its way onto the stage. Based on the Reece Witherspoon film, Legally Blonde, The Musical tells the tale of bubbly, blonde-haired, pretty-in-pink Elle Woods who – despite her bimboesque appearance – decides to enroll in Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend. Although some of her peers are less than welcoming, Elle soon learns that her fashion filled world isn’t so different from the cloaks and gowns of the court.
If you prefer actual films to stage adaptations, then you can enjoy some outdoor Sunset Cinema (Pembroke Castle, Sat 22 Aug. Tickets: £6.50 / £5 conc / £20 family ticket), courtesy of Torch Theatre. This weekend they will be screening the 1958 classic Dracula, and where better to watch Bram Stoker’s iconic horror than in the grounds of the medieval Pembroke Castle?
Speaking of castles Castlefest UK (Weobley Castle, Swansea, Fri 21-Sun 23 Aug. Tickets: £40-£50 adult weekend ticket / £30 under 16 weekend ticket / £20 day ticket / £30 day ticket (with camping) / £100 family weekend ticket / under 12s free) is a music festival that does what it says on the tin. With three different stages (including a secret one) the festival boasts a lengthy line-up that includes acts such as pop-rock-meets-funk band Life In Cold Climates, Swansea rockers V0iD and folk trio The Raspberry Jam.
If you’re looking for festivals then the big hitter this week is, of course, Green Man (Crickhowell, Brecon Beacons, Thurs 20-Sun 23 Aug. Tickets: sold out) who will be bringing the likes of Super Furry Animals, St Vincent and Hot Chip to the breath-taking Black Mountains.
If you weren’t lucky enough to get your hands on Green Man tickets then don’t fret, as there are other festivals to choose from. Festivals like The Big Swansea Food And Drink Festival (Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, Sat 22-Sun23 Aug. Tickets: £5 day ticket / £30 VIP day ticket). There be produce stalls, street food, a summer wine marquee and live cooking demonstrations form talented chefs (including the Michelin started Jean-Christophe Novelli).
If music is more your thing then you can get something different with Pega Monstro (Undertone, Cardiff, Tues 18 Aug. £4/£3 adv). These Portuguese sisters (whose band name means ‘Catch The Monster’) will be bringing their ramshackle garage pop to Cardiff.
If you’re looking for something more experimental then you can catch Daniel Voigt + Phantom Chips + Form Constants + Ian Watson (Buffalo, Cardiff, Wed 19 Aug. Tickets: £5) who are all being presented by Celestial Communications.
words JASMINE ISAKSSON + HEATHER ARNOLD