Find out what’s on in South Wales this week.
The weekend brings with it the one day a year where you have to love someone: Valentine’s Day! But if you’ve left it too late to book a romantic restaurant, or just want to do something interesting for Valentine’s day (whether it’s with a loved one or with deviant independence) then you should check out Marmaille’s Love Emporium (The Abacus, Cardiff, Sat 14 Feb Tickets: £7/£5) – where a small gaggle of creative folks will be tipping their hats towards love, romance, feelings and human contact. There will be food, booze, party games and ‘outlandish actions’ as well.
There will be plenty more artistic takes on the world of love as Glynn Vivian Art Gallery’s Artist in Residence, Joan Jones, will be putting on a live performance about that four letter word in her Artist in Residence Valentine’s Day Performance (YMCA Swansea, Fri 13 Feb. Admissions: free). There will be a ‘jilted lovers dance party revenge disco’ as well!
But don’t be tricked by Hallmark, this week is about more than love hearts and attempts at wooing as it is also a week of performances from theatre companies dedicated to putting women centre stage.
An all female performances of Richard III (Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tues 10-Weds 23 Feb. Tickets: £12) will not only bringing a new spin on the Shakespearean classic , that was once a ‘boys-only’ affair, but it will also be showing in a new space just underneath the centre’s iconic dome – a new performance area called the Void.
From Bards to Princess as Theatr Pena will also be kicking off its new production The Royal Bed (Venues across Wales,Wed 11 Feb- Sat 28 Mar, Tickets: Tickets: £10-£14/ £5-£12 conc) at The Riverfront in Newport on Wednesday. Expect dark castle towers, royal adultery and bearded tough guys dressed like the Tin-Man in this English adaptation of welsh classic Siwan.
Something a bit more bloke-orientated is Gareth Bale’s one-man show Grav (Various venues across wales, Wed 4 Feb-Sat 14 Mar. Tickets: £12.50-£15 / £7-£13 conc) which starts off at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven this week. Taking on the life story of rugby legend Ray Gravell, Bale will be portraying a life not just of a sports man but also of an actor, a cultural icon and a family man.
In other theatre news the National Dance Company Wales throw themselves into their new season this week with not one, not two but several international contemporary dance shows. Their Spring Season (Venues across Wales, Fri 13 Feb- Fri 15 May. Tickets: £14-£16.50 / £7-£12 conc) will begin at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay before heading across Wales with a performances that tackle sanity, the body and avant-garde jazz.
For something that will give you a few more giggles there will be award-winning slapstick in the form of One Man, Two Guvnors (New Theatre, Cardiff, Tue 10 Feb- Sat 14 Feb. Tickets: £11-£33 / £9.50-£25.50 conc) as it returning to Cardiff this week. The show tells the tale of one man who tried to work for two different bosses at once, all the while creating bonkers comedy, satirical songs and quotable one liner.
Taking a step away from the theatre, there will be plenty of live music to enjoy at the From Now On Festival (Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Fri 13-Sat 14 Feb Tickets: £30 both days/£15 Fri/£20 Sat). This joint venture by Shape Records and Chapter Arts Centre will see plenty live performances from the likes of Flamingods, Wakes and Mowbird.
This week Chapter Arts Centre will also be screening a series of films for LGBT History Month (Cardiff, Fri 6-Thurs 26 Feb. Tickets: individual events priced separately) The line-up includes a documentary of an American songwriter and producer in Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell, acclaimed 2014 drama Love Is Strange about two long term partners who are finally allowed to marry and Pelo Malo a tale from Venezuelaa boy that craves foppish pop star looks and long, straight hair and tough urban his mum.
If you’re up for some art this weekend then Julie Arkell’s quaint collection of creatures is a good place to start. Her exhibition, Away (Mission Gallery, Swansea, Sat 14 Feb- Sun 12 April. Admissions: free), was the artistic result of the grief Arkell felt after the passing of her mother and it resulted in over 100 small papier-mâché creatures adorned with found objects and knitted accessories.
words JENNIFER MAGUY + HEATHER ARNOLD
