SECRET SPACES: PETER DORAN
Milford Haven’s Torch Theatre consistently produces top-drawer productions for the theatregoers of Pembrokeshire. Fedor Tot talks to its creative director Peter Doran.
What are the general plans for Torch coming up?
Well, it’s a slightly odd situation, because last year we did One Man, Two Guvnors which is an international success all around the world. Unfortunately, about halfway through the run the lead actor tore his retina, so we had to cancel and refund about £30,000 worth of tickets. We still had the set, the costumes and it was popular – so I decided we would do it again this year.
Our Christmas show this year is Aladdin, which I wrote with musical director James Williams. After Christmas, we’re doing a piece of new writing called The Huntsman about a [real] double murder in Milford – two people were murdered on the coast path, then two people in a farmhouse. These murders went unsolved for years and only in the past decade have they convicted a local man for it, so for the past 25 years there’s been a lot of suspicion in the town – they all knew there was probably a killer in their midst. The play is really about living in that community rather than a retelling of the story of the murders.
The Huntsman sounds very interesting.
The title comes from the codename the police used for the killer in the late 80s. The case was so huge in the area because Pembrokeshire is such a tranquil place and perhaps one of the safest places to live in the country, so to have two double murders in such a short space of time, and then for them to then go unsolved for 20 years is just incredible.
The writer, Med Barker, is from Pembrokeshire and was about 18 at the time. He was actually picked up by the police because he looked so similar to the photofit they had released of the suspect, so he was technically involved!
What’s the challenge of running a regional theatre company in a place which is quite far out of the way?
I don’t see it as a challenge because it depends what you go there for. Some people see it as a challenge – you know you don’t get many reviewers to come down there, but I didn’t take the Torch on to promote our work to Cardiff. I went to live in London [for university] and I always thought I would love to go back to Pembrokeshire and show my community what theatre can be.
If you could recommend place in Wales to a first-time visitor that’s off the beaten tracks, where would it be and why?
There are so many beautiful beaches in Pembrokeshire, which often get voted the best beaches in Europe. I think if you go to any main beach in Pembrokeshire where all the tourists go, walk around the coast path a bit further and you’ll find another one which is quiet, so beaches like Swanlake or Church Doors.
One Man, Two Guvnors, Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, Thurs 31 Oct-Sat 16 Nov. Tickets: £8.50-£18.50. Info: 01646 695267 / www.torchtheatre.co.uk
