The Good Earth started development in 2013 after I sat down with Gareth Lloyd Roberts at the Wales Millennium Centre who before becoming Artistic Director at Aberystwyth Arts Centre headed a development project called Incubator. At that point I’d moved back to Wales to work with National Theatre Wales as one of their emerging directors on Tonypandemonium, staged at the Park and Dare theatre, Treorchy. Before then, I’d been living in London for ten years, and it was life changing for me to come home and be in a room where I could express myself, in my way, as woman born in Pontypool and gone to Croesy Comp.
In its earliest stage of development, The Good Earth was inspired by true events that took place in Troedrhiwgwair in 1973 when a group of ardent villagers defied authorities and demanded to stay in their homes after being told (without proof) the mountain sitting behind the village was moving.
But, when I walked down Newport high street, where I spent most of my time growing up, and saw a quarter of the shops empty, it was the feeling of a fight for identity and the struggle to be heard that moved me to develop the idea.
The Park and Dare Theatre in Treorchy, have championed the project since. As we became resident in the building it became clear quite quickly that we were making a touring piece about community for communities and when the fear of theatre going city audiences crept in, I reminded myself why we were telling this story in this way, and who we wanted to engage. For me, it’s a bit like voting, statistics are only based on the people already doing it, and we want to speak to and give a good night out to those who may not usually go to the theatre.
The things that scare me about the work are also the things I love the most. At times it’s heightened, deliberately not being afraid to make fun of ourselves, and it also breaks the conventional three or five-act structure, unfamiliarity of which can easily disengage audiences with an expectation. I’m also glad the actors took these risky roles that don’t let them leave the stage at any point, throws them into Max Mackintosh’ acapella folk song and asks them to walk backwards, very quickly, at the same time, in different directions. I’m sorry lads…
Since it’s birth in 2014 Motherlode has created its first piece or work and presented it to both Welsh and international audiences. This couldn’t have happened without incredible support from our co producers RCT Theatres who we’re excited to keep working with, along with Arts Council of Wales, Creu Cymru, Wales Arts International, Wales Millennium Centre, Chapter, Blackwood Miners Institute, National Theatre Wales, British Council Wales and the fantastic team of people we continue to work with.
Thanks for reading and always get in touch via hello@motherlodetheatre.com if you’d like to know a bit more about us.
There is still a chance to see us on tour:
7-8 OCT
PARK & DARE THEATRE, TREORCHY
7 Oct – 7:30pm
8 Oct – 2pm
11 OCT
BLACKWOOD
MINERS’ INSTITUTE
7:30PM
12 OCT
BOROUGH THEATRE,
ABERGAVENNY
7:30pm