Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and the Welsh Ballroom Community are thrilled to continue their collaboration, with an upcoming scratch performance, Kiki Cymraeg. Later this month, the organisations will collaborate on a research and development week, ahead of a sharing of their work at the Sherman Theatre on 28 March 2024.
Kiki Cymraeg will feature original spoken word performances by artists Lauren Morais, Nina Bowers and Leo Drayton, exploring Ballroom history, Welsh mythology and what it means to be queer in Wales today.
Directed by Duncan Hallis and Theatr Gen’s Artistic Director Steffan Donnelly, this scratch performance will be hosted by the Voice of Wales, Kwabena 007, and will star members of the Welsh Ballroom Community, including Leighton Rees Milan, Supreme Milan, Opulence Milan and Hollywood 007, alongside DJ Raven 007.
This exciting partnership brings together the forces of Ballroom culture and Welsh-language theatre and builds on a successful research and development workshop in 2023.
Leighton Rees Milan, founder of the Welsh Ballroom Community, said:
“Community Is Key. The first stages of our collaboration with Theatr Gen and Duncan Hallis were a pivotal moment for the WBC members involved. It allowed us to connect with each other on a much deeper level and opened us up to new possibilities of the future of this exciting project.”
Steffan Donnelly, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s Artistic Director, said:
"I can’t wait to collaborate with the Welsh Ballroom Community and the brilliant Duncan Hallis to create a queer night to remember. Working with three exceptional writers in Lauren, Leo and Nina we’ll be exploring reality and fantasia, courage and opulence, the ancient and contemporary. Devising is one of the many ways Theatr Gen develops new work and we’re excited to be throwing the doors open to our experimentation with bringing the Ballroom and theatre artforms together.”