Inspired by true events of a woman buried alive by her abusive partner that shook Wales and reverberated around the world, Francesca Goodridge directs Danielle Bird as Hayley and Daniel Hawksford as Carl in A Pretty Sh*tty Love. In this dynamic new play, Hayley and Carl journey through complexities of love and life, dreaming of love, living in fear and finding the strength to pull yourself out. The production opens in Theatr Mix in The Village at Theatr Clwyd on 12 July, with previews from 8 July, and runs until 23 July, ahead of performances at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff from 27-29 July.
“I scrape at the soil beneath me, dig my nails into the dirt. I work out what’s going on.”
A new play by acclaimed playwright Katherine Chandler about dreaming of love, living in fear and finding the strength to pull yourself out.
Ahead of their opening we’ve spoken with Daniel Hawksford who plays Carl to discuss the production and why they think it is so important to tell survivors stories.
For those who may not be familiar with your previous work, could you please introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Daniel Hawksford and I’ve worked mainly in theatre. Predominately For Theatr Clwyd, the RSC and National Theatre Wales.
What can audiences expect to see from A Pretty Sh*tty Love?
A physical, emotional and powerfully visual production that begins with the telling of a love story that becomes a relationship of abuse, obsession and violence.
Can you tell us a little about the character you play?
Carl is a complex character. He sees the gym as his escape from the horror of his childhood. With no positive male role models, his mother’s death from an overdose and trying to help his drug addict brother, he sees weightlifting and being strong physically as a means not only to never feel vulnerable again but as a means in wrestling back some control and order into his life. When he meets Hayley, she should be a force for good in his life but his need for absolute control bleeds into his eventual controlling of everything she does. As with even the evilest of characters when playing them, you try to find some justification for why they behave the way they do, but, by the end of the play if he can’t have her then no one should.
The show is inspired by a shocking true story and features themes of domestic violence and abuse. Why do you think it is so important for new productions such as this to feature and tackle these difficult topics?
Because shows that deal in such subject matters as ours should educate their audience as much as entertain. The Classics of theatre are still important and have universal themes that we can learn from but it’s also important for new plays to be injected into the theatrical canon. Stories about real people, now. That’s the importance of new writing.
What do you hope audiences take away from a trip to see you and the team at Theatr Mix this summer?
World class theatre at a world class venue in the wilds of North Wales.
Looking forward, what are your hopes for the future of the arts industry?
Cheaper ticket prices across the board so it doesn’t become a luxury that the rich only get to see and more sustained consistent funding for the arts in poorer areas of the UK.
A Pretty Sh*tty Love plays at Theatr Mix in The Village at Theatr Clwyd between 8th and 23rd July before heading to Chapel Arts Centre in Cardiff between 27th and 29th July.
For more information or to book your tickets click here.
CentreStage 