STAR WARS TALE TAKES TO STAGE
I T’S one of the most famous films in cinema history but, unknown to many, it has its roots in a West Wales town. Now a Welsh theatre company is taking the little-known story of how the Star Wars Millennium Falcon was built in Pembroke Dock as inspiration for its new production.
In 1979 the town proved to have the most suitable space and the most skilled and capable workforce to construct the only full-size replica of Han Solo’s famous spaceship ever made to feature in the second Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back.
While the Millennium Falcon was being built it was kept hidden from the public to prevent news leaking.
Workers referred to the project as the “The Magic Roundabout” to keep the truth about what they were building in the giant Western Hangar building under wraps.
After completion the enormous full-scale model was deconstructed and transported to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire where the film was being shot.
Welsh theatre company Dirty Pro- test has teamed up with Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff and Torch Theatre in Milford Haven for a co-production which brings the 1979 Pembroke Dock building of the full-scale Millennium Falcon to the stage.
The play, which will embark on a five-week tour around venues in Wales starting in April, was written by self-confessed Star Wars fan Mark Williams.
“In 1979 I was too young to be aware of the rumours that the Millennium Falcon was being built on my doorstep in Pembrokeshire,” said the playwright. “Learning about it later it felt almost too amazing to be true.”
Set in Pembroke Dock in 1979 and 2014, the play’s lead character Sam is a Star Wars-obsessed kid in 1979 and a single father in 2014. His father is a redundant shipwright, employed to build the Millennium Falcon.
When 11-year-old Star Wars superfan Sam discovers the Millennium Falcon is being built in his home town his life is turned upside down.
Determined to get inside the cock- p i t , h i s only ob - stacle is his stepdad Mike, guardian of the secret hangar where the legendary ship is being built. Fast forward to 2014 and Sam’s daughter Lizzie goes missing, forcing him into a desperate hunt to find her.
Lightspeed from Pembroke Dock explores what happens when Holly- wood’s best-loved spaceship lands on your doorstep.
The production is billed as a story of hope, courage and how to be a family when it seems the universe is against you.
“The thought of actually getting to see it – what that would mean to someone of Sam’s age, and how that might shape his life – was what first inspired Lightspeed,” added Mark.
“Some of my earliest memories are of seeing the Star Wars films for the first time. They continue to influence everything I write, in countless ways.”
Launching in Chapter, Cardiff, on April 4, the tour concludes at Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on – fittingly enough – May 4.
For tickets and more visit www. dirtyprotesttheatre.co.uk