THEATRE ‘Coming back to perform in play by Gary is special’
WELSH playwright Gary Owen’s new hard-hitting play Killology is making its debut at the Sherman Theatre Cardiff tonight before going on to the Royal Court Theatre in London.
Killology is the latest brutal and bruising script from Owen who is quickly becoming one of the leading playwrights in the UK, having picked up awards including UK Theatre Award for Best New Play and James Tait Black Prize for Drama for Iphigenia in Splott.
In this latest script Owen tackles the issues of the effects of computer game and internet violence in society alongside the heartbreaking struggles of regret and responsibility of being a father and a son.
It stars Sean Gleeson, Richard Mylan and Sion Daniel Young, who play the three leads and Sion, fresh from his lead role as Christopher in Marianne Elliot’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the West End, said it’s fantastic to be involved in one of Gary’s fresh and exciting plays.
“I play Davey who we meet as a teenager but who literally grows up on stage as we see him at 15, 22 and then 27.
“He’s had a tough life and it’s about him dealing with that as best he can. He needs to decide what he can and can’t do in life. It’s a heavily monologued piece, much different to anything I’ve ever done.”
Sion studied drama at the Royal Scottish Academy and has gone on to star in many West End roles, including Albert in War Horse (National Theatre/West End) and Siegfried Sassoon in Mametz for National Theatre of Wales.
He’s a Cardiff boy so coming back to the Sherman Theatre is a thrill for him, particularly in such a challenging and rewarding role.
He said: “It was important for me to move out of Wales to study and I’ve obviously had a few roles in London but it’s great to be back in Cardiff.
“I used to act in youth theatre and coming back to perform in a play written by Gary is really special. His writing is so exciting and exhilarating on the page, let alone on the stage, and it’s been a brilliant experience bringing it to life so far.
“It’s got many monologues and it’s been strange not to have that interaction with the other characters but all of the monologues are intertwined. It’s clever stuff.”
Killology reunites the award-winning writer/director team behind Iphigenia in Splott – Welsh playwright Gary Owen, and Sherman Theatre’s artistic director Rachel O’Riordan.
Tackling the experiences faced by young men in contemporary society, Killology is about a controversial new gaming experience that is inspiring a generation. In Killology, players are rewarded for torturing victims, scoring points for “creativity”.
Owen said: “We’ve got a fantastic gang of actors, and I can’t wait to see what Rachel’s going to do with them.”
O’Riordan added: “I am delighted to be co-producing this extraordinary new play by Gary Owen with the Royal Court.
“This is the first co-production between a Welsh producing house and the new writing powerhouse that is the Royal Court, and we are very proud that the Sherman is working with Vicky Featherstone and her team on this play from one of Wales’ finest writers.”
The World Premiere of Killology will be at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff tonight and runs until April 8, before a four-week run at Royal Court Theatre in London, May 25 to June 24. To book tickets visit shermantheatre.co.uk or call 029 2064 6900 or royalcourttheatre.com or call 029 7565 5000.