If you’re looking for something different to do with the family this Easter then a secret location in Bute Street (not normally open to the public) is being transformed into the setting for an intimate new production.
Maudie’s Rooms is a promenade adventure which starts from a bus stop on Bute Street and invites the audience to follow its troubled protagonist Arlo back in time as he attempts to right the wrongs of his past.
It is the dramatisation of a whole host of ideas which have been bubbling in creator Louise Osborn’s head for years and has its origins in events of her and her husband’s childhoods.
The action will take place inside the semi-derelict Customs and Immigration House on Bute Street which has been transformed into a mysterious old boarding house with rooms full of secrets, riddles and stories.
Among the cast of characters to be discovered in the different rooms are whispering twin puppets, a big stuffed bear in a cage, a newspaper puppet and a rude mouse in a box called Buddy Sprout.
Louise Osborn, who runs the theatre company Roar Ensemble which is co-producing the show with Sherman Cymru, told me:
"Maudie’s Rooms is
a story about returning to the past and confronting ghosts but rather than
being haunting it offers a mysterious and magical experience for children to
enjoy with their parents.
A scene from Maudie's Rooms. Image by Ben Tyreman.
“There is a lot of laughter and magic but it also explores serious themes about displacement and loss.”
The main character, Arlo, has just left his bride at the altar and the audience joins the story as he waits at the same bus stop as them.
He then receives a missive from a voice from his past summoning him back to the house and he takes the audience with him on his journey.
At the house Arlo encounters a raft of extraordinary characters and intriguing lodgers who all have different tales to tell from history.
“It’s a project drawn from my own childhood memories and those of my husband’s family,” explains Louise.
“He lived in Maida Vale as a child with his mother who was a refugee from Berlin and the house was full of boarders.
The whispering twins entertaining a crowd in the street
“His mother had twin sisters and a brother and while the sisters managed to escape from Nazi Germany the brother didn’t and I think she always carried that absent brother with her. Arlo is a bit like a lost brother to the twin puppets in the house.
“It started as a storybook which was mostly a curious collection of drawings and images, weird and wonderful objects, childhood memories, stories and characters from my family’s past.”
When Louise formed Roar Ensemble she wanted to use the book to create something special for family audiences to explore together, with rich storytelling and an exciting visual and sensory experience at its heart.
A production development grant from Arts Council Wales and support from Sherman Cymru enabled Maudie’s Rooms to have a trial run in the house in Bute Street last summer, where the cast performed to sell out audiences.
Julie Barclay in a scene from Maudie's Rooms.
Louise added: “Last year this atmospheric old building on Bute Street somehow made the story really come to life - and was interactive for audiences.
“The feedback we had was overwhelmingly positive with many people unable to see it due to it selling out and many others wanting to see it again.
“Thanks to further support from Arts Council Wales, we are so excited to be able to develop this ambitious project to a full production.
“The beautiful historical building - each room with a different environment - and the dark mysterious corners and corridors really allowed our characters and stories to become real.
"Maudie's Rooms is both very funny and very moving in places - and audiences should also come prepared to be slightly scared and very thrilled”
Maudie’s Rooms runs from 11-26 April and is aimed at families with children aged seven and over and adults.
The adventure will begin at the bus stop near to the small post office, Bute Street, Cardiff Bay (Bus route 7 and 8).
Guests will be
given detailed information on where to meet upon booking their tickets. The
performance will be promenade, with limited seating available throughout.
Tickets
are limited and must be purchased in advance. To book online visit https://uk.patronbase.com/_ShermanCymru/Productions/MAUD/Performances or phone 02920 646 900.
