About Petula

4 Stars

A story-world in which nothing is remotely conventional

The Stage

How the hell do you grow up when the world around you is falling apart?

Pwdin Evans is on a mission. There’s so much in this world he can no longer deal with; his ridiculous parents, step-parents, the weight of his teenage worries, gravity, all of it. So, he launches himself into space, in search of answers and his missing cousin Petula.

In March 2022, we joined forces with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and August012 to present Petula, a brand-new production of Fabrice Melquiot’s extraordinary play. Directed by Mathilde Lopez with a script by Daf James that mixed Welsh, English and a little French.

An unforgettable and surreal mix of dark comedy and adventure. A visual feast about relationships, language and love.

Nominated for Best Show for Children and Young People at the UK Theatre Awards 2022

A story that could be Roald Dahl or early Spielberg…this production is nothing if not unique

The Stage

Filled with stage images that expand the edges of the universe

The Guardian

This tender, affecting and utterly bonkers play is perhaps the ideal antidote to these challenging times

Nation.cymru

A dizzying mix of English, Welsh and French, which the cast negotiates with endless grace to great comical effect

IWA

The action may be absurd but the trauma and confusion of growing up are totally realistic

The Observer

In rehearsal with Daf and Mathilde

Useful information

Tour

Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Pontio, Bangor
Ffwrnes, Llanelli
Torch Theatre, Milford Haven
Riverfront Theatre, Newport
Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon

Access
Audio description

Listen to the AD flyer

Listen to the AD introduction note

AD performances at the Sherman Theatre were audio described in Welsh and English (on different nights) by Ioan Gwyn. They were accompanied by a live Welsh to English audio translation of the script by Carys Eleri.

British Sign Language

BSL introduction

BSL performances were interpreted by Catheryn McShane at Sherman Theatre and Pontio, Bangor

Captioning

All performances of Petula were fully captioned with two captioning screens in the auditorium:

  • One on the right in English with Welsh dialogue translated
  • One on the left in English and Welsh with no translation
  • A little of the dialogue was in French. This was captioned on both screens but not translated.

Cast

Petula
Kizzy Crawford
Joe Potatoslouch
Tom Mumford
Dad
Sion Pritchard
Mami
Clêr Stephens
Amethyst Crappp
Rachel Summers
Pwdin Evans
Dewi Wykes

Creative team

Writer
Fabrice Melquiot
Concept and direction
Mathilde López
Translation and adaptation
Daf James
Assistant Director
Siobhan Brennan
Designer
Jean Chan
Composer
Branwen Munn
Choreographer
Leighton Wall
Lighting Designer
Joe Price
Video Designer
Will Monks
Script Consultant
Arwel Gruffydd