Truth or Dare – Theatr Clwyd

Truth or Dare? Do you have the courage to answer the question? Can you face the outcome?

Theatr Clwyd have brought us an interesting concept in the form of Truth or Dare. Truth and Dare are split over two performances, each with 5 short plays to tease and entertain. The 10 plays are written by 10 incredible writers who each bring us a little piece of joy or sadness to keep these plays fresh and interesting.

The set for both events are the same, with different sized boxes and cupboards, lined up across the back with Truth or Dare written on them. These pieces are then used throughout to make set pieces, stood or lay on, things put inside, and all moved by the cast to keep the plays moving along. Set is designed by Millie Lamkin and even though simple it is very well used and doesn’t need any more. Lighting is simple but effective and was designed by David Powell.

This evening we watched the Dare set first followed by the Truth set of plays.

The Dare set is directed by Francesca Goodridge and through the five plays, they ask how far people will go when provoked.

These five plays are Barbie Butt by Greg Glover, Show Us by Kallum Weyman, This Time Next Week by Natasha Kaeda, Annwn (Mold Gold) by Hannah Daniel and And The Crowd Goes Boom by Bethan Marlow. We are taken on journeys of illness, death and realisation.

The Truth set is directed by Hannah Noone and is made up of five plays that will push your buttons, uncovering secrets and lies.

The five plays that make up Truth are One Stop Short by Alexandria Riley, The Wake by Ceri Ashe, Maternity Leave by Lucie Lovatt, Bwgan by Melangell Dolma and Two Parts Madness, One Part Mayhem by Christian Patterson. Through these pieces we are taken on many journeys of personal mental struggles, sibling rivalries, haunting pasts and complete hilarity.

Something that is exciting both for the audience and performers is that audience members are asked to bring a prop with them, the more obscure the better. When the performers are brought on to the stage, the are blindfolded and five props are taken from the audience and hidden in the set. The performers only see these props when they take them out during their play, meaning they have to improvise the script when it comes to referring to the prop. It’s a great way to keep each play fresh and keep the actors on their toes each and every performance.

The two sets of casts are made up of 10 wonderfully talented actors who showcase their talents incredibly by switching it up to different characters in different plays within their sets.

The plays are all so different and each make you think about different situations, but my personal favourites are Two Parts Madness, One Part Mayhem in the Truth set which is hilarious and silly and is apparent it is written by Theatr Clwyd Panto writer Patterson, and This Time Next Week in the Dare set which takes you on a beautiful emotional journey which left me with tears in my eyes.

Each performance is captioned which makes them all extremely accessible but also comes in handy as one side is captioned in English and the other in Welsh. Some of the pieces are fully in Welsh and others are both English and Welsh so you can follow it easily with the help of the caption screens. The only issue I found is that you are taken out of the action at times as you have to keep looking up to read what is being said and takes focus from the action. It is still a great experience to watch a piece that takes you to two different languages and still feeling the passion and emotions.

I’m always made extremely welcome when visiting Theatr Clwyd, with a warm greeting and made to feel part of the Theatr Clwyd family which is one of the main reasons people return to this gem of a theatre time and time again.

Playing until 13^th May, https://www.theatrclwyd.com/

Reviewer: Damian Riverol

Reviewed: 4^th May 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★