Michael Sheen's 'The Passion'

Image by Dave McKean

There was something different to walking along Aberavon Promenade on Good Friday afternoon; an electric atmosphere was building as hundreds of people headed to the furthest end of the promenade. It was to be the first of a weekend of events as part of The Passion, a play of enormous proportions. 

The Trial (Sunday)

Conducted over 72 hours The Passion started and ended on the beach but events took place across the town, from the scheduled events to ‘ad hoc’ scenes and musician’s that seemed sneakily placed to enhance to the atmosphere and get people talking. Talking, that’s what it’s all about, none of this was about theatre for theatre’s sake; it was about a community, a people and a place and bringing them together to step into the future. Port Talbot really has been ignored and belittled by so many – I rarely stop to take it in, always driving past for Swansea or further west and I should know better: my own home town often suffers the same style ridicule.  Listen carefully across the three days and you could hear neighbours talking as if they’d never spoken two words before and towns people who a second ago had been complete strangers.



Inside the Shopping Centre 'Memories of Port Talbot'

For all the fantastic community spirit and galvanised atmosphere I can only praise all those involved. Tackling such a huge project head on is a fabulous feat in itself but there were moments lacking certain clarity, noticeably more on the Saturday afternoon where what seemed the non-organisation of the three simultaneous events caused considerable confusion, people were unsure where to go or what to do. Throughout the Saturday I was disappointed: The Passion although advertised and intended as an open event - where you didn’t really need tickets and everyone could go and see – you couldn’t always see, for instance on Llewellyn Street it was primarily performed on the flat those at the back and some even with the ‘wristbands’ were at the back missing the bulk of the action. 

Having missed the Friday and Saturday evening events I feel that I can’t give an all round picture but one thing I do not regret is getting my hands on the novella’s created by the scripts writer Owen Sheer’s. Reading those whilst waiting on Sunday cleared up much of the confusion and provided a greater sense of involvement.

Throughout it was Sheen’s mysterious and often silent presence as ‘The Teacher’ that has enticed, encouraged and carried the production with ‘The Teacher’ listening rather than teaching it made it more about the town healing itself instead of it being healed. As if the town remembers its past, as The Teacher remembers his past and they heal together.

The Passion is the final feather in the NTW cap for their first year of productions and they have done what it says on the tin: creating community centred, often very ‘Welsh’ piece’s to draw together personal, unique stories against the backdrop of a larger concept.  They have ended the year with their biggest project yet; a production that at once frustrated, tugged at the heartstrings and tenderly reached out to everyone, hopefully leaving the Port Talbot community looking eagerly at an ostensibly brighter future. Following it as a Young Critic has been one heck of a journey so far and I am curious as to what rabbit NTW will pull out of the hat next!