Blog

How did you set about preparing to portray such an iconic figure that is Gloria Estefan? Yeah, yeah, well, we had the absolute luxury and blessing to have Gloria with us during rehearsals back in April. So I was able to, and as she was so open, to sit down with her and talk. We also talked about the role, spoke about the story and talked about how the songs come in and out of the journey. So that was,…

Award winning writer and producer Russell T Davies gave an exclusive interview during his recent visit to the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival confirming the importance of the film festival to Cardiff. He also gave a stark warning of the need to come together in a world which demands we fight for our rights. YOU CAN VIEW THE INTERVIEW HERE: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/XVVTH1KOGVI Commenting on the significance of the festival to Cardiff he said: CARDIFF AND WHAT IRIS MEANS TO THE CITY “Film…

Shannon (L) Winner of the Transport for Wales Rising Star Award, pictured with Marie Daly, HR, People and Engagement Director at Transport for Wales   Shannon’s Story It was when Shannon’s coach at the Job Centre mentioned The Prince’s Trust that everything started to change for the better. After many months of fruitless job hunting, the 21-year old from Rumney, Cardiff, secured a job she loves with The Trust’s support. More importantly, she went from being someone who wanted to…

Lena (L) Winner of the Homesense Young Achiever Award, pictured with Donna Groves, Regional Manager for TK Maxx & Homesense   Lena’s Story Lena, 20, from St Mellons, Cardiff, grew up in foster care and was extremely shy. “I had very little confidence in myself when I was in school, and I soon fell into the wrong crowd. I found it easier and easier to skip classes, and I ended up leaving at 16 without any grades. I tried college…

CURRENTLY AT NEW THEATRE IN CARDIFF UNTIL SATURDAY 19TH OCTOBER, JASON MANFORD IS APPEARING IN CURTAINS. CARL MARSH CHATTED TO HIM EARLIER THIS WEEK.   EVERYONE WILL PROBABLY KNOW YOU AS THE COMEDIAN SO IT MUST BE NICE BEING ASKED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE CURTAINS,  A MUSICAL SHOW; BUT ISN’T MUSIC IN YOUR FAMILIES BLOOD? It’s a massive privilege, but I think performing in general and being on stage, or the telly (sic) or radio is a privilege, but it…

Being hailed as “the female Ed Sheeran” aged just seventeen is not something your average A-Level student would be able to claim. But, then again, Katie Kittermaster is no ordinary teenager. Katie Kittermaster has barely finished with her A Levels, but is already performing in front of crowds of hundreds of thousands and her steep trajectory shows no signs of leveling out any time soon. Having written many of her songs at the tender age of just fifteen, Kittermaster went…

Curtains: A Musical Whodunnit opened in Cardiff this evening in the first of its weeklong run at New Theatre, Cardiff. The show is full of incredible show-stopping numbers like ‘Wide Open Spaces’ and ‘In the same boat’. Full of energy and featuring an amazing cast including Jason Manford as Lieutenant Frank Coffi. The play follows the story set in an olde west theatre musical set in Kansas and performed in Boston, bound for Broadway, as Lieutenant Coffi tries to solve…

I must declare an interest.  Will Young is not just my ‘pop idol’, but is my idol in so many other respects.  His openness about his battles with PTSD and depression and his candid views on LGBT issues have been very helpful to many.  I think Will is close to being a national institution now, and if you haven’t heard his podcasts with Chris Sweeney, ‘Homosapiens,’ you should head over to his website, willyoung.co.uk.  It is no exaggeration to say…

Image Credit: BAFTA/Rex Shutterstock   13 October 2019: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in Wales, BAFTA Cymru, has announced the winners of the 2019 British Academy Cymru Awards. The awards honour excellence in broadcasting and production within film, games and television in Wales and inspire the next generation of creative talent. The ceremony was hosted once again by BBC Radio 1 presenter, Huw Stephens, at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, where presenters included Ruth Jones (Gavin and Stacey,…

Cai Morgan – Various You are nominated for ‘Various’, so does that mean you are a ‘Jack of all trades’ then Cai? [Laughs] Maybe yeah but with the job that I do, I produce a lot of content online. I don’t produce TV programmes or films that go out in cinemas, and my audience is on the internet. That could be a 15 minute film about Ketnipz (A teenage cartoonist who takes Instagram by storm) for S4C, or a short film about…