Under Milk Wood (Cartesian Productions)
To begin at the beginning:
It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and-rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea.
Under Milk Wood draws its audience into the small Welsh town of Llareggub, the backdrop for Dylan Thomas’ seminal 1954 “play for voices”. We see 24 hours in the sleepy town, meeting its eclectic inhabitants, watching them go about their day, and peering into their dreams at night. A prismatic portrait of a mundane community and its extraordinary individuals, the play is steeped in Thomas’ beautiful and lyrical language, painting his world in vivid detail.
Oxford student company Cartesian Productions is bringing Under Milk Wood to the stage this November in a dynamic, ensemble-driven production. A large multi-roling cast draws on a wide range of theatrical tools to inject Thomas' text with awe and magic. Foley, puppetry, and a live folk band come together for this vibrant and imaginative telling of Thomas' timeless portrait.
Runtime: 1hr 50mins with no interval
Content warnings: discussions of death and alcoholism
The theatre has step-free access via a lift