Iphigenia in Splott, a one-woman play performed by RWCMD graduate Sophie Melville opens at the National Theatre tonight. Written by Gary Owen for Sherman Cymru, Iphigenia won Best New Play at the year’s UK Theatre Awards, and Sophie won The Stage Award for Acting Excellence for her performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
“I cannot wait to take the show to London and I am determined to do Gary’s play justice,” says Sophie. “The work coming out of Wales is so exciting at the moment. I feel very lucky to be here and surrounded by such inspiring creatives. It feels like being part of a team and I would love to do some more work in Wales after the tour ends in April.”
Inspired by Greek myth, Iphigenia in Splott, is a story of social injustice, which seems to have hit a national nerve. It tells the story of Effie, a young woman whose life spirals through a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night.
“She is the sort of girl we’ve all encountered,” says Sophie. “She has an intimidating front, a huge fire in her belly. I connected with Effie immediately – she is someone I could very easily have become and I have friends who have ended up in similar situations so it’s very close to home. I feel very protective over the character and think about her all the time. I feel almost a desperation to tell her story. I’m excited by the idea of letting people spend time with a character they would be unlikely to socialise with. I think Effie exists in every place in the world and the message is universal – reminding us to be wary of judging or turning a blind eye. It is hugely relevant in light of the current refugee crisis.”
RWCMD has a longstanding relationship with Gary Owen since commissioning Welsh-language play Amser Canser in 2003 in collaboration with Sgript Cymru. His adaptation of Wedekind’s Spring Awakening featured as part of the College’s first season of new writing in 2014, and Ring Ring – his reworking of Schnitzler’s La Ronde – was one of four new plays to premiere at RWCMD and London’s Gate Theatre during the 2015 NEW season.
Update: Awards – nominated for for NYC 2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance
Iphigenia in Splott is at the National Theatre from 27 January to 20 February 2016 in the temporary theatre, which celebrates new work that is original, ambitious and unexpected.
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