December 2018, Banksy gifts Port Talbot a unique Christmas present making it an international talking point when one of his murals appears on the garage of a local steelworker. 2024, Port Talbot hits the headlines again with the end of blast furnace steel-making synonymous with the town and the beginning of a new uncertainty.
In the weeks after Banksy’s artwork first appeared, Paul Jenkins and Tracy Harris of Theatr3 spoke to people across the town. What began as a project collecting responses to the first Banksy in Wales, over six years became a portrait of a community and a testament to its character and resilience. Now, the voices of this Welsh community take centre stage, their words performed live by a professional cast.
Port Talbot Gotta Banksy is an urgent new play about people, power and street art. It’s a celebration of the strength of communities to withstand everything life has to throw at them. Join us as the people of Port Talbot share their story in their own words, in this compelling and compassionate verbatim play.
The play will be performed at the Plaza, Port Talbot, Grand Theatre, Swansea, Torch Theatre, Milford Haven and Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham following the run at the Sherman.
Directed by Paul Jenkins.
Supported by National Theatre Studio and with funding from Arts Council of Wales