0:00:05 > 0:00:09# There's a shadow hanging over us
0:00:09 > 0:00:13# There's a light that guides us home
0:00:13 > 0:00:16# We give until there's nothing left
0:00:16 > 0:00:21# Cos we're the flesh and you're the bone
0:00:21 > 0:00:23# And home is where the heart is
0:00:23 > 0:00:25# That's where it all started
0:00:25 > 0:00:28# Those who may depart, I'm sure they're mostly broken-hearted... #
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Port Talbot in South Wales is a town that makes steel and chemicals,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44and that most outsiders drive past at speed.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48It's not a place often associated with theatre.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I'm just wondering if there's a way to bring everyone a bit closer.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57But in six months' time, next Easter,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00a local man has a plan for the town to stage
0:01:00 > 0:01:04the most ambitious theatrical project that Wales has ever seen.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05His name is Michael Sheen.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Born and raised in Port Talbot,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Michael, of course, is a well-known movie actor,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14famous for his portrayal of characters like Tony Blair,
0:01:14 > 0:01:15David Frost and Brian Clough,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17and who is now one of the hot names in Hollywood.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Do you want to sit down?
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Yeah, I'm just trying to make this a little bit more informal,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I don't really want to be standing on the stage.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Ladies and gentlemen, would you please come
0:01:30 > 0:01:33a little bit closer to the stage?
0:01:33 > 0:01:37But his next role, working with the new National Theatre of Wales,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40may well be his most ambitious to date.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45One of the big, defining things about this town is that it is bypassed.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49There are roads that are there to ensure
0:01:49 > 0:01:52that nobody has to deal with our town!
0:01:52 > 0:01:57Sheen's plan is to both direct and star in his own updated
0:01:57 > 0:01:59three-day version of the Crucifixion story,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and he's hoping to persuade the whole town to take part.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07The story is, I suppose, inspired by the story of the Passion of Christ.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10I got very excited about the idea
0:02:10 > 0:02:15of being able to tell that story in our town through our community.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Community is not something we can take for granted,
0:02:18 > 0:02:26it's not something that's just there. It's something that we have to work for and earn and passionately defend.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I think it's great that he's coming back to Port Talbot,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31being a Port Talbot boy himself.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35There's not a lot going on at the moment in the community,
0:02:35 > 0:02:36especially in the arts aspect.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38It's great he's coming back
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and is choosing to do something in the town.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43It's going to be immense, really, isn't it?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48An organisational nightmare, though!
0:02:48 > 0:02:51There is a long tradition of community Passion plays -
0:02:51 > 0:02:54townsfolk acting out the story of the Crucifixion of Jesus,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58and if you're thinking of putting on a Passion play,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00there's one place you have to visit.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The world's most famous Passion play takes place every ten years
0:03:14 > 0:03:17in the Bavarian town of Oberammergau.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Michael has come here to do some research,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25along with his creative partners, co-director Bill Mitchell -
0:03:25 > 0:03:27who runs a company called Wildworks,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30which specialises in large-scale community theatre -
0:03:30 > 0:03:34and the poet and writer Owen Sheers.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It started as a bargain with God,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43so as to be saved from the plague.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47'It seems to have worked, they haven't had anyone die of plagues since 1634,'
0:03:47 > 0:03:50so every ten years, they do it.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It started off in the cemetery,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and now it has moved to a huge purpose-built aircraft hangar
0:03:57 > 0:03:59at the theatre.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03And the extraordinary thing is, I remember 30 years ago,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05my grandmother coming here to Oberammergau
0:04:05 > 0:04:08to watch the play, part of a church group.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12And to think that I'm here 30 years later, and they've only done it twice
0:04:12 > 0:04:15in between since then, is extraordinary.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19THEY SING
0:04:38 > 0:04:43After the show, Michael and Owen went backstage to meet Jesus,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45the actor Frederik Mayet.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46We have to ask you...
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Oh, yeah - from a technical point of view, how do you stay on that?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It's easy.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01It is! Under the... Right!
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- And do you have a little thing that you fit...?- Yeah.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Because it looked very realistic.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11For the arms.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- Right. So, your wrist rests on that?- Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- Plates.- That's for the feet?
0:05:16 > 0:05:20We need to work out how I can stay up there and not fall off!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22It has to be safe, that is the most important.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes going, "Oh!"
0:05:25 > 0:05:28thinking about how I'm going to be up there.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31HE SPEAKS GERMAN
0:05:33 > 0:05:38I really was concerned, and still am concerned, about the idea
0:05:38 > 0:05:41of it being seen as me coming back to my town
0:05:41 > 0:05:46and I see myself as Jesus, or some kind of special person,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and that I'm there to teach people - which is nonsense.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53So if anything, more and more I've started to see the Jesus figure
0:05:53 > 0:05:56as being like a conduit, like a vessel,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00and that he doesn't come to tell anyone anything - he comes to listen.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Heading back to Port Talbot from Oberammergau,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Michael, like the character he is going to play,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11is embarking on a huge exercise to listen
0:06:11 > 0:06:13to the people and the stories of the town.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19His rather-ambitious plan is to try and improvise a new script
0:06:19 > 0:06:22for The Passion from scratch, using the lives and memories
0:06:22 > 0:06:26of local people as raw material.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Adele Thomas has been given the job of finding
0:06:29 > 0:06:31and recording these stories, and she has set up
0:06:31 > 0:06:34a stall in the shopping centre.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- That's me.- Brilliant.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42Today, we've been collecting people's films and their photographs,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45their memories of the town, and those things are going to
0:06:45 > 0:06:47somehow filter their way into the show.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Someone came in earlier on and they handed us a stack of cine films,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53which have been rushed off to the lab to be converted into DVDs,
0:06:53 > 0:06:54so we can play them in the show.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56People have brought in old photographs,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58they've been bringing us cards
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and books and VHS tapes, or just coming in
0:07:00 > 0:07:03to tell us stories about the past of the town.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07These little luggage tags, each represents a separate memory
0:07:07 > 0:07:09of something in the town that has been lost,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11that doesn't exist anymore.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16At the moment, the plan is that when Michael's Teacher character is
0:07:16 > 0:07:20crucified at the end of the show, he will regain his memory
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and suddenly all of the lost things of the town will come flooding back,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28and he will deliver a litany of everything that has been lost.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Then eventually, those things will somehow appear
0:07:31 > 0:07:34from under the ground, and they'll be brought back to the town.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I don't know how yet, but that's the plan at the moment.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53Port Talbot's intensively industrial history and the impact of recession,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56unemployment and pollution have over the years made this
0:07:56 > 0:07:58a tough town to live in.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02One of the most devastating episodes in the history of Port Talbot
0:08:02 > 0:08:04was the building of the giant M4 overpass
0:08:04 > 0:08:07right through the centre of the town.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Llewellyn Street was one road in the path of the motorway,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and one side of the road was completely demolished.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Tonight, Michael is hosting a party
0:08:16 > 0:08:19for the residents of Llewellyn Street.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Any stories you've got about the street,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26past, present, all the things you remember
0:08:26 > 0:08:31that you miss about the town as a whole, or the street specifically.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36We'd love to interview... Anyone who's interested in being interviewed, we'd love it.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Llewellyn Street?
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Well, I was born there, for a start.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48I lived there until I was about 15, until the houses
0:08:48 > 0:08:50were due to come down.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55But after us moving, our house was still up for about 12 months,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and I kept going up every day to my house,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01climbing in through the back window, sitting down,
0:09:01 > 0:09:06having my little thoughts or my regrets
0:09:06 > 0:09:08that the houses were coming down.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14Until they finally did come down, and it was a very sad day.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23John Sparks is another Llewellyn Street resident
0:09:23 > 0:09:26who has strong memories of the demolition.
0:09:26 > 0:09:32When they pulled down the houses themselves, our homes were ruined.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36The noise was bedlam from morning till night.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38The main thing that we lost was neighbours.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Once that side of the street had gone,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45the community had broken, because people were belonging to each other.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Not only did they pull one side of the street down,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53they also pulled my chapel down,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57where we got married in 1960,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and we were the last people to get married there.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07Also, they pulled my school down for the building of the motorway.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I'm really excited, and looking forward to the project.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15I'm sure Port Talbot will never have seen anything like it,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17and neither will Wales, I don't think!
0:10:17 > 0:10:20CHOIR SING
0:10:27 > 0:10:31It's a pleasure, nice to see you. Have a good day.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35It's a grey day in February, three months before Easter,
0:10:35 > 0:10:40and Michael is taking the team on a tour of the streets of Port Talbot
0:10:40 > 0:10:43to try work out how on earth they will become the settings
0:10:43 > 0:10:45for the Passion story.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51The important thing with this whole project, really, is that
0:10:51 > 0:10:54it's outdoors, and that is one of the major factors.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56I'll go and say hello.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Hello!
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I was going to say, is it Monday we're coming in? Great, OK.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It only really kicks in what it's going to entail
0:11:06 > 0:11:10once you're out, and we can go to the different locations
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and we can look at where it's actually going to take place.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15This is the area where we will potentially
0:11:15 > 0:11:17be having the refugee camp.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18Being Michael Sheen,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23it's hard to go anywhere in the town without meeting one or two friends.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Hello, are you all right?
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Hiya, you all right?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31We can have people potentially standing on the stones
0:11:31 > 0:11:34on that little island over there, or in the river, and if not,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38then on the bridge or something connected to the river,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40as we're singing about the people of the river.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45The middle of the shopping centre is a perfect performance space,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49and Michael already has plans to use it for some of the key scenes.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53This is the space where I meet my mother, and then in the procession,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55if I have collapsed outside at this point,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57then somehow it's being brought back to the mother.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01The climax of the three-day drama will be a great procession
0:12:01 > 0:12:05with the cross through the town and then down to the seafront.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It could almost be like an intake of breath at this point.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Everything stops, and in silence we move around,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14and then we see the place with the cross at the end of it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Let's have a look at what we can see.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18If there is a moment where we...
0:12:18 > 0:12:21HE GASPS It's the last stretch.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22- MAN IN CAR:- How are you?!
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Hello, you all right?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Darren was asking about you this morning, Darren Hayward!
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Oh, right.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Say hello to him for me. Ta-ra.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Hello, hello. Are you all right?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- Nice to see you.- And you.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38This seems like a good place,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41a gathering of strength for the last stretch.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44There's a big moment here, am I going to be able to pick it up?
0:12:44 > 0:12:45Am I going to be able to do it?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Maybe at this first roundabout here,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52maybe this is the point at which I collapse.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56The hike ends up on a windy roundabout near the seafront,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59which Michael has decided is the perfect spot
0:12:59 > 0:13:01on which to be crucified.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04How high is it going to be?
0:13:04 > 0:13:08- About three metres. - We're not going forwards.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12The reality hits you hard, especially how cold it is at the moment.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15I'm thinking, "This is where I'll be on the cross."
0:13:15 > 0:13:16But we'll see what happens.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Rehearsals are taking place all over Port Talbot,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28but based at the Naval Social Club, so it's the centre of the mayhem,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31with daily warm-ups on the beach, which I've managed to avoid.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Give yourselves a bit of a slap.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36What am I expecting?
0:13:37 > 0:13:42I don't know, to be honest. I just... I really don't know.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45On your face, then your arms.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47In the Naval Social Club,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50there's about four different rooms with people rehearsing,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52ranging from the professional actors on the show,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54through to community members.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57There's also things being built. I was just hanging out the back
0:13:57 > 0:14:00with Sue, who is polishing a large piece of wood
0:14:00 > 0:14:03that is going to be turned into a very unconventional puppet stage.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07There's people wandering around looking for their choir rehearsal.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11ALL: Sss-sss-sss, sss-sss-sss, sss-sss-sss!
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Wah!- ALL: Wah-wah-wah, wah-wah-wah!
0:14:13 > 0:14:15There's a bloke just pulled up in a van,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18asking if he could move everything away for scrap,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21which we had to let him know it was actually the set of the play!
0:14:21 > 0:14:22ALL: Brr!
0:14:27 > 0:14:29I came with a wide open mind today,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33I didn't know if it was going to be a Passion as based on the past...
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- Which it isn't now. - Which it isn't now, I see,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38but it still sounds really interesting to me.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40And I like the idea of improvisation,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42and I like the idea of working in groups and pairs
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and everything else, and working as a team.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46THEY YELP
0:14:51 > 0:14:54There's a big production meeting going on at the same time
0:14:54 > 0:14:56at the moment with about 30 people
0:14:56 > 0:14:59trying to work out how the hell we pull this off!
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Up the valley from Port Talbot,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Michael and Bill have discovered a circus school that works with kids,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10especially kids from difficult backgrounds,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12with incredible results.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15They are clearly going to be great for the play, but exactly what
0:15:15 > 0:15:20they are going to be used for isn't immediately apparent.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21We are completely in the dark.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25I just know we're taking part.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I have no idea what we're doing,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29what's expected of us.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Michael's got strong ideas about what he wants,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34but it's fair to say there's no fixed set of plans.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37For him and his team, it's more a case of
0:15:37 > 0:15:39devising the play as they go,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42using whatever resources they can get their hands on.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54For most of these men, their main theatrical experience
0:15:54 > 0:15:58comes from their annual rugby-club panto.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I'm not sure what to expect, really. I've done
0:16:00 > 0:16:03a little bit of drama in school, but apart from that
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I haven't done anything like this since.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08One, two! One, two!
0:16:08 > 0:16:12In the play, these men are all going to be part of a sinister security force.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- At ease!- Lads, lads.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18The two things that were the most frightening and intimidating
0:16:18 > 0:16:23about the Roman army were their unity, togetherness and their confidence.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26And their confidence came from knowing that they had
0:16:26 > 0:16:30the best technology at the time, and their unity came through
0:16:30 > 0:16:33in just total togetherness, and that's what scary.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Because one thing done well will be far more frightening
0:16:36 > 0:16:38than lots of things done kind of well.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43Set...snap!
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Set...snap!
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Set...snap!
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Very good. Relax. Very good.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55We are tough, we are tough, aren't we?
0:16:55 > 0:16:56No, we act tough!
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I just want five volunteers at the moment.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01As part of the training for their roles,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03everyone needs to learn how to handle a gun.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07There was a change in the feeling in the room, like.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11It was all friendly, then the guns came out,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- and it was like, "Ooh!" - Deathly silence!- Yeah!
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I think they're always held down
0:17:18 > 0:17:21when you're sort of doing perimeters and all that.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24And then, when there's an actual danger,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28I think then, maybe, it comes up. But on the whole, they tend to be...
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I ended up on Crimewatch when I held a gun last!
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Guns suit some people and not others.
0:17:44 > 0:17:51- How do they make you feel, Steve? - I didn't feel as friendly, that time!
0:18:11 > 0:18:12They've built most things here
0:18:12 > 0:18:15at the Port Talbot Community Woodwork Training Project,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20but this is their first go at a fully-functioning crucifix.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33The idea we've had is to use maybe six-inch coach screws
0:18:33 > 0:18:40at an appropriate distance, so Mr Sheen can support himself.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43And also, we're designing a little seat
0:18:43 > 0:18:48so he can just sit and be comfortable while he's on the cross.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51When he stands up against it, it will be between his legs.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53The idea we had was to have a bicycle seat,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57just the front part of a bicycle seat, so he can sit on it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00He'll have a platform underneath his two feet as well,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03so that should come out about six inches.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I think what we're trying to do is make it
0:19:20 > 0:19:23as comfortable a crucifixion for Mr Sheen as possible.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33You'll see the pencil work, is it?
0:19:35 > 0:19:42It's all right when it's laying down, but when it's upright, I think it'll be slightly different!
0:19:44 > 0:19:46The key thing in the whole piece has sort of developed
0:19:46 > 0:19:51into being about the town being able to tell its story,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56and I want the stories to come from a true sense of community
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and the areas of the town and the people in the town
0:19:58 > 0:20:02and the organisations that don't usually get seen -
0:20:02 > 0:20:04more on the outskirts,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08or the ones that are overlooked or ignored, or whatever.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11So it's those sort of stories from the kind of outer edges
0:20:11 > 0:20:15of the experiences of people in the town that I've been interested in.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Adele and Carys Shannon from the National Theatre Wales have done
0:20:24 > 0:20:27a massive amount of research in the town,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and Owen, the writer, is now figuring out
0:20:29 > 0:20:32how he's going to use that material.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34You've interviewed huge amounts of people, setting up loads
0:20:34 > 0:20:38of interviews, so we've built up this database of stories from the town.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42I did sort of talk through this with Michael the other day.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44He said that some might simply be extracts,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49almost from what's written. He thinks that others, he might want worked up
0:20:49 > 0:20:51into slightly more lyrical pieces.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54If...if we identify one that we think,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56"That would work as a possible song."
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And then others might be used actually with no words at all,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03it'll be some sort of movement piece or an enactment.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07So, I think the second one I did was with Emma and Nicola,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10who are carers for a little girl called Chloe.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15And I think that's through Action For Children.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20And they're a couple who have chosen to care for Chloe,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23to give her family a break.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28She's very, very, profoundly disabled, physically and mentally.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33But they have a lovely chemistry, and I know Michael's interested
0:21:33 > 0:21:36in kind of the musicality of how she likes to play.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44This is Chloe, and I'm Emma.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- I'm Nicola.- And every weekend, Chloe stays with us
0:21:47 > 0:21:49through a scheme called Family Link.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Family Link is an excellent scheme, really.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56It's got a number of disabled children and families that need
0:21:56 > 0:21:58a bit of extra support,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01so the family get a break, and we get the pleasure
0:22:01 > 0:22:04of spending time with Chloe, which is immeasurable, really.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Chloe, ready, steady...
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Pop!
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Chloe's the leader, so whatever Chloe does,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18what she really likes is the interaction when you copy her.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- And she waits for you to do it... - Hiya.- Hiya.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24..before she does the next sound, movement,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26or tapping, banging.
0:22:26 > 0:22:27But it's all on her terms, really.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33Isn't it, Chlo? She's the boss, and we take her lead then,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and that's what she really likes. Isn't it, Chlo?
0:22:35 > 0:22:39We do all this going out shopping, everywhere we go, Tesco,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42this is how we are, the three of us. Ain't we, Chlo?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45When the kids are running in front of us watching us, Chlo.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Yeah? Yes.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Michael came up for tea for about half an hour, but he ended up staying
0:22:51 > 0:22:55for about two and a half hours, and I don't think he would have gone then,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57because he got on really well with Chloe,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and Chloe got on really well with Michael.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- Do we like Michael?- Ready?- Ready!
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And they had great communication that day,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10and hence they're going to have Chloe in The Passion.
0:23:10 > 0:23:16After nearly two years of thinking, talking, researching and planning,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17five weeks from Easter,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20the full production is about to get under way.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23For Michael, it's a moment to reflect
0:23:23 > 0:23:26on the enormity of what he's got himself into.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30I'm full of fear and doubt at the moment, really.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Having had this sort of intense experience
0:23:33 > 0:23:36over the last little while,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41and having a real sense of the richness of what is here,
0:23:41 > 0:23:46and I've got all the things that I've said I wanted this piece to be.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50And the town has done its part, in that the town has told me
0:23:50 > 0:23:54what it wants the story to be, and I've experienced
0:23:54 > 0:24:00a real sense of the community. And it has given me a feeling
0:24:00 > 0:24:04of having an overview of the whole place, and it's a very powerful one,
0:24:04 > 0:24:09and troubling in some ways, and hopeful and inspiring in other ways,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13because the sense of the town that I've got is that
0:24:13 > 0:24:18there are people in real need in this town, and very vulnerable people,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22through no fault of their own, in difficult circumstances.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25And there are other people who are desperately trying to help them
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and do what they can for no reward, really.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33No real support there. And it really feels like it's on the front line
0:24:33 > 0:24:38of everything that the country as a whole is trying to deal with.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40And now that I've got that sense -
0:24:40 > 0:24:45and the whole point of this piece was to somehow celebrate that -
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I feel a huge responsibility now.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54And a massive doubt that I'm able to do that.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58So, yeah...
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- A big challenge.- Yeah.
0:25:07 > 0:25:15# Though some may depart, I'm sure they're mostly broken-hearted
0:25:30 > 0:25:36# There are no secrets in this small town
0:25:36 > 0:25:38# Nothing that's yours and yours alone
0:25:38 > 0:25:40# But always someone near enough to help you out... #
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Today is the first day of full rehearsals,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and the whole company of designers, technicians,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51administrators and actors are meeting together for the first time.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55This is the big start.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58This is the bit that's massively exciting,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03because the energy of everybody is starting to build up.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06It's also the bit that's really, really scary!
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Because you know, from this point on, it's real.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10You've really got to do it.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Really, what we want to do today,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16without getting into too much chat straightaway, is to get outside,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18because one of the things I've learnt
0:26:18 > 0:26:19over this period of time is that
0:26:19 > 0:26:22if I spend too long sitting in a room
0:26:22 > 0:26:24thinking up ideas for this,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I get too used to the idea that it's nice and comfortable
0:26:26 > 0:26:28sitting in a room, then you get out
0:26:28 > 0:26:30to where the actual locations are and go,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32"Ooh, my God! How on earth are we going to do this?"
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I thought it'd be great as a company that we immediately start
0:26:35 > 0:26:38making associations with the places we're going to be doing it in
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and the kind of challenges that we'll have because of that.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Michael is taking the company on a tour
0:26:47 > 0:26:50of all the locations, including Llewellyn Street.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57So, in a way, this street becomes symbolic of our whole story.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Three houses have volunteered their house,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and basically what we will do is,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06I will go into the house, literally for a cup of tea,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09with my friends, and our audience will all be out here,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13hopefully thousands of people, but we'll have a controlled group
0:27:13 > 0:27:15that just flood into the house,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and someone's house will just be rammed with people, like that!
0:27:18 > 0:27:21And I'll be sitting on the sofa, having a cup of tea.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26And then a family brings their child, a sick child,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30to be healed by him, and they can't get through, but the idea is that
0:27:30 > 0:27:33someone will get carried into the house over the heads of everyone
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and the family come through,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40and rather than being healed, I just say, "Tell me your story."
0:27:42 > 0:27:44One of the main stories that will
0:27:44 > 0:27:46come out of Llewellyn Street is Chloe's.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49To help with rehearsals, Chloe is being taken to meet teenagers
0:27:49 > 0:27:51from the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56who are working on choreography inspired by her personality and her movements.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Take a seat, come and sit over here, and let's meet some people.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02This is Chloe. Say hello to Chloe.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Hi, Chloe. Hi, Chlo.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Ready, steady... Pop!
0:28:14 > 0:28:15Yeah!
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Can we all make the popping sound?
0:28:20 > 0:28:21Pop! Pop!
0:28:22 > 0:28:24She's enjoying it too much.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Are you listening, Chlo? You listening to all these pops?
0:28:27 > 0:28:31- Because we did talk about what a responsibility this lot have got. - Oh, they have.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Because if we're going to be trying for a sound like Chloe does,
0:28:34 > 0:28:40we have a huge responsibility to get it as accurate as we possibly can.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Shall we go to the beginning bit? And we can show you a little bit
0:28:43 > 0:28:46of some of the stuff we've kind of played with.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- Ready, Chlo?- Ready, Chlo?- Ready?
0:28:59 > 0:29:01I play Chloe's father,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04and I communicate with her through the noises we make,
0:29:04 > 0:29:06from when we met Chloe earlier.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08And during this scene, we start speaking to Chloe,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11and from out of that comes sort of secret dancers in the crowd
0:29:11 > 0:29:14that continue the dancing. And it evolves and grows
0:29:14 > 0:29:17into a massive percussion piece with bin lids and drums
0:29:17 > 0:29:19and kitchenware and cutlery, and lots of things
0:29:19 > 0:29:23that make a lot of noise that hopefully the real Chloe will love.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28ALL: Ready?
0:29:47 > 0:29:49ALL: Ready?
0:30:01 > 0:30:06'Now that the many different elements are beginning to find a shape,
0:30:06 > 0:30:11'Michael is working with the main actors, putting the emotional flesh on the bones of his story.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14'His own character, who's called The Teacher,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18'has gone missing for 40 days and nights, devastating his mother and family.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22'Worse still, he's lost his memory.'
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Don't say that. Don't say that, no. It's me.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27It's your mother. I'm your mother.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31'Port Talbot actress Di Botcher is playing the mother.'
0:30:31 > 0:30:34With me, yeah? I'm your mother. I'm your mother.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38I think the thing about having this sort of scene
0:30:38 > 0:30:41is you just have to hopefully go for emotional truth.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44And, of course, there is, you know...
0:30:44 > 0:30:49I've never had a son who's gone missing for 40 days and 40 nights,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51so I can't draw on that.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56But I can draw on what it's like to love somebody, lose somebody,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58fear about them, worry about them.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01I think we all can, can't we?
0:31:01 > 0:31:05We've all sort of loved and lost, perhaps.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- Come on, let's just go!- I can't leave him!- Who are you, woman?
0:31:09 > 0:31:13- I'm your mother!- Come on! - I'm your mother!- Who are you?
0:31:13 > 0:31:17'The scene ends with me just shouting out, "Who are you, woman?"'
0:31:17 > 0:31:20- Yes.- And you're going, "I'm your mother!"- Yes.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Di's next scene in the play happens later that evening,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27when The Teacher and his new group of friends
0:31:27 > 0:31:33turn up for the closing night of Port Talbot's seaside social club for a kind of Last Supper.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Hiya. All right?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Listen, I was just wondering,
0:31:38 > 0:31:43perhaps we could have a little chat, just for a minute?
0:31:43 > 0:31:47'The rehearsal process, like so much of the development of the play,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49'is all about storytelling.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53'Michael likes to talk in great detail about the characters
0:31:53 > 0:31:56'to help bring them to life in the actors' minds.'
0:31:56 > 0:32:00The easiest thing to jump on is...
0:32:00 > 0:32:02- mental breakdown.- Hmm.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Amnesia being a sort of side...
0:32:06 > 0:32:09What are you hoping will happen by the end of the night?
0:32:09 > 0:32:13That you will recognise me, yeah, yeah.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17- I think that you'll recognise me. - And we'll all go home together.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Nice. That would be nice if that would happen, yes.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25But I sort of got the feeling of just watching you,
0:32:25 > 0:32:29you know, looking for...little signs of something.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33Do you remember when you were little, when you were about eight or nine,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36the night that I sang to you in the garden?
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Maybe there's something you're trying to prompt me with.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42You know, "Do you remember when...that happened?"
0:32:42 > 0:32:46I looked out the window, there you were. You were in the garden in the dark.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48"Remember when you were little, out in the garden
0:32:48 > 0:32:53"and I was up in the window and I watched you for ages, and then I called you..."
0:32:53 > 0:32:56We can make something up that when we're in the garden happens.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01So I opened the window and I shouted down at you, "What are you doing there?"
0:33:01 > 0:33:05When you're talking about my daughter at another point, maybe you say,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08"Do you remember this picture? I remember when I took it.
0:33:08 > 0:33:14"She was running out, and you picked her up and threw her up in the air."
0:33:14 > 0:33:18- Yes.- I've got pictures of me and my daughter where I'm throwing my daughter up.- Yes.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20She's your daughter.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24That's your favourite photo of her.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26Now, you remember that day.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29We were all down the beach, and she was in the water.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32She came running up the beach, she was all wet,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35and she was calling to you, "Daddy, Daddy!"
0:33:35 > 0:33:38And you picked her up, and you threw her in the air,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41and then I took that photo as you were drying her off.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44You remember that, don't you? Look at her, look at her!
0:33:44 > 0:33:46There's just that deadness.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48- "Who is she?"- Yes. Yeah.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- That's horrible! - So it's another slap.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54- "Is she yours?"- Yeah.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59But as a journey throughout, does that start to feel like a journey?
0:33:59 > 0:34:03Yes, and I think there must be a letting go as well.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05She's lovely. I have to go.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08You hang on to it. You keep looking at it, all right?
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Don't worry about it. I'll just be over there, OK?
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Perhaps we can have a little chat afterwards, all right?
0:34:14 > 0:34:16I'll just be by here, love, not far.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33There's just three weeks to go,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36and what with the posters, graffiti, meetings, rehearsals,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40visits to schools, old people's homes, charities and even prisons,
0:34:40 > 0:34:44everyone in Port Talbot is talking about The Passion.
0:34:47 > 0:34:52Hello, how are you doing? Are you going to dance for us, then?
0:34:52 > 0:34:54- ALL:- Yes! - Yeah? You all ready?
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- ALL:- Yes! - OK, good. Good.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01- How many of you are there? How many hundreds?- Loads.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Loads.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Have you all brought crisps?
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Well, it's a lovely day for it, isn't it? Smile for the camera.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15GIGGLING
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Tell the camera how much you love being in The Passion.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20ALL CHEER
0:35:22 > 0:35:24All right, great.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28Well, get yourselves ready. We'll get you going, and then you can go home.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Trying to organise the entrance
0:35:31 > 0:35:34of about a hundred under-10-year-olds is quite something.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38It's not something I've done before. I don't think you can do a course in it.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I don't think I'll be doing it again, but it's good fun.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43DANCE MUSIC PLAYS
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Strong shape.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51HE MOUTHS
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Run, run, run, run, run!
0:36:02 > 0:36:03Still.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09# Hold my body down
0:36:09 > 0:36:12# Ain't gonna hold my body down Ain't gonna hold
0:36:12 > 0:36:14# My body down
0:36:14 > 0:36:17# You're gonna hold my body down
0:36:17 > 0:36:20# Hold my body down
0:36:20 > 0:36:23# You're gonna hold my body down
0:36:23 > 0:36:25# You're gonna hold my body down
0:36:25 > 0:36:28# You're gonna hold my body down. #
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Quite high up, that, isn't it?
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Wow.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44Wow.
0:36:53 > 0:36:54Wow.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11Wow.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Has anyone been up on it yet?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16No.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22# Hold my body down
0:37:22 > 0:37:24# You're gonna hold my body down
0:37:24 > 0:37:26# You're gonna hold... #
0:37:26 > 0:37:30The original Passion story took place in a country under the thumb of the Roman Empire.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Michael has updated that theme of occupation
0:37:34 > 0:37:36into modern-day Port Talbot.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38We're running two choruses at the moment -
0:37:38 > 0:37:42the resistance group and the security/riot police,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45the riot police obviously being the most aggressive
0:37:45 > 0:37:47and part of the Company Man's militia,
0:37:47 > 0:37:52and the resistance being the protest group protesting against ICU.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54ALL: What do we want? ICU out!
0:37:54 > 0:37:57When do we want it? Now!
0:37:57 > 0:38:00ICU are our fictional Roman Empire.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05They are the big industrialist corporate company
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- that are... - SHOUTING
0:38:07 > 0:38:11..threatening a hostile takeover of Port Talbot,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14or threatening a corporate takeover of Port Talbot.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16So it's all kicking off now.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20ALL: We see you. ICU! We see you!
0:38:20 > 0:38:23ICU! We see you! ICU!
0:38:23 > 0:38:26But eventually, some men will come for you. When they do,
0:38:26 > 0:38:31all I want you to do is put your hands up, just doing that.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34And then he is the one who's going down onto the ground.
0:38:34 > 0:38:35- SCREAMS - Get off me!
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Joe, come and get me! Joe! Come and get me!
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Get off me! Get off me!
0:38:41 > 0:38:46- Get off me! Get off me, I'm warning you!- Karen, Karen...
0:38:46 > 0:38:49It's amazing. It's the Welsh, see. We love to have a shout.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Bully, bully!
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Look at him, all by himself, now we're Mr Bloody Nobody.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59We were amazed a few people came forward who've been politically active in the past.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03Some people might have been involved in the miners' strikes, or involved in protesting
0:39:03 > 0:39:06'against industrial groups in Port Talbot in the past.'
0:39:06 > 0:39:08ALL: ICU! We see you!
0:39:08 > 0:39:11ICU! We see you!
0:39:11 > 0:39:13ICU! We see you!
0:39:13 > 0:39:15ICU! We see you!
0:39:15 > 0:39:18ICU! We see you! ICU...
0:39:18 > 0:39:21'This scene is about normal human beings
0:39:21 > 0:39:24'who feel like they have to do something to protect their town.'
0:39:24 > 0:39:27ALL: Don't kill our town!
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Don't kill our lives! Don't kill our town!
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Don't kill our town! Don't kill our town!
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Don't kill our lives! Don't kill our town!
0:39:40 > 0:39:45The weekends are a chance to rehearse the big community scenes.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Although there's a huge amount of work still to do,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50what the company have on their side
0:39:50 > 0:39:54is the fine line between the play and reality.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57The whole point is that we're telling a story about our town now.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01I'm not trying to tell a story about something else.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05We've tried to find a structure and a story that allows everyone to be themselves.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08How did we get picked? I think they asked
0:40:08 > 0:40:12who's kind of stood up for themselves in the past, am I right?
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Who has done certain things and taken things further.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18I've taken on lots of different people.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21I don't really know if I can say,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24but universities, airlines,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26um...kitchen manufacturers.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- And anybody who was rude, really. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:40:30 > 0:40:34It's fantastic to see you all here. Thank you so much for coming down on Mother's Day,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37but on a beautiful day.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42This is our first chance, really, to put a large group of people, lots of different groups together.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46This episode of the story, which is the first episode of the story,
0:40:46 > 0:40:51that happens down here on Friday afternoon, involves lots of different groups.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54Obviously, you can see that we've got the choir, band, gymnasts.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58We have a pageant, we have a violin group, we have a circus group,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01we have all different people here today.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04It's our first chance to get the groups together, which is exciting,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06but a little bit complicated as well.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08So please bear with us and please be patient,
0:41:08 > 0:41:12because it's our first chance to see how this might fit together
0:41:12 > 0:41:16and where people might be and how this might work.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21The group that aren't here are the audience, and we don't really know how many of those there may be.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24There may be thousands, there may be my mum and dad and a dog.
0:41:24 > 0:41:25ALL LAUGH
0:41:25 > 0:41:28DANCE MUSIC PLAYS
0:41:28 > 0:41:32# It's a brand new day
0:41:32 > 0:41:35# And I'm feeling good
0:41:37 > 0:41:39# And I'm feeling good! #
0:41:43 > 0:41:47I'm playing the role of the mayor. I have my instructions.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51I have rehearsed part of this scene earlier in the week,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54and it's just a matter now of joining bits up.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57We are the dignitaries of Port Talbot.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00We've put this pageant on on the beach,
0:42:00 > 0:42:05so we're very proud to show people, and we're supporting the mayor.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11What's happening here today now, do you know?
0:42:11 > 0:42:16No. No. I just know we were supposed to be here at ten with our massive cable drums.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19And I guess we're going to look at how we're going to slot
0:42:19 > 0:42:25the routines that we've worked out into what the core cast have developed with the pageant.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30We're done, yeah? Nobody told us, did they?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36You have to tell me, because I've only just joined this morning.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42- Have you?- Yeah, Bill told me to come to this one this morning. So don't lose me.- No, we won't.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Apparently, we're here to be resistance,
0:42:44 > 0:42:48but it's the first time we've seen this big group, the rest of the group.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Usually we've been working as small groups.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57It's when you stand there and you look at all these groups and people waiting around,
0:42:57 > 0:43:02you think, "They're all waiting for us to say what's happening," and you just think,
0:43:02 > 0:43:08"please, someone come along who knows what they're doing and take over." Then you realise, "That's our job."
0:43:12 > 0:43:13Hello, you all right?
0:43:13 > 0:43:15# Nid wy'n gofyn
0:43:15 > 0:43:18# Bywyd moethus
0:43:18 > 0:43:22# Aur y byd na'i berlau man
0:43:22 > 0:43:24# Gofyn wyf
0:43:24 > 0:43:27# Am galon hapus
0:43:27 > 0:43:29# Calon onest
0:43:29 > 0:43:31# Calon lan
0:43:31 > 0:43:36# Calon lan yn llawn daioni
0:43:36 > 0:43:40# Tecach yw na'r lili dlos
0:43:40 > 0:43:43# Dim ond calon lan all ganu... #
0:43:43 > 0:43:46Anthony Pugh is a roofer in Port Talbot -
0:43:46 > 0:43:50and this man who spends his days looking down on the world from on high
0:43:50 > 0:43:53has become the inspiration for the character of God.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57David Davies, who is playing the part of God, has come to meet his role model.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01I'm getting worried about this! Thanks very much! ALL LAUGH
0:44:01 > 0:44:04I play the character of this person...
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Anthony's skills go far beyond roofing.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Here come the buckets...
0:44:12 > 0:44:17Standing here, Anthony, it's amazing, you feel like you're a roofer looking down at the town.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21- That's right.- Is this what you've done, you've recreated the world?
0:44:21 > 0:44:24This it is, this is my view. God.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27You are the inspiration!
0:44:27 > 0:44:32This is what... You have now become me, or become God, whichever way you look at it.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35You are now a big... This is what birds see.
0:44:35 > 0:44:40- You go up in a plane, you don't see this, you've gone too high.- Yeah.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44You're now hovering over, and you see what I see. I'm up there,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48perhaps I'm working on the Round Chapel and looking over to Tollgate,
0:44:48 > 0:44:53and looking across the roofs, looking in the gardens... I'm not one of them...
0:44:53 > 0:44:58LAUGHTER But I'm looking at the chimney pots, I'm looking at...
0:44:58 > 0:45:00And it's a fantastic feeling.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04So tell me, how many roofers do you know who don't like heights?!
0:45:04 > 0:45:06- Er... So you don't like heights, do you?- No, not very much,
0:45:06 > 0:45:10- but we'll have to see how it goes. - I've got a good blindfold!
0:45:10 > 0:45:11'Not a great head for heights,'
0:45:11 > 0:45:14but I haven't told anybody, because, obviously,
0:45:14 > 0:45:19I didn't want to be...turfed off the project, so to speak.
0:45:42 > 0:45:47Well, it holds fears for me in so much as that it is the climax of our production,
0:45:47 > 0:45:51and we haven't been able to do a tech of it, or a dress rehearsal of it.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55And not only is it a very complicated sequence anyway...
0:45:55 > 0:46:00We've rehearsed aspects of it, but we've never been able to put everything together
0:46:00 > 0:46:02with music and sound and light and action.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05- The front of my foot, see where it's red?- Yeah.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09- That's because that's what I'm putting my weight on, it gets in the way.- I can see.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15- It's just slipping through. - There's nothing to get onto.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20Because my heel can't go on to it. My foot doesn't let my heel get on there,
0:46:20 > 0:46:22it doesn't bend that way.
0:46:22 > 0:46:27Potentially looking at...night-time, which will be cold,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30no matter how hot it's been in the day, it'll still be cold,
0:46:30 > 0:46:32because we are down by the sea, wind coming off the beach,
0:46:32 > 0:46:38blowing cold water on to my naked body for about 15 minutes.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40I remember the other day, Bill saying,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43"The danger is hypothermia, that's what we have to be careful about."
0:46:43 > 0:46:47I'm like, "Yeah, right, we have to be careful about it!"
0:46:47 > 0:46:51The idea that I might get hypothermia up there is quite scary.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00'The fact that I'm incredibly vulnerable up there, I can't move,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02'I mean, I'm strapped in there...
0:47:02 > 0:47:09'I may not be actually nailed, but I'm strapped in, I'm not going anywhere.'
0:47:09 > 0:47:12And anyone who wants to do anything to me, they sort of can.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16So there's just a natural fear about that.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19But I think the adrenaline of doing the whole thing...
0:47:19 > 0:47:21And it's very uncomfortable as well.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25CHOIR SINGS
0:47:31 > 0:47:35When the project was announced - a telling of the Crucifixion story
0:47:35 > 0:47:41but without Jesus, without an orthodox resurrection, without any overt religious dimension -
0:47:41 > 0:47:44some of the churches in Port Talbot were concerned.
0:47:44 > 0:47:49Nigel Cahill is the vicar of St Mary's, near the town centre.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52We were very concerned at the beginning of the project
0:47:52 > 0:47:55that they should have an element of resurrection.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59And we were especially concerned because it was happening on Easter Day.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03And I had discussions
0:48:03 > 0:48:06with one of the executive producers,
0:48:06 > 0:48:11and she told me the story and listened to our concerns and fears.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Michael came, he told me the story,
0:48:13 > 0:48:17he told me about what they planned as the resurrection scene.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21In Michael's mind, he says that he is very clearly portraying
0:48:21 > 0:48:23the story of Jesus of Nazareth,
0:48:23 > 0:48:26but not in a traditional fashion,
0:48:26 > 0:48:32and in a manner that opens the whole thing up to people of any faith and no faith.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33I see nothing wrong in that.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Nigel Cahill is now so enthusiastic about the play
0:48:37 > 0:48:43that on the Sunday before it starts, he's arranged a special church service in its honour.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47The bringing of The Passion to Port Talbot
0:48:47 > 0:48:49by Michael Sheen...
0:48:52 > 0:48:54..is an amazing opportunity
0:48:54 > 0:48:58for people who believe in Jesus to see how others react today
0:48:58 > 0:49:03to a story of love, betrayal, sacrifice and passion.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09As Easter week begins, a hectic round of final rehearsals are under way all over the town,
0:49:09 > 0:49:13'including one in St Mary's churchyard.'
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Yoo-hoo! Time to eat!
0:49:18 > 0:49:20I think they look blinking gorgeous!
0:49:20 > 0:49:23Dressing gowns are all the rage this Easter!
0:49:23 > 0:49:26The biggest surprise for everyone is the weather.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29This chorus of ghosts are all looking just a little red in the face,
0:49:29 > 0:49:31thanks to the soaring temperatures.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38I remember 172 Walter Street the best.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41I think everybody's feeling the same - extremely hot.
0:49:41 > 0:49:46We've got a few layers on, and especially we can't really wear silky dressing gowns,
0:49:46 > 0:49:48it's more the old-fashioned one!
0:49:48 > 0:49:53When I was lost to them, I felt hollow inside.
0:49:53 > 0:49:59Sometimes I still feel the sun on my face, like good silk against my skin.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02We officially now have over a thousand people performing,
0:50:02 > 0:50:06and probably close to another thousand people that have done something else in the show -
0:50:06 > 0:50:08that is absolutely incredible.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12My family is going to be with me, you know?
0:50:12 > 0:50:15And in the graveyards that are along here, my family are buried.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20So there's that for me. And then it's the people I've met, and we really have all bonded,
0:50:20 > 0:50:25old and new, we've come into lovely little groups, you know?
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I don't think any of us have got an idea of what it's going to be like in totality.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32While it's going to be absolutely terrifying -
0:50:32 > 0:50:36every minute you'll be waiting for something to go wrong and to have to sort something out -
0:50:36 > 0:50:39but at the same time, I think we just can't wait to see it.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54For Michael, getting as many people as possible from the town to perform
0:50:54 > 0:50:56has always been the point of The Passion.
0:50:56 > 0:51:01However, for someone more used to the military-style organisation of feature films,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05these last run-throughs are proving a nerve-wracking experience.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10'I go from being in the depths of despair to being sort of...'
0:51:10 > 0:51:13reasonably happy.
0:51:13 > 0:51:18That's about as good as it gets. And the fact that the sun is shining
0:51:18 > 0:51:20'makes a big difference.
0:51:20 > 0:51:26'I tend to wake up in the morning and, for a moment, I feel sort of like,'
0:51:26 > 0:51:30"Ah." And then, suddenly, this hand grabs my innards,
0:51:30 > 0:51:32and I go, "Ugh!"
0:51:32 > 0:51:36The actors are still getting the odd change,
0:51:36 > 0:51:38we're at the stage of tweaking now.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41But it's been organic from the start and it will continue to be so.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46So three days and counting to the launch date of The Passion.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49We're all very excited, a little bit stressed as well -
0:51:49 > 0:51:53because trying to organise people in different places, and also all the safety stuff.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57The town is tremendous, it's talking about it everywhere you go now.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01There's so much to do, we just want to get it right,
0:52:01 > 0:52:04and we're still not quite sure where we fit into everything.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11At the Swn-y-Mor old people's home on the seafront, Michael has raced in to a last-minute rehearsal
0:52:11 > 0:52:16of a dreamlike dance that will take place at dawn on the first day of The Passion.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20It's a sequence that he's never even had a chance to look at before.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Unfortunately, there are not quite as many performers as anticipated.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40There are more people, are there?
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Hopefully, yes, if we can get hold of them.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46- Right, OK.- Their answer phones have been switched off.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49- We're trying everything to get hold of people...- OK.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52'Certain things aren't there and aren't in place, or this group
0:52:52 > 0:52:56'can't turn up, or this group can't be there until the day.
0:52:56 > 0:53:02'You just have to make decisions, go, "OK, it's not happening, we just have to try and make this work now."'
0:53:02 > 0:53:04This may be the last chance we get to see it,
0:53:04 > 0:53:08so I'd love to know that we've built in something, just in case there isn't anyone else.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12I'm thinking that we might need to have something that moves a little bit more.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17- If we build the plot in today - what happens from the moment they go through the gate.- Yeah.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21- Let's do it, let's go. - Anyone who's happy to get up on the platform, great.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24And anyone else just stays in this area here.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28And we all go through the sequence once here,
0:53:28 > 0:53:33because then, down on the beach at that point, much further along, in the water -
0:53:33 > 0:53:36and the tide will be out at this point - will be Nigel,
0:53:36 > 0:53:40who plays The Stranger. He'll be standing in the water with his staff.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42Are we still doing our movements?
0:53:42 > 0:53:46- Once you've done the one sequence, you stop and just watch.- OK.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48That's Plan A.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52Plan B, it's freezing cold and raining - as soon as you arrive here
0:53:52 > 0:53:57- and you do the sequence, and he sees you, you go back, in the warm and dry.- Oh, right.- If it's cold.
0:53:57 > 0:54:02And just remember - no matter how cold or wet it is, I'll be in the sea.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10With only 24 hours to go, in the car park of the Seaside Social Club -
0:54:10 > 0:54:13Port Talbot's answer to the Garden of Gethsemane -
0:54:13 > 0:54:17there are still an awful lot of technical issues to resolve.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Ladies and gentlemen, if you can take your places, please,
0:54:21 > 0:54:26and go from the arrest to move across to the truck...
0:54:26 > 0:54:32For David Davies, the actor playing the Godlike figure of The Teacher's father,
0:54:32 > 0:54:36the moment has finally arrived for him to ascend into the heavens.
0:54:36 > 0:54:41That is, as long as he can keep his vertigo under control.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48Luckily for me, I've got a wonderful person,
0:54:48 > 0:54:50he is a circus performer,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53and he has made it very safe for me. Once you're up there,
0:54:53 > 0:54:58it's not too bad. I had to do it because last night, when I did it for the first time,
0:54:58 > 0:55:01there must have been 100 people here.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05So that's a situation you can't back out of!
0:55:06 > 0:55:09So it goes, "What are you? I don't know the man."
0:55:09 > 0:55:14- And then, "Are you ready, sir?" - And then, "Are you ready, sir?" Is that what was going wrong before?
0:55:14 > 0:55:17- Yes.- OK.- Who are you? Say it,
0:55:17 > 0:55:22- you are the king of this town. Answer me! - I don't...- What are you?
0:55:22 > 0:55:24What are you? I don't know the man!
0:55:24 > 0:55:28We'll do it - "What are you? I don't know the man!"
0:55:28 > 0:55:32- OK. Let's go from, "What are you..." - What are you?- I don't know the man.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34'When it works, it will work fantastically.'
0:55:34 > 0:55:39We're just half a turn off it at the moment, I think.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43It would be nice to have a few more days.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46I am!
0:55:46 > 0:55:50- Take him!- OK, let's move.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00I think that the process that we've been on as a group
0:56:00 > 0:56:04has gone from sharing that preconception that most people have,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06which is, "What the heck are we going to find here?
0:56:06 > 0:56:10"What happens? What are we going to work with? Who will be working with?
0:56:10 > 0:56:13"What is there to do in Port Talbot?"
0:56:13 > 0:56:16And actually, coming out this side, the pride is just immense.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20I feel like I'm the mother of 2,000 people!
0:56:20 > 0:56:23And I think that's how I'm going to feel on the weekend.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25Maybe...
0:56:25 > 0:56:27I don't know.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29It's important to be ready, Simon.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Remember that.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Thanks.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46- Are you the one they call The Teacher? Answer.- If you say so.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48Come with me, sir.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Get off him! Leave him alone!
0:56:51 > 0:56:54ALL SHOUT
0:57:07 > 0:57:09The final rehearsal is over,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13and Michael and Bill have one last chance to rally their cast.
0:57:13 > 0:57:18There are going to be mistakes, we only get one go at this whole thing.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22And there's going to be so many variables on the day, with the audience there,
0:57:22 > 0:57:27we don't know where they'll be a lot of the time, we don't know how they're going to react to things.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31But the one thing that really works, given all those variables -
0:57:31 > 0:57:33don't worry about making mistakes,
0:57:33 > 0:57:37don't worry about it not being as slick as it should be,
0:57:37 > 0:57:42just do it with commitment and confidence and enjoy it, and really inhabit it.
0:57:42 > 0:57:47This is almost like a completely new form of theatre that we've invented! ALL LAUGH
0:57:47 > 0:57:50And, you know, you are pioneers.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52This is the first time an entire town
0:57:52 > 0:57:57has been mobilised in the telling of a story sort of about itself.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59And so just do it with confidence.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05Tomorrow is Good Friday,
0:58:05 > 0:58:07and for the next 72 hours,
0:58:07 > 0:58:13these ordinary streets will become a stage for a unique event.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18This is where a betrayal will occur.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23This is where a trial will take place.
0:58:28 > 0:58:33And this is where a man called The Teacher will be put to death on a cross.
0:58:45 > 0:58:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:48 > 0:58:51E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk