0:00:04 > 0:00:06CHEERING
0:00:06 > 0:00:11On a sunny week in May, the Olympic Torch made its journey around Wales.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16At the same time, a humble playwright from the Welsh Valleys
0:00:16 > 0:00:20was parading his own version of the Olympic dream.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23And I will promise you this...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26anything that the opening ceremony of the Olympics,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29the entire Olympic Games will give you,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34we, as part of the Cultural Olympiad in the name of Torchbearers,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36we will match.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Larry Allen has written the most ambitious play of his life.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45An epic love story about a Welsh boy and an African girl
0:00:45 > 0:00:47who meet on the set of the '60s classic, Zulu,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49a film made by Welsh legend,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Stanley Baker.
0:00:52 > 0:00:58We will give you a story that will reach out and touch your hearts.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The plan is to put it on the biggest stage in the country,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04at the Wales Millennium Centre.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09Larry was asked to write the show by local charity, Valleys Kids.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And these kids from the Valleys are total amateurs.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Down from the mountain...
0:01:16 > 0:01:18..hear the crazy man...
0:01:18 > 0:01:21You came on with, like, no energy, no dynamic,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23there was no real understanding of that first section,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and you all stood in one big line.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26LAUGHTER
0:01:26 > 0:01:28To add to his challenge,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31half of his performers are on the other side of the world,
0:01:31 > 0:01:32in Cape Town.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Larry and the Valleys Kids are about to head off
0:01:36 > 0:01:41on a once in a lifetime journey to make this piece of theatre happen.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43It's amazing!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45We really need to up our game, I'm telling you.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Larry will need to pull together his African cast of actors...
0:01:49 > 0:01:50ALL: They told us secrets.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52..musicians...
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and circus performers,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and bring them all back to Wales for the biggest show of the year.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01ALL: Do you remember? Do you recall?
0:02:01 > 0:02:05A liar! No Zulus on the mountain!
0:02:05 > 0:02:06But will Larry pull off a production
0:02:06 > 0:02:11with hundreds of performers thousands of miles apart?
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I would be lying to say I'm not worried, cos I am.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16I'm worried about things at the moment, but I'm...
0:02:17 > 0:02:19This is Africa.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Born and bred in the Rhondda Valley,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Larry Allen has spent almost 30 years
0:02:31 > 0:02:34writing for radio, TV and theatre.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Now, for the Cultural Olympiad,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43he's written an epic love story set in South Africa.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49But he found his inspiration for the play much closer to home.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53One link between Wales and South Africa is the film, Zulu,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57and the real link there is, of course, that it was made by a Welshman,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Stanley Baker.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02One of the great original Roaring Boys of the Valleys,
0:03:02 > 0:03:03who made this film.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13One day, I'm out on my bike, and I'm cycling up through Ferndale,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and then I'm cycling up the mountain,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17up towards Llanwonno Mountain,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and I'm going right past the spot
0:03:20 > 0:03:23where Stanley Baker's ashes were scattered.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Then you start thinking, "Well, what if...?"
0:03:26 > 0:03:31"What if there was a young Welsh boy from this area
0:03:31 > 0:03:33"who meets a young Zulu girl?"
0:03:33 > 0:03:38But in the '60s, South Africa was in the grip of Apartheid,
0:03:38 > 0:03:43and a relationship between a white boy and a black girl was illegal.
0:03:43 > 0:03:501964, Stanley Baker in South Africa, at exactly the same time
0:03:50 > 0:03:56that Nelson Mandela was being tried for treason and facing execution.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And it's that strange juxtaposition of events,
0:03:59 > 0:04:04this film, Zulu, which commemorates
0:04:04 > 0:04:07a dark episode in imperialism,
0:04:07 > 0:04:12with this moment in the creation of South African democracy.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And then that's where the imagination starts working on fact,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17fact starts meeting fiction.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Fire!
0:04:19 > 0:04:21ALL: No Zulus on the mountain!
0:04:21 > 0:04:24You're no movie star.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Larry is so passionate about the work he has conceived,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30he believes only he can bring the production to life.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Look and listen.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I want to see you listening and looking.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38'This particular project
0:04:38 > 0:04:42'is something that I put my stamp on straight away,
0:04:42 > 0:04:47'and said, even though it was way beyond my scope and range
0:04:47 > 0:04:50'of anything I've ever done, I said,'
0:04:50 > 0:04:53"This is going to be the project that I direct."
0:04:53 > 0:04:56ALL: No Zulus on the mountain.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00LARRY: OK, do not come on like actors creeping in the darkness,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03pretending nobody can see them.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Come on with a purpose. OK.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07ALL: No Zulus on the mountain.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Larry has very little experience as a director,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13and many of his actors will be treading the boards
0:05:13 > 0:05:14for the first time, too.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19All this started four years ago when Larry was commissioned
0:05:19 > 0:05:22to write this play by a local charity called Valleys Kids.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26They wanted something that would inspire young people
0:05:26 > 0:05:30in a part of South Wales where jobs and prospects are very limited.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32'My name's Kelsey,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35'and I've been part of Valleys Kids for a few years.'
0:05:35 > 0:05:37It's just like, I don't know, we just get on with everyone,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and it's just like a relaxing environment,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41and you can have a laugh and stuff.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I've been coming to Valleys Kids since I was eight years old.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45I'm 18 now.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47So it's like most of my life, really.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51'I was, like, pretty shy, and I wasn't that good with socialising,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'and I came here, and it just boosted my confidence so much.'
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'Valleys Kids is like family.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'We argue like cat and dog, but we protect each other, too.'
0:06:00 > 0:06:04You've seen us upstairs fighting over biscuits and tea and stuff,
0:06:04 > 0:06:05it's like a family.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09'Valleys Kids gives the people in the community somewhere to go,'
0:06:09 > 0:06:10things to do.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14It helps a lot of kids stay out of trouble.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'Like, me and a few boys used to hang around
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'and cause trouble on the streets,'
0:06:19 > 0:06:20smashing windows.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24'But now it's all stopped, over the last years,'
0:06:24 > 0:06:26cos I've been coming to Valleys Kids.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30ALL: Out from Tonypandy, slipped from Dinas Flats.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Novice director, Larry, has to transform this motley crew
0:06:34 > 0:06:36into a slick, disciplined unit.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39You're all doing really well, you really are,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43but we have to be focused in what we do from now on.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47If we're not ready, things are going to go pear shaped.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50ALL: # Down from the mountain... #
0:06:50 > 0:06:53The Valleys Kids are a chorus line in the play,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55called the Firestarters.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58ALL: Firestarters! Crazy kids!
0:06:58 > 0:07:00They'll be on stage at the Millennium Centre
0:07:00 > 0:07:05with a cast of almost 200 performers from Wales and South Africa.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08We remember! We recall!
0:07:08 > 0:07:10ALL: We held a promise.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Any other year, this might never have been anything more
0:07:12 > 0:07:15than a simple community arts project.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But the Olympics changed everything.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Larry's play is now a big-budget centrepiece
0:07:20 > 0:07:24of the Cultural Olympiad in Wales.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It's such a high profile project,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31has come to the Valleys to see them rehearse.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32Musical director.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Some of our musicians, we've got a choir of about 35,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39there's a choir of 35 coming over from South Africa...
0:07:40 > 0:07:45ALL: # Out of Tonypandy, slipped from Dinas Flats
0:07:45 > 0:07:50# Invisible, no fingerprints, you won't see no tracks
0:07:50 > 0:07:55# On the mountain, making Zulu, 1964
0:07:55 > 0:08:00# In the long grass Valleys soldiers waiting to perform
0:08:00 > 0:08:05# Rusty railings, butchered saplings fashioned into spears
0:08:05 > 0:08:10# Sticks for weapons, insurrection, Michael Caine in tears. #
0:08:10 > 0:08:13APPLAUSE
0:08:13 > 0:08:16This is quite a big space, you really fill the space.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I thought that was really... full of energy.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21How did you all get involved with Valleys Kids in the first place?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Has it changed the ambitions you've got for your own future?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Yeah, definitely.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27If it wasn't for Valleys Kids,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I wouldn't have the opportunity that I've got now.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32The Olympics isn't just about sport,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34it's part of a huge cultural Olympiad,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38which is drawing in thousands upon thousands of youngsters
0:08:38 > 0:08:39across the country,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and I just wanted to come here and see for myself
0:08:42 > 0:08:45what it means in practice, and talk to the youngsters
0:08:45 > 0:08:48to find out from them what the effect is on them,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and it's been a really uplifting experience.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53They've obviously gained a lot from it,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56they're going to put on this performance
0:08:56 > 0:08:59with new friends and colleagues from South Africa,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04at the Millennium Centre in the last week or so of July.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06That's going to be a big moment in their lives,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09and something they will remember for the rest of their lives.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Larry is going to South Africa to cast actors for the leading roles,
0:09:12 > 0:09:17and ten of the Valleys Kids are going to be travelling with him.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Many of them have never left Wales before.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Tights?- Yeah.- Tights in Africa?- Yes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25You're going to get a lovely tan, you won't need them.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- You're not going to the Antarctic! - SHE LAUGHS
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Honest to God. You're bringing slippers!
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Fantastic experience, really excited for him.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35But at the same time, quite apprehensive as well.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- I don't know, really. He's my baby! - SHE LAUGHS
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Like, three million tops? You ARE going for ten days?
0:09:44 > 0:09:45She is going to miss me.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Yeah.- She's going to miss me doing the dishes and stuff. - SHE LAUGHS
0:09:48 > 0:09:51No, I'm going to miss you when you tell me you're going on to Skype,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- and I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. - SHE LAUGHS
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Course we'll miss you!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58One of the worst days of my life!
0:09:59 > 0:10:00Crikey, this is heavy.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01'I'm 18 now.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03'I feel like I should be able to go away'
0:10:03 > 0:10:07without my mother going, "No!" and clinging on to my leg.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11We're very close, and it's the thought of her being away,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15that if anything was to happen, I'm not going to be able to get there.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- LAUGHTER - I don't think I'd better see her going.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Cos I'm just going to cry all day!
0:10:22 > 0:10:24SHE SIGHS
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Bags packed, and it's time for the Valleys Kids
0:10:28 > 0:10:31to say goodbye to Mam, and Wales.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36I can feel my legs shaking.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48You be careful.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53For many, it will a journey into the unknown.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Oh, I hope she comes back.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And not in a box, either.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18This isn't just a holiday.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20In Cape Town, the Valleys Kids will be expected
0:11:20 > 0:11:23to continue their rehearsal of Torchbearers
0:11:23 > 0:11:24with the South African performers.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36At Artscape, Cape Town's answer to the Millennium Centre,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Larry has arrived.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42All the South African groups involved in the show
0:11:42 > 0:11:45have turned out to welcome the director and the Valleys Kids.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51- Finally, we have arrived. Respect yourself! Yeah! - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:11:52 > 0:11:55That is the Welsh thing, brrrr!
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- We do it from our bellies, like... - HIGH-PITCHED CHEER
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Marlene Le Roux is in charge of education at the theatre,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and she has a message for the visitors they won't forget.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08We are very passionate about South Africa,
0:12:08 > 0:12:15but we also don't want you to leave here with seeing only Cape Town,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18which can be extremely only European.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21For us, it's extremely important
0:12:21 > 0:12:24that even the poorest of the poor persons in our society,
0:12:24 > 0:12:29and don't think that I romanticise it, not at all.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34But to see people for people first.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Don't just see the shacks as shacks of poverty.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41See the dignity of the people.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46Your disadvantage is totally different from our disadvantage.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50I want to encourage the young people from Wales to ask questions.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Don't make assumptions, ask questions.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58We can spread the word that Africa is not just about poverty.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It's about dignity.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05And that is why we said yes to this project.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07APPLAUSE
0:13:14 > 0:13:15The Valleys Kids charity
0:13:15 > 0:13:20is all about offering young people a safe place to bond together.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26And here in Cape Town, New Africa Theatre strives to do the same.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Today, they're meeting for the first time.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Team leader for Valleys Kids, Tegan,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41is here to help her young people connect with the South Africans.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43We're working with students that come here
0:13:43 > 0:13:45from the townships around Cape Town,
0:13:45 > 0:13:51and the young Valleys Kids volunteers are working with the guys
0:13:51 > 0:13:55to look at what's similar and what's different between our communities,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57and what's important to us.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Kebab shops, education, local newspapers,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and a good sense of community.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Vandalism, barbecues, rugby, football...
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Gang wars, which include gangsterism...drugs, alcoholism.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Stray bullets that kill the young people.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17The good things are good music, dancing, singing, theatre,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19friends, careers, sports.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21And community. Smile!
0:14:21 > 0:14:22LAUGHTER
0:14:22 > 0:14:24There are a lot of similarities,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26like friends and family are important.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28There's a lot of differences.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31For example, the level of crime and violence and deprivation and poverty
0:14:31 > 0:14:33are very different.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Issues in both communities, but on varying degrees and levels.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44While the young people get to know one another,
0:14:44 > 0:14:45Larry is holding auditions.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49He's looking to cast four South Africans in leading roles.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Eh-heeeeeeey-woooo!
0:14:54 > 0:14:58At the heart of the play is a story of a Welsh boy and a Zulu girl
0:14:58 > 0:15:02who fall in love, and the two generations that follow.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05But he leaves behind a granddaughter.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Larry's searching for an actress to play the granddaughter,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11an Olympic athlete called Lindiwe.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12A young girl who walked on
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and as soon as she walked on, I thought,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17"Lindiwe has walked into my life."
0:15:17 > 0:15:20She had all the attributes we were looking for.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I am Zulu, I am never afraid.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Larry may have cast one of his leading ladies,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27but he's not having much joy finding anyone suitable
0:15:27 > 0:15:29to play her father, Sophiso.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32If I want to fight, I fight, just like that.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36He hasn't seen anyone who's right for the part.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Thank you.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40It HAS to happen, that's what I have to say. It has to happen.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We can't go back to Wales without a cast.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46I'm just thinking Sophiso would be a mixed blood person.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Are you interested in looking at somebody who...
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I'm just looking at Shaun. Where's Shaun? Shaun?
0:15:55 > 0:15:56- Yeah?- Where is Shaun?
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- This is Shaun.- Would you want to do some reading for us today?
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Yes, I would love to.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Can I just, like, have a few minutes to get...
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Of course, yeah, not straight away.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Amazingly, it's the stagehand, Shaun Smith,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11who could be the answer. But that's if he can act.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Larry wants to give Shaun a chance,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and asks him to come to the group's next rehearsal.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22The Valleys Kids have been working with students
0:16:22 > 0:16:24from New Africa Theatre.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Today, they've been invited to visit the homes
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and families of their South African counterparts.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31We're going into the centre of the township,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and really take in what Marlene said yesterday
0:16:34 > 0:16:38about looking past the conditions and the shacks,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41because you're going to see some of the poorer areas today,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44and some of the conditions are not great.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48But it's not about that, it's about meeting the people that are there.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53# Don't you leave me alone
0:16:53 > 0:16:56# Behind
0:16:56 > 0:16:59# Cos I need your grace
0:16:59 > 0:17:02# Oh, salvation
0:17:02 > 0:17:09# And so I may worship Him. #
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Khayelitsha is a vast township of corrugated metal shacks
0:17:13 > 0:17:18where Sisanda introduces the Valleys Kids to members of her family.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE
0:17:24 > 0:17:26DOG BARKS
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- It's like a slap in the face. Wow. - Yeah.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32We think we're underprivileged
0:17:32 > 0:17:36because we can't have this, we can't have that when we want it.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- It's not a need, it's a want.- Yeah. - Whereas they NEED things.
0:17:39 > 0:17:40Where we want things, they need things.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42That we take for granted, yeah.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Back home, this would be totally alien to anyone.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- They wouldn't be allowed, really, would they?- No.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51You don't quite take it on board until you see it with your own eyes,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54until your eyes see as far as you can see, that poverty.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55One of the students is called Leezay,
0:17:55 > 0:18:01and she tells Tegan why the township is an inspiration to her.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Yeah, well, I like places like this, I've lived in places like this,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07because it reminds me that I'm from South Africa,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- and it's a rainbow nation.- Mm-hmm.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12And to kind of relate to each other's experience,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- it makes you part of the whole nation.- Yeah.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31VOCAL WARM-UPS
0:18:36 > 0:18:39APPLAUSE
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The Valleys Kids and New Africa Theatre students
0:18:42 > 0:18:46have come back from the townships to have a rehearsal with Larry.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51All the work we've talked about, walking with intent and purpose.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Stagehand, Shaun, is here to prove
0:18:54 > 0:18:57he has the talent to take on a leading role.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59SHAUN SHOUTS
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Now that was real.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06That was someone who shouted.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10There was a boy... ALL: There was a boy...
0:19:10 > 0:19:12LARRY: There was a girl... All: There was a girl...
0:19:12 > 0:19:15LARRY: Another country... ALL: Another country...
0:19:15 > 0:19:19I am the promise. I am the eyes.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I am the promise.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31And relax. OK.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- Oh, my God...- Well done, nice.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35The passion and commitment of Shaun's performance
0:19:35 > 0:19:38is a wake-up call for the Valleys Kids,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and Larry knows he's found his South African star.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43One of the particular characters, Sophiso,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46who is the spirit of the dead son,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and we saw a few people, and they just weren't right.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And I was talking to Ian, who runs the place,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and he said, "What about Shaun?"
0:19:52 > 0:19:55And I went, "What, the guy who makes the coffee?"
0:19:55 > 0:19:57THEY LAUGH
0:19:57 > 0:19:59"And does the lights?" He said, "Yeah."
0:19:59 > 0:20:03This is my first professional production as an actor.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And to make my debut at one of the biggest theatres in the UK,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09it's an honour, a privilege, and...
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I thought that this day would never come.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14ALL: Do you remember? Do you recall?
0:20:14 > 0:20:18ALL: No Zulus on the mountain. You're no movie star.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23A dreamer, a liar, we know who you are.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Out from Tonypandy, slipped from Dinas Flats,
0:20:27 > 0:20:32invisible, no fingerprints, you won't see no tracks.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35LARRY: Good. Well done. So far, what all of you have done,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37I think it's been tremendous, and it really bodes well
0:20:37 > 0:20:40for when we work together. APPLAUSE AND WHISTLES
0:20:40 > 0:20:42See you all soon!
0:20:43 > 0:20:45THEY SING AN AFRICAN SONG
0:20:59 > 0:21:01CHEERING
0:21:04 > 0:21:05High five!
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Larry's production, Torchbearers,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18is set during the turbulent times of Apartheid in South Africa.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26For the Valleys Kids, this trip to South Africa
0:21:26 > 0:21:28provides an opportunity to visit Robben Island,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32the prison where President Nelson Mandela was held captive
0:21:32 > 0:21:36for 18 of his 27-year sentence.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47An ex-prisoner is showing the group round,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and shares first-hand the reality of life in the lock-up.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54You are given physical punishment,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57or they take you for isolation cells,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02or they add on top of what you're already serving.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Give you one year extra in prison, two years extra.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And what kind of possessions were you allowed to keep?
0:22:09 > 0:22:13You'll only be allowed letters, photos,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and, of course, some books from the library. No problem.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18That's all, yeah.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19That's all.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23- Really?- Yes.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26You've got to lie here? You couldn't, like, stretch.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29This prison visit has helped deepen the understanding of the story
0:22:29 > 0:22:31for Valleys Kid, Connor.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36I can't imagine, like, being in this kind of space for so long.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Like, Mandela was here for longer than I've been alive.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47And I just can't fathom how he coped. It's ridiculous.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14In just three months' time,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Torchbearers will open at the Wales Millennium Centre,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20and Larry will have a vast stage to fill.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25He's looking for something spectacular,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and hopes Zip Zap Circus School can bring the show to life.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31This holds the eye brilliantly.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Zip Zap's creative director, Brent, has come up with a unique way
0:23:35 > 0:23:38of bringing the Olympics to the stage for the grand finale.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'Brent is going to make what I think the impossible, happen.'
0:23:41 > 0:23:46This aerial spectacle of five Olympic rings,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49with Lindiwe perched in the middle of them.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54I mean, that, to me, I find potentially thrilling.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58AFRICAN DRUM MUSIC
0:23:58 > 0:24:01The variety of skills and abilities on display
0:24:01 > 0:24:04have left the Valleys Kids speechless.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Zip Zap are amazing.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09We really need to up our game, I'm telling you.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12And it's like, oh, it makes us look quite shitty, like!
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Cos we're just messing round and then they're like...focused.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I just want them to be inspired by it.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22They might think they're pushing barriers in what they're doing.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24It's not a spectator sport. When it comes to it,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26they won't be the spectators.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28They're going to be up on here with these people.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30They've all got to jump over the same bar,
0:24:30 > 0:24:31and it's getting higher.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34They can do it!
0:24:41 > 0:24:43The whole South African experience
0:24:43 > 0:24:47is making the young Welsh actors appreciate the small things in life.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50It affects us, even subconsciously.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53On an emotional level, it was affecting us all.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57And making us think about the people we care about the most.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00I never get homesick, but I miss my mother.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- And it was quite a big impact on you yesterday, wasn't it?- Mmm.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04Because...
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- Cos you've never felt that before. - No.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10- And you don't get on with your mother.- No.- And you argue a lot.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11So...
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Larry only has one day left with his main South African actors
0:25:25 > 0:25:27before he returns to Wales.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Every moment of rehearsal is precious.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It's fragile, it's delicate.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35'We've had a read-through, and now, in this very short space of time,'
0:25:35 > 0:25:39we're trying to lift the script off the page
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and get them acting out a few scenes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- Lindiwe!- What? - No running in the street.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Rehearsals appear to be going well.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51But then, a bombshell.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56We're a bit hamstrung, because, erm, I'm down an actor.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00The actress Larry wanted for his leading lady, Lindiwe,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02suddenly pulls out.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04She won't be coming to Cardiff.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Ahhh... Just gets my spirits down, and, erm...
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Er... So I'm once again looking down the barrel of, um...
0:26:12 > 0:26:14It's not the barrel of disaster,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17but I'm looking down the barrel of three quarters of a cast,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22and going away not knowing who one particular actor will be.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- I'm signing you up.- Yeah, we're taking you back to Wales! - THEY LAUGH
0:26:25 > 0:26:29At the moment, I don't really feel like joining in the fun.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33# Nobody said it was going to be easy
0:26:33 > 0:26:35# Walking this road on your own
0:26:35 > 0:26:37# Now you know
0:26:37 > 0:26:41# You've found that all people in this world face the cold... #
0:26:41 > 0:26:43A lot of us have connected really well
0:26:43 > 0:26:45with the New African Theatre students.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48They're around our age, kind of, they're all quite young,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51they're all really into drama and stuff, it's their passion.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54They're all so welcoming, wanted to show us everything. It was fab.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57I think it was really easy to connect with them
0:26:57 > 0:26:59because they're part of us now.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00They're like our big Cape Town family.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02# Never give up
0:27:02 > 0:27:04# You've got to stay strong
0:27:04 > 0:27:07# You've got to keep moving on
0:27:07 > 0:27:09# You've got to never give up the fight... #
0:27:09 > 0:27:11This is life-changing, being here.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Like, I can't believe it's happened so fast.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I think everybody realised something different about themselves.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19I think for me, I took everything for granted before I came here,
0:27:19 > 0:27:20but since I've been here,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and I've seen how everybody sort of just gets on with their lives,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25but they, like, manage to put a smile on,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27and everyone seems happier with what they've got.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I think it's made me realise just how lucky I am,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and it makes me want to, sort of, thank everybody back home
0:27:33 > 0:27:35for the life I've got.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38# It's all about wrong, it's all about right
0:27:38 > 0:27:41# Never give up, you've got to stay strong
0:27:41 > 0:27:44# You've got to keep moving on
0:27:44 > 0:27:47# You've got to never give up the fight
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- # It's all about wrong... - ALL: # It's all about right
0:27:50 > 0:27:54# Never give up, you've got to stay strong
0:27:54 > 0:27:57# You've got to keep moving on. #
0:27:57 > 0:27:59THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Woo-woo-woo-woooo! Yaaay!
0:28:04 > 0:28:07It's really brilliant that you came to share.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- My friends.- ALL: Aaaah!- Thank you!
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Thank you so much.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13You're absolutely amazing.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17- There's not much that makes me emotional, but that is awesome. - SHE LAUGHS
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Next time on Torchbearers...
0:28:21 > 0:28:25The South African cast arrives in Wales.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- Yeah! You are my Lindiwe!- Yes!
0:28:27 > 0:28:29THEY LAUGH I didn't know it!
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Larry takes a huge gamble on a new leading lady.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35It's a risk, as some people said, bordering on madness.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40And will Larry get his 200-strong cast ready in time for the show?
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd