Episode 1 Torchbearers

CHEERING

On a sunny week in May, the Olympic Torch made its journey around Wales.

At the same time, a humble playwright from the Welsh Valleys

was parading his own version of the Olympic dream.

And I will promise you this...

anything that the opening ceremony of the Olympics,

the entire Olympic Games will give you,

we, as part of the Cultural Olympiad in the name of Torchbearers,

we will match.

Larry Allen has written the most ambitious play of his life.

An epic love story about a Welsh boy and an African girl

who meet on the set of the '60s classic, Zulu,

a film made by Welsh legend,

Stanley Baker.

We will give you a story that will reach out and touch your hearts.

The plan is to put it on the biggest stage in the country,

at the Wales Millennium Centre.

Larry was asked to write the show by local charity, Valleys Kids.

And these kids from the Valleys are total amateurs.

Down from the mountain...

..hear the crazy man...

You came on with, like, no energy, no dynamic,

there was no real understanding of that first section,

and you all stood in one big line.

LAUGHTER

To add to his challenge,

half of his performers are on the other side of the world,

in Cape Town.

Larry and the Valleys Kids are about to head off

on a once in a lifetime journey to make this piece of theatre happen.

It's amazing!

We really need to up our game, I'm telling you.

Larry will need to pull together his African cast of actors...

ALL: They told us secrets.

..musicians...

and circus performers,

and bring them all back to Wales for the biggest show of the year.

ALL: Do you remember? Do you recall?

A liar! No Zulus on the mountain!

But will Larry pull off a production

with hundreds of performers thousands of miles apart?

I would be lying to say I'm not worried, cos I am.

I'm worried about things at the moment, but I'm...

This is Africa.

Born and bred in the Rhondda Valley,

Larry Allen has spent almost 30 years

writing for radio, TV and theatre.

Now, for the Cultural Olympiad,

he's written an epic love story set in South Africa.

But he found his inspiration for the play much closer to home.

One link between Wales and South Africa is the film, Zulu,

and the real link there is, of course, that it was made by a Welshman,

Stanley Baker.

One of the great original Roaring Boys of the Valleys,

who made this film.

One day, I'm out on my bike, and I'm cycling up through Ferndale,

and then I'm cycling up the mountain,

up towards Llanwonno Mountain,

and I'm going right past the spot

where Stanley Baker's ashes were scattered.

Then you start thinking, "Well, what if...?"

"What if there was a young Welsh boy from this area

"who meets a young Zulu girl?"

But in the '60s, South Africa was in the grip of Apartheid,

and a relationship between a white boy and a black girl was illegal.

1964, Stanley Baker in South Africa, at exactly the same time

that Nelson Mandela was being tried for treason and facing execution.

And it's that strange juxtaposition of events,

this film, Zulu, which commemorates

a dark episode in imperialism,

with this moment in the creation of South African democracy.

And then that's where the imagination starts working on fact,

fact starts meeting fiction.

Fire!

ALL: No Zulus on the mountain!

You're no movie star.

Larry is so passionate about the work he has conceived,

he believes only he can bring the production to life.

Look and listen.

I want to see you listening and looking.

'This particular project

'is something that I put my stamp on straight away,

'and said, even though it was way beyond my scope and range

'of anything I've ever done, I said,'

"This is going to be the project that I direct."

ALL: No Zulus on the mountain.

LARRY: OK, do not come on like actors creeping in the darkness,

pretending nobody can see them.

Come on with a purpose. OK.

ALL: No Zulus on the mountain.

Larry has very little experience as a director,

and many of his actors will be treading the boards

for the first time, too.

All this started four years ago when Larry was commissioned

to write this play by a local charity called Valleys Kids.

They wanted something that would inspire young people

in a part of South Wales where jobs and prospects are very limited.

'My name's Kelsey,

'and I've been part of Valleys Kids for a few years.'

It's just like, I don't know, we just get on with everyone,

and it's just like a relaxing environment,

and you can have a laugh and stuff.

I've been coming to Valleys Kids since I was eight years old.

I'm 18 now.

So it's like most of my life, really.

'I was, like, pretty shy, and I wasn't that good with socialising,

'and I came here, and it just boosted my confidence so much.'

'Valleys Kids is like family.

'We argue like cat and dog, but we protect each other, too.'

You've seen us upstairs fighting over biscuits and tea and stuff,

it's like a family.

'Valleys Kids gives the people in the community somewhere to go,'

things to do.

It helps a lot of kids stay out of trouble.

'Like, me and a few boys used to hang around

'and cause trouble on the streets,'

smashing windows.

'But now it's all stopped, over the last years,'

cos I've been coming to Valleys Kids.

ALL: Out from Tonypandy, slipped from Dinas Flats.

Novice director, Larry, has to transform this motley crew

into a slick, disciplined unit.

You're all doing really well, you really are,

but we have to be focused in what we do from now on.

If we're not ready, things are going to go pear shaped.

ALL: # Down from the mountain... #

The Valleys Kids are a chorus line in the play,

called the Firestarters.

ALL: Firestarters! Crazy kids!

They'll be on stage at the Millennium Centre

with a cast of almost 200 performers from Wales and South Africa.

We remember! We recall!

ALL: We held a promise.

Any other year, this might never have been anything more

than a simple community arts project.

But the Olympics changed everything.

Larry's play is now a big-budget centrepiece

of the Cultural Olympiad in Wales.

It's such a high profile project,

the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg,

has come to the Valleys to see them rehearse.

Musical director.

Some of our musicians, we've got a choir of about 35,

there's a choir of 35 coming over from South Africa...

ALL: # Out of Tonypandy, slipped from Dinas Flats

# Invisible, no fingerprints, you won't see no tracks

# On the mountain, making Zulu, 1964

# In the long grass Valleys soldiers waiting to perform

# Rusty railings, butchered saplings fashioned into spears

# Sticks for weapons, insurrection, Michael Caine in tears. #

APPLAUSE

This is quite a big space, you really fill the space.

I thought that was really... full of energy.

How did you all get involved with Valleys Kids in the first place?

Has it changed the ambitions you've got for your own future?

Yeah, definitely.

If it wasn't for Valleys Kids,

I wouldn't have the opportunity that I've got now.

The Olympics isn't just about sport,

it's part of a huge cultural Olympiad,

which is drawing in thousands upon thousands of youngsters

across the country,

and I just wanted to come here and see for myself

what it means in practice, and talk to the youngsters

to find out from them what the effect is on them,

and it's been a really uplifting experience.

They've obviously gained a lot from it,

they're going to put on this performance

with new friends and colleagues from South Africa,

at the Millennium Centre in the last week or so of July.

That's going to be a big moment in their lives,

and something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Larry is going to South Africa to cast actors for the leading roles,

and ten of the Valleys Kids are going to be travelling with him.

Many of them have never left Wales before.

-Tights?

-Yeah.

-Tights in Africa?

-Yes.

You're going to get a lovely tan, you won't need them.

-You're not going to the Antarctic!

-SHE LAUGHS

Honest to God. You're bringing slippers!

Fantastic experience, really excited for him.

But at the same time, quite apprehensive as well.

-I don't know, really. He's my baby!

-SHE LAUGHS

Like, three million tops? You ARE going for ten days?

She is going to miss me.

-Yeah.

-She's going to miss me doing the dishes and stuff.

-SHE LAUGHS

No, I'm going to miss you when you tell me you're going on to Skype,

-and I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

-SHE LAUGHS

Course we'll miss you!

One of the worst days of my life!

Crikey, this is heavy.

'I'm 18 now.

'I feel like I should be able to go away'

without my mother going, "No!" and clinging on to my leg.

We're very close, and it's the thought of her being away,

that if anything was to happen, I'm not going to be able to get there.

-LAUGHTER

-I don't think I'd better see her going.

Cos I'm just going to cry all day!

SHE SIGHS

Bags packed, and it's time for the Valleys Kids

to say goodbye to Mam, and Wales.

I can feel my legs shaking.

You be careful.

For many, it will a journey into the unknown.

Oh, I hope she comes back.

And not in a box, either.

This isn't just a holiday.

In Cape Town, the Valleys Kids will be expected

to continue their rehearsal of Torchbearers

with the South African performers.

At Artscape, Cape Town's answer to the Millennium Centre,

Larry has arrived.

All the South African groups involved in the show

have turned out to welcome the director and the Valleys Kids.

-Finally, we have arrived. Respect yourself! Yeah!

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

That is the Welsh thing, brrrr!

-We do it from our bellies, like...

-HIGH-PITCHED CHEER

Marlene Le Roux is in charge of education at the theatre,

and she has a message for the visitors they won't forget.

We are very passionate about South Africa,

but we also don't want you to leave here with seeing only Cape Town,

which can be extremely only European.

For us, it's extremely important

that even the poorest of the poor persons in our society,

and don't think that I romanticise it, not at all.

But to see people for people first.

Don't just see the shacks as shacks of poverty.

See the dignity of the people.

Your disadvantage is totally different from our disadvantage.

I want to encourage the young people from Wales to ask questions.

Don't make assumptions, ask questions.

We can spread the word that Africa is not just about poverty.

It's about dignity.

And that is why we said yes to this project.

APPLAUSE

The Valleys Kids charity

is all about offering young people a safe place to bond together.

And here in Cape Town, New Africa Theatre strives to do the same.

Today, they're meeting for the first time.

Team leader for Valleys Kids, Tegan,

is here to help her young people connect with the South Africans.

We're working with students that come here

from the townships around Cape Town,

and the young Valleys Kids volunteers are working with the guys

to look at what's similar and what's different between our communities,

and what's important to us.

Kebab shops, education, local newspapers,

and a good sense of community.

Vandalism, barbecues, rugby, football...

Gang wars, which include gangsterism...drugs, alcoholism.

Stray bullets that kill the young people.

The good things are good music, dancing, singing, theatre,

friends, careers, sports.

And community. Smile!

LAUGHTER

There are a lot of similarities,

like friends and family are important.

There's a lot of differences.

For example, the level of crime and violence and deprivation and poverty

are very different.

Issues in both communities, but on varying degrees and levels.

While the young people get to know one another,

Larry is holding auditions.

He's looking to cast four South Africans in leading roles.

Eh-heeeeeeey-woooo!

At the heart of the play is a story of a Welsh boy and a Zulu girl

who fall in love, and the two generations that follow.

But he leaves behind a granddaughter.

Larry's searching for an actress to play the granddaughter,

an Olympic athlete called Lindiwe.

A young girl who walked on

and as soon as she walked on, I thought,

"Lindiwe has walked into my life."

She had all the attributes we were looking for.

I am Zulu, I am never afraid.

Larry may have cast one of his leading ladies,

but he's not having much joy finding anyone suitable

to play her father, Sophiso.

If I want to fight, I fight, just like that.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

He hasn't seen anyone who's right for the part.

Thank you.

It HAS to happen, that's what I have to say. It has to happen.

We can't go back to Wales without a cast.

I'm just thinking Sophiso would be a mixed blood person.

Are you interested in looking at somebody who...

I'm just looking at Shaun. Where's Shaun? Shaun?

-Yeah?

-Where is Shaun?

-This is Shaun.

-Would you want to do some reading for us today?

Yes, I would love to.

Can I just, like, have a few minutes to get...

Of course, yeah, not straight away.

Amazingly, it's the stagehand, Shaun Smith,

who could be the answer. But that's if he can act.

Larry wants to give Shaun a chance,

and asks him to come to the group's next rehearsal.

The Valleys Kids have been working with students

from New Africa Theatre.

Today, they've been invited to visit the homes

and families of their South African counterparts.

We're going into the centre of the township,

and really take in what Marlene said yesterday

about looking past the conditions and the shacks,

because you're going to see some of the poorer areas today,

and some of the conditions are not great.

But it's not about that, it's about meeting the people that are there.

# Don't you leave me alone

# Behind

# Cos I need your grace

# Oh, salvation

# And so I may worship Him. #

Khayelitsha is a vast township of corrugated metal shacks

where Sisanda introduces the Valleys Kids to members of her family.

SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE

DOG BARKS

-It's like a slap in the face. Wow.

-Yeah.

We think we're underprivileged

because we can't have this, we can't have that when we want it.

-It's not a need, it's a want.

-Yeah.

-Whereas they NEED things.

Where we want things, they need things.

That we take for granted, yeah.

Back home, this would be totally alien to anyone.

-They wouldn't be allowed, really, would they?

-No.

You don't quite take it on board until you see it with your own eyes,

until your eyes see as far as you can see, that poverty.

One of the students is called Leezay,

and she tells Tegan why the township is an inspiration to her.

Yeah, well, I like places like this, I've lived in places like this,

because it reminds me that I'm from South Africa,

-and it's a rainbow nation.

-Mm-hmm.

And to kind of relate to each other's experience,

-it makes you part of the whole nation.

-Yeah.

VOCAL WARM-UPS

APPLAUSE

The Valleys Kids and New Africa Theatre students

have come back from the townships to have a rehearsal with Larry.

All the work we've talked about, walking with intent and purpose.

Stagehand, Shaun, is here to prove

he has the talent to take on a leading role.

SHAUN SHOUTS

Now that was real.

That was someone who shouted.

There was a boy... ALL: There was a boy...

LARRY: There was a girl... All: There was a girl...

LARRY: Another country... ALL: Another country...

I am the promise. I am the eyes.

I am the promise.

And relax. OK.

-Oh, my God...

-Well done, nice.

The passion and commitment of Shaun's performance

is a wake-up call for the Valleys Kids,

and Larry knows he's found his South African star.

One of the particular characters, Sophiso,

who is the spirit of the dead son,

and we saw a few people, and they just weren't right.

And I was talking to Ian, who runs the place,

and he said, "What about Shaun?"

And I went, "What, the guy who makes the coffee?"

THEY LAUGH

"And does the lights?" He said, "Yeah."

This is my first professional production as an actor.

And to make my debut at one of the biggest theatres in the UK,

it's an honour, a privilege, and...

I thought that this day would never come.

ALL: Do you remember? Do you recall?

ALL: No Zulus on the mountain. You're no movie star.

A dreamer, a liar, we know who you are.

Out from Tonypandy, slipped from Dinas Flats,

invisible, no fingerprints, you won't see no tracks.

LARRY: Good. Well done. So far, what all of you have done,

I think it's been tremendous, and it really bodes well

for when we work together. APPLAUSE AND WHISTLES

See you all soon!

THEY SING AN AFRICAN SONG

CHEERING

High five!

Larry's production, Torchbearers,

is set during the turbulent times of Apartheid in South Africa.

For the Valleys Kids, this trip to South Africa

provides an opportunity to visit Robben Island,

the prison where President Nelson Mandela was held captive

for 18 of his 27-year sentence.

An ex-prisoner is showing the group round,

and shares first-hand the reality of life in the lock-up.

You are given physical punishment,

or they take you for isolation cells,

or they add on top of what you're already serving.

Give you one year extra in prison, two years extra.

And what kind of possessions were you allowed to keep?

You'll only be allowed letters, photos,

and, of course, some books from the library. No problem.

That's all, yeah.

That's all.

-Really?

-Yes.

You've got to lie here? You couldn't, like, stretch.

This prison visit has helped deepen the understanding of the story

for Valleys Kid, Connor.

I can't imagine, like, being in this kind of space for so long.

Like, Mandela was here for longer than I've been alive.

And I just can't fathom how he coped. It's ridiculous.

In just three months' time,

Torchbearers will open at the Wales Millennium Centre,

and Larry will have a vast stage to fill.

He's looking for something spectacular,

and hopes Zip Zap Circus School can bring the show to life.

This holds the eye brilliantly.

Zip Zap's creative director, Brent, has come up with a unique way

of bringing the Olympics to the stage for the grand finale.

'Brent is going to make what I think the impossible, happen.'

This aerial spectacle of five Olympic rings,

with Lindiwe perched in the middle of them.

I mean, that, to me, I find potentially thrilling.

AFRICAN DRUM MUSIC

The variety of skills and abilities on display

have left the Valleys Kids speechless.

Zip Zap are amazing.

We really need to up our game, I'm telling you.

And it's like, oh, it makes us look quite shitty, like!

Cos we're just messing round and then they're like...focused.

I just want them to be inspired by it.

They might think they're pushing barriers in what they're doing.

It's not a spectator sport. When it comes to it,

they won't be the spectators.

They're going to be up on here with these people.

They've all got to jump over the same bar,

and it's getting higher.

They can do it!

The whole South African experience

is making the young Welsh actors appreciate the small things in life.

It affects us, even subconsciously.

On an emotional level, it was affecting us all.

And making us think about the people we care about the most.

I never get homesick, but I miss my mother.

-And it was quite a big impact on you yesterday, wasn't it?

-Mmm.

Because...

-Cos you've never felt that before.

-No.

-And you don't get on with your mother.

-No.

-And you argue a lot.

So...

Larry only has one day left with his main South African actors

before he returns to Wales.

Every moment of rehearsal is precious.

It's fragile, it's delicate.

'We've had a read-through, and now, in this very short space of time,'

we're trying to lift the script off the page

and get them acting out a few scenes.

-Lindiwe!

-What?

-No running in the street.

Rehearsals appear to be going well.

But then, a bombshell.

We're a bit hamstrung, because, erm, I'm down an actor.

The actress Larry wanted for his leading lady, Lindiwe,

suddenly pulls out.

She won't be coming to Cardiff.

Ahhh... Just gets my spirits down, and, erm...

Er... So I'm once again looking down the barrel of, um...

It's not the barrel of disaster,

but I'm looking down the barrel of three quarters of a cast,

and going away not knowing who one particular actor will be.

-I'm signing you up.

-Yeah, we're taking you back to Wales!

-THEY LAUGH

At the moment, I don't really feel like joining in the fun.

# Nobody said it was going to be easy

# Walking this road on your own

# Now you know

# You've found that all people in this world face the cold... #

A lot of us have connected really well

with the New African Theatre students.

They're around our age, kind of, they're all quite young,

they're all really into drama and stuff, it's their passion.

They're all so welcoming, wanted to show us everything. It was fab.

I think it was really easy to connect with them

because they're part of us now.

They're like our big Cape Town family.

# Never give up

# You've got to stay strong

# You've got to keep moving on

# You've got to never give up the fight... #

This is life-changing, being here.

Like, I can't believe it's happened so fast.

I think everybody realised something different about themselves.

I think for me, I took everything for granted before I came here,

but since I've been here,

and I've seen how everybody sort of just gets on with their lives,

but they, like, manage to put a smile on,

and everyone seems happier with what they've got.

I think it's made me realise just how lucky I am,

and it makes me want to, sort of, thank everybody back home

for the life I've got.

# It's all about wrong, it's all about right

# Never give up, you've got to stay strong

# You've got to keep moving on

# You've got to never give up the fight

-# It's all about wrong...

-ALL: # It's all about right

# Never give up, you've got to stay strong

# You've got to keep moving on. #

THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD

Woo-woo-woo-woooo! Yaaay!

It's really brilliant that you came to share.

-My friends.

-ALL: Aaaah!

-Thank you!

Thank you so much.

You're absolutely amazing.

-There's not much that makes me emotional, but that is awesome.

-SHE LAUGHS

Next time on Torchbearers...

The South African cast arrives in Wales.

-Yeah! You are my Lindiwe!

-Yes!

THEY LAUGH I didn't know it!

Larry takes a huge gamble on a new leading lady.

It's a risk, as some people said, bordering on madness.

And will Larry get his 200-strong cast ready in time for the show?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd