0:00:02 > 0:00:07For the London 2012 Festival, local playwright Larry Allen has written
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Torchbearers, an epic love story inspired by the classic film Zulu.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Fire! Reload!
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Set against the backdrop of apartheid,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18it's the story of a white Welsh actor
0:00:18 > 0:00:22and a black South African girl whose forbidden love is torn apart.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28No! No!
0:00:28 > 0:00:30It then follows their legacy through two generations,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33right up to the London 2012 Olympics.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Larry was asked to write the play by a Rhondda charity called
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Valleys Kids to give young people from deprived areas
0:00:43 > 0:00:44a life-changing experience.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48But the Valleys Kids are just one part of his huge cast.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52The rest are still 6,000 miles away in South Africa.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55It's a risk, as some people said, bordering on madness.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Last time, we saw the kids from the Valleys go on a journey
0:01:01 > 0:01:02of a lifetime to Cape Town.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Back home, this would be, like, totally alien, to anyone.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- You probably wouldn't be allowed, would you?- No.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Now, the South Africans are coming to Wales.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Larry's never done anything on this scale before
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and things aren't running smoothly.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24It's how I feel.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Time is running out.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31And he's still to meet the actor cast for one of his main roles.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44With just two weeks to go before Torchbearers opens
0:01:44 > 0:01:48on the biggest stage in Wales, Shaun Smith is preparing
0:01:48 > 0:01:53for the experience of a lifetime on the opposite side of the world.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Do you want to do some reading for us today?
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Sean has no professional acting experience.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Just three months earlier, he was working as a stage hand
0:02:01 > 0:02:03when Larry picked him out
0:02:03 > 0:02:06to play one of the leading roles in the show.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10This is my first professional production as an actor.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And to make my debut at one of the biggest theatres in the UK,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16it's an honour, a privilege
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and I thought that this day would never come.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23But as soon as Larry found one actor, he lost another.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The woman he cast for the role of Olympic athlete Lindewaye
0:02:27 > 0:02:30suddenly decided to pull out.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34So I'm once again looking down the barrel of three quarters of a cast.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40And going away not knowing who one particular actor will be.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Larry's taken a massive gamble.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Lize Aghulas is a student who got to know the Valleys kids
0:02:46 > 0:02:48when they visited South Africa.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51# You've got to never give up the fight... #
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Although she made a big impression on them,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54she's also not a professional actor
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and didn't even audition for the show.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59# You've got to keep moving on... #
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Larry's put his reputation on the line giving two of his leading roles
0:03:03 > 0:03:05to complete unknowns.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Just gave me an opportunity that changes my life.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19These South African performers are now heading to Wales.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Once they arrive, the whole cast will have just ten days together
0:03:24 > 0:03:27before the curtain goes up on Torchbearers.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30OK, this is, as you know,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34our the last chance for rehearsal before the Africans arrived.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38It's really important by the end of today
0:03:38 > 0:03:42that we are all fairly sure and confident in what we're doing.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Scott Caviel is leading the chorus of Valleys Kids.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52A student from Aberdare, he works as a barmen at the local bowls club.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57It's going to be a life-changing experience.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00If someone said to me two years ago, "In two years time, Scott,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03"you're going to be performing on the Welsh Millennium stage
0:04:03 > 0:04:06"in front of thousands of people and you're going to be
0:04:06 > 0:04:10"surrounded by South Africans," I just would have laughed at them.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Bags of energy and it's going to take us through to a break.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16No bags of energy, the break gets further and further away.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- There will be no break.- Come on!
0:04:23 > 0:04:25It's how I feel.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30There are just 24 hours before the two halves of his cast come together
0:04:30 > 0:04:33for the first time.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Larry's worried the Valleys Kids aren't ready.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39He's getting a bit stressed now, I think.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43He's obviously got so much on top of him because it's coming up.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And trying to get it all ready...
0:04:46 > 0:04:48is obviously going to be stressful.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51THEY SING
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Enjoy, enjoy!
0:04:53 > 0:04:57# From the hills rebounding! #
0:04:57 > 0:04:59We've done work on certain scenes,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02then the South Africans have done work on certain scenes,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04but even though we're in contact with them all,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06we haven't really seen what each other's done.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Now we've got to try to mix them together very, very quickly.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13THEY SING
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I think it's going to be quite exciting
0:05:16 > 0:05:20with the Africans coming over, and fitting them into the show.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22And I think it's going to be...
0:05:22 > 0:05:26it's going to be stressful, but, you know, no pain, no gain.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49The long wait is finally over as the South Africans arrive
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and Larry's reunited with the other half of his cast.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55And it's the first time he's met Lize
0:05:55 > 0:05:58since she stepped into play the leading role of Lindewaye.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02- It's good to see you.- It's good to see you.- Yeah. You are my Lindewaye.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08- Yes!- I didn't know it.- I didn't know it. You knew...- I sort of knew.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09I didn't know at all.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19It's been three months since the Valleys Kids visited Cape Town.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Now it's their turn to give the South Africans
0:06:22 > 0:06:23a taste of Welsh life.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Just ten days from their first performance,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32the whole cast get together for the first time.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- I'm Scott.- Lize. - Lovely to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42But before the hard work starts, there's time to relax.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Even though the last four years have been riven with doubts
0:06:51 > 0:06:56and anxiety, and trials, and tribulation,
0:06:56 > 0:06:57when it came to it today,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00when I saw them arriving at the airport
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and in there today speaking to them all, it felt as if...
0:07:04 > 0:07:06..it's never been in doubt.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Something inside me thought, "Well, this was always meant to happen."
0:07:10 > 0:07:17Here they all are. A great important contingent of South Africa are here.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Look where they are. They're in Porth!
0:07:19 > 0:07:22They're in Porth! Who'd have thought it?
0:07:27 > 0:07:31The South Africans have only been on Welsh soil for a matter of hours
0:07:31 > 0:07:34when they're called for rehearsals.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Finally, Larry has all his performers together
0:07:37 > 0:07:41in the same place and the clock is ticking.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43How good to see you all here. Welcome, everybody.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Good morning, welcome to Wales.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Now the challenge in - I hate to say it,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52but I think it's less than ten days - less than ten days,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55we have to fit what you've been doing
0:07:55 > 0:07:57together with what we've been doing.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00So this is the first occasion
0:08:00 > 0:08:03when our South African partners have joined us.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04And we get a chance
0:08:04 > 0:08:07to see what they've been doing for the last two months
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and whether it bears any resemblance
0:08:10 > 0:08:13to the material I gave them to work on!
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- And we'll say... - What's going on?
0:08:17 > 0:08:21It's all so the first time he's seeing his new leading lady in action.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Because it's you who said it first.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25We'll think it's true.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Lize is playing an Olympic athlete called Lindewaye
0:08:29 > 0:08:31and Larry has no idea if she's up to the job.
0:08:33 > 0:08:39I didn't audition her. I've never seen her act. So... I'm...
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Yeah, it's a risk, as some people said, bordering on madness.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44What's going on?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Lize, the quality you had there at the end
0:08:47 > 0:08:50when you were struggling with the lines is the right quality
0:08:50 > 0:08:53because you're struggling with these thoughts.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55I know we're still going to have more rehearsals.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56This is the first time,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59so I'm just looking forward to growing the piece
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and just progressing all the way.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Larry may be taking a gamble on Lize,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13but the rest of the South Africans quickly show
0:09:13 > 0:09:16they can deliver something spectacular.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28We came for gold, the dream catchers, a life supreme!
0:09:30 > 0:09:33They put you to shame a bit, like.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35When we walked in they were rehearsing a scene and we saw
0:09:35 > 0:09:38about 30 seconds and we looked at each other and went,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42"Yeah, compared to what we've done, that's just brilliant."
0:09:42 > 0:09:4430 seconds, and you think, wow.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47It was just phenomenal. It's like...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50We've been apart for so long and then they come over here
0:09:50 > 0:09:52and you see what they've just done. Wow.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Zulus from South Africa, let me hear you from South Africa!
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Larry's play Torchbearers is set in South Africa
0:10:04 > 0:10:06during the Apartheid era.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Shaun plays the role of Sophiso,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13the son of a white father and a black mother
0:10:13 > 0:10:16who are torn apart because of the colour of their skin.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Shaun has introduced a whole new vigour and attack to this.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'Something that's been missing.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29'I always knew Shaun was going to be quite brilliant.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32'It sounds egocentric because I plucked him out from nowhere.'
0:10:32 > 0:10:35What's great, he's got supreme confidence,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39'but he combines that with humility.'
0:10:39 > 0:10:44Away in South Africa. A promise was given.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46THEY CHANT
0:10:50 > 0:10:52I just want to work basically. I didn't see it as a holiday.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I saw it as a work trip.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57'But these people make it so fun. You forget about the work.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00'It becomes so lovely.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03'You're actually playing while you are singing.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Torchbearers is more than just a play.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14The motivation is to connect underprivileged kids
0:11:14 > 0:11:16from South Wales and South Africa.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Larry was looking for a way to link the two countries,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27and founded in the 1960s film Zulu, a film produced by and starring
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Welsh acting legend Stanley Baker.
0:11:30 > 0:11:36That's the place where Sir Stanley Baker was born and brought up.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39This is the place, just over here,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42where when he died, they scattered his ashes.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46He's brought his young South African actors to the head
0:11:46 > 0:11:51of the Rhondda valley, where he found his inspiration for the story.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54For me, it's just a story of hope
0:11:54 > 0:11:59and how the story relates with adults.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03But just as well, excites the youngsters.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- That's great, yeah. - The youngsters of South Africa
0:12:06 > 0:12:08and the youngsters of Wales.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10In a way, the whole history of South Africa
0:12:10 > 0:12:13in the last 40 years was built on hope.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The triumph of hope over fear.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Black South Africa never had hope, and they always did.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Always had hope that things would get better.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26That's our two characters as well, our Welsh character
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and our South African character. They are always driven by hope,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32that one day they will see each other.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41It's Tuesday morning, and the cast and crew make the journey
0:12:41 > 0:12:44from the Valleys to Cardiff and the Wales Millennium Centre.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49The theatre seats more than 1,800 people
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and in just three days time it will play host to Torchbearers.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Larry and his production team have only just got access
0:12:57 > 0:13:02to the stage and there's still a lot of work to do.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08The production team are on stage already. Time is running out!
0:13:08 > 0:13:12The vision that I've tried to explain to people
0:13:12 > 0:13:15over the last four years
0:13:15 > 0:13:19has to come to life and materialise there.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21We've got three days to do it.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Ready? Five, six, seven, eight, go.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26Up, fly, up, fly and jump.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Looking at the space we're performing in,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30that's when the nerves kicked in.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I know all the seats are empty,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36but I was just like, "Woo! Wow, that's a massive stage!"
0:13:36 > 0:13:40..two, three, four, five and six and seven, eight...
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'Nervous?'
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- Nervous, yeah.- But good nerves?
0:13:45 > 0:13:50- Excited, good nerves. - I just really want to nail it.- Yeah.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53It'll be fine.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57No, no!
0:13:57 > 0:14:00While working through the play's most critical scene,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02the production is hit by a crisis.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- ALL:- We are broken apart.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Come the day, we can still see the light.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14OK, it sounds as if you've just woken up from quite a nice dream.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16You haven't been woken up from quite a nice dream,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19you have just been startled
0:14:19 > 0:14:22out of the worst nightmare you can possibly have.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Panic, horror, terror. It's, "Aarrgh!"
0:14:27 > 0:14:30"I can't imagine that happening!
0:14:30 > 0:14:34"How did that happen? Please, please, please wake me up!"
0:14:34 > 0:14:36That's it. Do it like that.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40OK? And one, go.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Kaffir! Kaffir!
0:14:42 > 0:14:46During Apartheid, the word "kaffir" was used as a term of abuse
0:14:46 > 0:14:48towards black people.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51The word is so offensive,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53its use in South Africa now constitutes a hate crime.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58I want to hear that, the horror of that word when you express it.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It's not funny, none of this is funny.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I'm sorry if I'm sounding a bit shouty.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I want to get it right. We all do.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09One more time, please.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Kaffir! Kaffir!
0:15:11 > 0:15:16I think it's a scene that we glossed over really.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I and we and perhaps they didn't appreciate
0:15:19 > 0:15:22how seminal it was, how crucial it was.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24It was brought home to me by two black dancers
0:15:24 > 0:15:28She said, "Stop saying it. I don't like it."
0:15:28 > 0:15:29That says it all.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32That's what that scene should be.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35It should be hard and painful for the performers to do
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and hard and painful for us to watch.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40It's the worst, that word encapsulates everything
0:15:40 > 0:15:42that was terrible about that system.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It's Wednesday morning
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and cast and crew are back at the Millennium centre.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Larry is desperate to resolve the difficult scene
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and get on with rehearsals.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59They're rehearsing a dance sequence in the time I'd allocated
0:15:59 > 0:16:03to rehearse that dance sequence around that very difficult moment.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I'm going to have to pull him over.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- Chris!- Did you call?- Yeah. How much longer. We want to do that, like...
0:16:10 > 0:16:14- Two minutes.- Two minutes you've got. - Thank you.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17One, two, three, four, five, six...
0:16:17 > 0:16:20That hugely emotive word, kaffir,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23which is probably the most pejorative word
0:16:23 > 0:16:27that can be used and is no longer used in Africa.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32It's the equivalent of nigger
0:16:32 > 0:16:36or any pejorative word in our society.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38That focuses on that moment.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41It's hugely emotive, hugely delicate
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and we've got to be really careful that we get it right.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49There are only two days of rehearsals left,
0:16:49 > 0:16:54but Larry takes time out to call an emergency meeting.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56If the play appears to be saying
0:16:56 > 0:17:00we are using this word in a glib fashion,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02then the play is failing.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Larry has to get this right before the play goes ahead.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08First of all, Larry,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11most people who use that word, they don't know where it comes from.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15In the '60s, that word was used.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19For me, when I'm in the play, it also gives me those emotions.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It's the word, I don't like it.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I don't have a problem when they use that name, because they use it
0:17:26 > 0:17:28for the sake of the play.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30I've a different feeling in such a way that
0:17:30 > 0:17:35it's just being used lightly by a group of Welsh actors on stage.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I feel that they don't understand what they are saying.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43If it's somehow coming across as facile, with no understanding,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46then I will eradicate and get it out straightaway.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52I actually have this burning heart right now.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57I feel it could help the play a lot,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00just to get all those people in the one room together
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and explain to them the word.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I think that would just help the whole play, actually.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07We will do that.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11'I am willing to put aside some rehearsal'
0:18:11 > 0:18:14to have that discussion, because I think it's really important.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16If they don't understand that,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20they don't understand why we're doing this.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Not just why we're doing this drama, but why we're building this link
0:18:23 > 0:18:27with Valleys kids and township kids in South Africa.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30If they don't understand the history,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33where it comes from, the history and the contemporary relevance
0:18:33 > 0:18:36then there's no point in doing this.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40This is really hard.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44We use a word here which I'm trying to use
0:18:44 > 0:18:47as sensitively and as delicately as I can.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51I want everyone, particularly our young people,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53to understand the deep,
0:18:53 > 0:18:59emotive ripples that it causes.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04Thank you, our South African friends and partners, for allowing me
0:19:04 > 0:19:06to step onto your territory.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I hope I'm doing the story justice
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and the people of South Africa justice.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21It's Thursday, the final day of rehearsals.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Larry's made a big decision.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28There will be a last-minute change to the crucial scene.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33The words you will hear won't be kaffir. It'll be dompas.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36It's a card that you had to have in South Africa
0:19:36 > 0:19:39which told black South Africans and coloured South Africans
0:19:39 > 0:19:42where they should be, where they shouldn't,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and if they didn't have the card, they'd be put in prison.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Dompas! Dompas! Dompas!
0:19:52 > 0:19:56That's the wrong way round. Lift up this for me?
0:19:56 > 0:20:00It's time for the final dress rehearsals and the performers
0:20:00 > 0:20:03will have to dig deep to make all their hard work pay off.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08A film star and a terrorist are a hundred miles apart.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15- ALL:- A dreamer, a liar. We know.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18I'm just going through our tech run.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21It's stopping and starting now and again,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25but all going good so far.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Fingers crossed the rest goes well.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32CHANTING
0:20:32 > 0:20:34The Valleys Kids are a chorus, who play a vital role
0:20:34 > 0:20:39in telling the story and Larry's worried they're not delivering.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43OK, stop. Stop the rehearsal.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I know you guys, I know who you are. I know where you live!
0:20:47 > 0:20:49LAUGHTER
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I want to see that on stage. I want to see who you are.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56It brings energy to the stage, it brings life to the stage.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00It brings the Valleys to the stage, OK?
0:21:00 > 0:21:02That's what I want to do.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03CHEERING
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I want them to start playing themselves, playing young people.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Take your sticks with you, OK?
0:21:15 > 0:21:18At the moment, it's sterile. That's what it is.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20'They're producing a sterile performance.'
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Keep your shoes on, all right?
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Look into the darkness!
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Just three months ago, Shaun was a stage hand.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Now he's about step into the spotlight
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and he's feeling the pressure.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I feel as if I'm lost in some kind of weird way.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45The lines are there, the directions are there,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48but something is not clicking inside. Something is not clicking,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52but it's because I'm probably not
0:21:52 > 0:21:54in performance mode yet.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58I'm sure tomorrow night,
0:21:58 > 0:22:03I'll just have to kick into second or third gear and just do it.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13I'm just feeling...
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Actually I'm feeling incredibly tense and anxious.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23And...I don't know why,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26but I'm not as optimistic as I was.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It's because you feel the whole process
0:22:29 > 0:22:31being taken out of your hands
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and suddenly you lose control,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38whereas you've had a modicum of control for four years.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Then in the space of two days, it's gone.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43It's over to you, OK?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46This is now yours.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51I have dreamt this, built it. Now I hand it over to you.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53APPLAUSE
0:22:58 > 0:23:02The opening night has arrived,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and it's just hours till the curtain rises
0:23:04 > 0:23:08on Torchbearers for the very first time.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Best of luck. I've got to shoot off to show my shirt off.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16LAUGHTER
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Go for it tonight. Have a good one.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24I'll see you later. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:23:31 > 0:23:34'Slightly nervous.'
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Excited more than anything, but good nerves.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- Good luck.- And you.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46TANNOY: 'Torchbearers company, this is your 15 minutes call.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48'You have 15 minutes. Thank you.'
0:23:48 > 0:23:50OK, we have 15 minutes.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Time for a last few words of encouragement.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Just go out there and grab it, OK?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04- Thank you.- Good man.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09I think he's ready.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12He was born ready.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18It's been four years since Larry started writing this play,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and three months since he assembled his cast.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26The Valleys Kids have been on a once in a lifetime journey
0:24:26 > 0:24:29that's changed how they see the world.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32And for the South Africans, Shaun and Lize,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36the chance to realise their dreams.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39They've had just ten days together to prepare
0:24:39 > 0:24:41for the biggest show their lives.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Now they're about to perform in front of a packed house
0:24:45 > 0:24:46at the Wales Millennium Centre.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54This morning, I was strangely calm about it
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and now I'm excited.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02I think more than anything, I'm nervous on their behalf.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I want them to have this story and tell it.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07They're the ones telling it.
0:25:07 > 0:25:13I'll be living it and speaking every word and moving every move for them.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15'But I can't do it for them.'
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- How you doing, Shaun? - I'm good, I'm good. I'm excited.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21I'm ready to do this.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Ready to unite Wales and Africa.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Though Torchbearers is a colourful musical,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40it tells the story of a dark episode in South Africa's history.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45We remember, we recall...
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Shaun plays Sophiso, the son of a white father and a black mother.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53A relationship that was illegal during Apartheid.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Dream catchers!
0:25:59 > 0:26:04This is the crucial scene when Sophiso's parents are torn apart.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Dompas! Dompas!
0:26:07 > 0:26:10No!
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Larry's last-minute decision to change it pays off.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Sophiso's father is sent home to Wales, without knowing he has a son.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38While back in South Africa, Sophiso has a daughter called Lindewaye
0:26:38 > 0:26:39who becomes an athlete.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41In Olympics, girls run against girls.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45No, it will be girls against women.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48HE LAUGHS
0:26:48 > 0:26:50That makes you afraid, huh?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I'm Zulu, I'm never afraid.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Two generations later, South Africa has changed for good.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Lindewaye comes to London to run in the Olympics,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and the family is finally reunited.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22APPLAUSE
0:27:31 > 0:27:32You were adorable.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- Thank you, thank you. - You like that? Enjoy that?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Yeah, it was great. Thank you for the experience
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It's been my one in a million.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55It was amazing. It was all worth it, every single bit.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Every tantrum, every tear, it was all worth it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Ah, my man!
0:28:01 > 0:28:06It was so brilliant, you were so brilliant.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Completely overwhelming. Completely overwhelming.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I've never seen a piece of theatre, a group of people
0:28:17 > 0:28:21taking it by the scruff of the neck and shaking it up and down
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and saying, "Look at this! Look at us!
0:28:23 > 0:28:25"Look who we are!"
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Lovely, lovely, lovely to be part of such an amazing project
0:28:28 > 0:28:30and such an amazing work.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Big up to the Torchbearers.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd