The story of the Port Talbot Banksy to receive premiere in Wales next month

David Owens

It was the moment the world converged on Wales.

December 2018, Banksy gifts Port Talbot a unique Christmas present making it an international talking point when one of his murals appears on the garage of a local steelworker.

2024, Port Talbot hits the headlines again with the end of blast furnace steel-making synonymous with the town and the beginning of a new uncertainty.

In the weeks after Banksy’s artwork ‘Season’s Greetings’ first appeared, theatre makers Paul Jenkins and Tracy Harris spoke to people across the town.

What began as a project collecting responses to the first Banksy in Wales, over six years became a portrait of a community and a testament to its character and resilience.

Now, the voices of this Welsh community take centre stage, their words performed live by a professional cast.

The new play, which is described as “compelling and compassionate’, celebrates street art, people power and the resilience of communities. The script is crafted from over 100 hours of interviews with locals, conducted over six years, and tells the incredible story of the Port Talbot Banksy in the community’s authentic voices, fed live to the actors via earpieces.

Port Talbot’s Gotta Banksy is written by Paul Jenkins and Tracy Harris, Artistic Directors of Theatr3, and directed by Paul. Announcing details of the play, Paul said: “This will be the first time the story of the impact of a Banksy on a community has been told on stage, and the people whose remarkable stories we gathered have plenty to say. It’s been an extraordinary process, generating a script full of anger but also incredible resilience and laugh-out-loud humour.”

Sherman Theatre’s Chief Executive Julia Barry said: “This is truly a south Wales story that speaks to the world; one that made global headlines, unfolded in a town with a huge artistic reach and whose community’s voices demand to be heard. We’re delighted to bring this new play to audiences in Wales.”

Performing in the cast will be Jalisa Andrews, Matthew Bulgo, Holly Carpenter, Ioan Hefin, Simon Nehan and Kerry Joy Stewart.

Port Talbot’s Gotta Banksy will receive its world premiere at Sherman Theatre 2-10 May, then at the Plaza, Port Talbot; Grand Theatre, Swansea; Torch Theatre, Milford Haven and Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham.

To view dates and book tickets click HERE