In June 1919, Cardiff was the scene of four days and nights of violent mayhem that left three dead, many in hospital, and buildings wrecked and burnt, as local troublemakers, ex-servicemen and Colonial soldiers clashed with Yemeni, Somali and Caribbean seamen in front of vast crowds of on-lookers, of Cardiff citizens. This presentation describes and discusses the research project undertaken with National Theatre Wales: to create a narrative of events, for which no full account survives; to locate and map the sequence of incidents in a cityscape long changed; to recover from anonymity and to conjure up individual rioters and their quarry; and to recapture a moment in a city’s history for which there are no memorials. Resulting in a series live and mediated performances: Things Come Apart (2018); Wild Scenes at Cardiff (2019); and Cardiff 1919: Riots Redrawn (2020).

The session will be moderated by Maaike Bleeker.

Preparation

To prepare for this seminar, please look into the Cardiff 1919: Riots Redrawn audio-work.

Mike Pearson is Professor Emeritus of Performance Studies at Aberystwyth University. He was a member of RAT Theatre (1972-73), Cardiff Laboratory Theatre (1973-80) and Brith Gof (1981-97). He currently creates theatre as a solo artist; with senior performers group Good News From The Future; and for National Theatre Wales, including The Persians (2010), Coriolan/us (2012), Iliad (2015) and The Storm Cycle (2018). He is the co-author with Michael Shanks of Theatre/Archaeology (2001) and author of In Comes I: Performance, Memory and Landscape (2006), Site-specific Performance (2010), Mickery Theater: An Imperfect Archaeology (2011) and Marking Time: Performance, Archaeology and the City (2013).

* Image credits: Marc Douet