NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

In Cardiff

The Devil Inside Him

May 2010

Written by
JOHN OSBORNE

Directed by
ELEN BOWMAN

Designed by
ALEX EALES

Written by the original angry young man, set in a young Welsh poet’s home over one life-changing night, this long lost play is a remarkable discovery.

‘A traditional setting, yet with a cry from the wild within it’

Elen Bowman, Director

The Devil Inside Him booking information

The Devil Inside Him is the first play that John Osborne wrote to be produced. Written at the age of 18, it predates Look Back in Anger by some six years, and was thought lost until its recent discovery in the archive of the Lord Chamberlain, who had the power to censor all plays until 1968. National Theatre Wales will produce the world premiere of this version of the play, following just two productions in the 50s and early 60s in the English provinces.

The production will be directed by Elen Bowman, one of the most highly respected directors in Wales. Her work has won numerous awards and she taught direction methods to Katie Mitchell and Ian Rickson amongst many others. Bowman lives and works in Wales, holding the post of artistic associate at Sherman Cymru Theatre in Cardiff.

Booking

New Theatre, Cardiff

6 – 16 May
Times:
Tuesday – Saturday, 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm
Sunday, 4.00pm
Tickets: from £5:00

Elen Bowman, Director

‘Written at the age of 18, before ‘Look Back in Anger’, this recently unearthed and extraordinary classic is based in South Wales. It was written at a time where plays were very much murder mysteries and going into a new psychological era. The main character, Huw, is an everyman – someone with whom we can truly identify, somebody who, at first look, is not accepted by his community, but who is absolutely like you or me. There are echoes within it of a much more primitive and natural sense of the world, the Earth and nature, and how in touch Huw is with that. The very repressed, heavy Methodist society that he was born into was at complete odds with him. I hope that the release that Huw experiences is something that we can all understand and identify with. A traditional setting, yet with a cry from the wild within it.’

Interview with Director Elen Bowman

Director Elen Bowman talks passionately about this play, recently discovered in the archive of Lord Chamberlain, who had the power to censor all plays until 1968.