PRESS RELEASE INFORMATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 30 ^TH SEPTEMBER 2014

Wales Theatre Company, Swansea Grand Theatre, Dylan 100, The Welsh Assembly Government and Homer Simpson Productions present

THE DYLATHON Patron:  Hannah Ellis

A 36-HOUR NON-STOP READING OF THE WORKS OF DYLAN THOMAS TO CELEBRATE THE CENTENARY OF HIS BIRTH at SWANSEA GRAND THEATRE,

 11am SUNDAY 26th OCTOBER - 11pm MONDAY 27th OCTOBER

STARS OF STAGE, SCREEN, POLITICS, SPORT, MEDIA AND THE ARTS JOIN SWANSEA SCHOOL CHILDREN, YOUTH and COMMUNITY GROUPS

in EPIC CLIMACTIC EVENT OF THE DYLAN THOMAS 100 FESTIVAL

in aid of

THE PRINCE'S FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN & THE ARTS

Supported by Dylan Thomas 100 Festival and City and County of Swansea.

GUEST OF HONOUR

Irish President Michael D Higgins

IAN McKELLEN, JONATHAN PRYCE, KATHERINE JENKINS, SIAN PHILLIPS JOIN HUNDREDS ON LIVE ON STAGE

The climactic event in the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival, The Dylathon is a 36 Hour live non-stop reading of the works of Dylan Thomas at Swansea Grand Theatre ending on the very hour of his birth 100 years before.

Readers live on stage include great stars of stage and screen (Ian McKellen, Sian Phillips, Jonathan Pryce) ; sports legends (JPR Williams, Eddie Butler, Ryan Jones ) ; national treasures (Ruth Madoc, Katherine Jenkins, Nicholas Parsons) ; a strong Irish contingent to greet our guest of honour President Michael D Higgins (Dervla Kirwan and Frank Kelly) ; broadcasters (Robert Peston, Gethin Jones, Sian Lloyd) ; actors (Celyn Jones, Suzanne Packer, Charles Dale) ; musicians (Eggs Laid by Tigers, The Morriston Orpheus Choir );   comedians (Jo Brand, Kevin Eldon) ; writers (Howard Brenton, Gillian Clarke) ; together with local school children,  young people and community groups.   The closing hour of the show will include   The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales reading  Those Who Died in the Dawn Raid ,   Michael Sheen will join the party via live-link from New York and Hannah Ellis , Dylan Thomas 100 Patron and Thomas' Granddaughter will read 'Letter to Aeron' - Dylan's letter to his daughter Aeronwy,  Hannah's mother.

Olivier Award-winning stage director Michael Bogdanov will stage 36 hours of non-stop Dylan, creating twelve elegantly crafted 3 hour 'chapters' from the poems, short stories, letters, broadcasts (including Under Milk Wood ) and film scripts plus some rare and unpublished materials.  Fully devised and curated, with over 200 pieces of material read by literally hundreds of voices. The event is designed by multi-award winning Ed 'Dr Who' Thomas and literary consultant is the international Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns.

It will be a fitting tribute to Wales' most potent cultural icon, an audacious centenary celebration in the city of his birth, his beloved Ugly, Lovely Swansea.

For the final chapter of the Dylathon 'The Thin Night Darkens', President Michael D Higgins , Dylan Thomas 100 stakeholders international dignitaries and guests will join the audience for the climactic minutes leading up to 11pm on Monday 27th.  This final 3 Hour chapter will feature: 

• Hannah Ellis (Dylan Thomas' granddaughter and Dylathon patron) reading 'Letter to Aeron' - Dylan's letter to his daughter Aeronwy, Hannah's mother
• HRH The Prince of Wales' (Dylan Thomas 100 Festival Royal Patron) recording of 'Fern Hill' .
• The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales reading ' Those Who Died in the Dawn Raid'
• Ian McKellen reading 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night', from 'Deaths and Entrances'
• Katherine Jenkins and Ian McKellen  reading Rosie Probert and Captain Cat from Under Milk Woo.
• Jonathan Pryce reading 'A Child's Christmas in Wales'
• Sian Phillips  reading Dylan's 1st letter to Caitlin Macnamara, his future wife
• Ryan Jones - former Wales Rugby Captain and British Lion reading  ' A Letter to Vernon Watkins' , written November 13, 1937
• Gillian Clarke , Wales National Poet Laureate reading 'Poem On His Birthday' from 'In Country Sleep'
• Michael Sheen - a live link from New York - reading 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion'  from '25 Poems'
• The Wales Theatre Company reading from ' Under Milk Wood'.  
• The Morriston Orpheus Choir singing The Reverend Ely Jenkins Sunset Poem from 'Under Milk Wood'.

Dylan Thomas fans from throughout the world can buy tickets for this extraordinary celebration for the entire 36 hours, for 12 hours or for a 3 hour block. See www.dylathon100.com  for programme descriptions and booking details.  Press tickets available.

The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts will be the beneficiary charity of The Dylathon. Children & the Arts is the only national charity working to ensure that all children in the UK are inspired by the arts and to address social and economic barriers to participation. Working with Children & the Arts, The Dylathon will provide a dynamic programme of opportunities for Swansea school children to participate on stage at the event, reading materials Thomas wrote as a child. Funds raised from The Dylathon will enable disadvantaged children in South Wales to participate in high-quality arts activities.

The Dylathon is supported by City and County of Swansea and the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival. 

Live on stage:   Kevin Allen, Bill Bellamy , Di Botcher , Howard  Brenton, Eddie Butler, Colin Charvis , Boyd  Clack, Gillian Clarke, Tracey  Curtis, Charles Dale, Kath  Dimery,  Kevin  Eldon, Kate Fahy, Peter  Finch, Trevor Fishlock, Phil George, Russell Gomer, Helen  Griffin, Ian Griffiths, Geoff Hayden, Frank Hennessey, Katherine  Jenkins, Kevin  Johns, Celyn Jones, Kirsten  Jones, Ryan Jones, Frank Kelly, Bob   Kingdom, Dervla Kirwen, Tony Lewis, Sian Lloyd, Ruth Madoc, Ian   McKellen, Jessica Lee Morgan, Liz Morgan, Sharon Morgan, Terry Mortimer, Richard  Munday, Chris Needs, Roy Noble, Jamie Owen, Suzanne Packer, Nicholas  Parsons, Robert Peston, Sian  Phillips, Mal Pope, Jonathan  Pryce, Robert Pugh, Ieuan Rhys, Shani Rhys James, Jonathon Roberts, Nia Roberts, Lisa Rogers, Michael  Sheen, Dai Smith, Zoe Speas, Peter Stead, John Tregenna, JPR Williams, John Williams, Martyn Williams, Eggs Laid By Tigers, Morriston Orpheus Choir plus participants from,  Swansea Little Theatre Bishop Gore School, Dylan Thomas Community College, Big Issue Vendors, Gower Gorseinon College Sir Harry Secombe Trust Youth Theatre and Blaenymaes Primary School

ENDS

For further information please contact:

 Sarah O'Brien: sarah@hobpublicity.co.uk / 07770 747171

Sally Homer: sally@hobpublicity.co.uk   / 07973 142127

For queries regarding the Irish Presidents attendance please contact:

  Clare Brosnan, Press Officer, Embassy of Ireland on +44 (0)207 2012 522/ clare.brosnan@dfa.ie

For further information on The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts please contact:

Marcus Stanton: marcus@marcusstanton.co.uk T: 07900 891287