Following the success of the company’s first original play Sorter, written by company co-director Richard Mylan, Grand Ambition are working with writer Tracy Harris, who is originally from Swansea to bring her latest play Mumfighter to audiences at Swansea Grand Theatre from Tuesday 15th to Friday 25th October 2024.
Starring Katie Payne, MumFighter is about a mother fighting for support and services; and the everyday battles faced in a world full of prejudice. Grand Ambition describe it as a moving, exhilarating and essential play about resilience, hope, and going the distance.
In March 2023, they premiered Sorter, a story of drug addiction in the city. Richard Mylan’s debut play went on to receive a raft of 4 and 5 star reviews, attract new attendees into the theatre and earn its writer a Stage Debut Award nomination.
MumFighter’s critically acclaimed playwright, Tracy Harris, is a writer, theatre-maker & award-winning filmmaker. Her plays have been produced by companies including Sgript Cymru, Sherman, Mighty Theatre Washington, Menagerie Theatre. BBC documentaries include Bafta-nominated Swansea Living on the Streets & Selling Sex to Survive. Other work includes Lost, Found, Stolen (NTW) Bottled (Chapter/Alter Ego International Festival, Bulgaria). Ghostlight (Ffwrnes) Port Talbot Gotta Banksy (Theatr3/Sherman) Curtain up (Clwyd). She explained her motivation in writing the play:
“My son who is 8 now has cerebral palsy and when he was born, I think the whole shock of that diagnosis and also being kind of put into this world of disability that I knew nothing about and also being a first-time parent, not really knowing the system, was huge. Not knowing how things worked has influenced the play a lot, but the play is also a fiction, so the child in the story is a girl. And although it’s based on my experiences, I’ve tried to use real experiences to show a bigger story that other people will be able to relate to. If you’re a carer, if you’re a parent, if you’ve cared for anybody, really. It’s about care in general. I think it’s about empathy for people and people’s stories and journeys, and I think it’s about fighting. It’s about having some balls and getting back up and fighting for what you believe in”.
Richard Mylan, who will direct MumFighter explains the company’s motivation in developing work in Swansea: “We want to create theatre for all of Swansea’s communities, not just those with a history of theatregoing; nurturing and retaining homegrown creative talent to tell the stories that matter to our city. It is important to us to tell the stories of marginalised people, representing voices less frequently heard on our stages.”
Mumfighter is rooted in writer Tracy Harris’s lived experience of parenting a child who has Cerebral Palsy and was written following research and consultation with other parents across South Wales. It explores the obstacles faced by the mother of a disabled child, fighting for the support needed for them to reach their potential. It’s such an exciting script which made the shortlist for the RSC’s 37 plays project in 2022. As a parent of an autistic child myself, it feels very personal to be sharing this story on home turf”.
Grand Ambition tells Swansea stories. This dynamic theatre company is committed to nurturing and retaining homegrown creative talent, telling stories that matter to and resonate with the people of Swansea and beyond.
The company was established in 2021 by creatives Richard Mylan, Michelle McTernan, Steve Balsamo and Christian Patterson in partnership with Swansea Council to become the resident producing and community engagement company at the city’s Swansea Grand Theatre and Brangwyn Hall; a partnership which continues as Grand Ambition develops as a project funded community interest company.
Grand Ambition co-company director Michelle McTernan will lead on engagement activities for MumFighter, alongside Mumbles born actress Cara Readle (Tracy Beaker, Biff & Chip) who has Cerebral Palsy. Readle is also developing her directing skills on the project as Associate Director.
The company has support from charities Cerebra, Swansea Carer’s Centre and Learning Disability Wales in bringing the story to the stage and their efforts to represent the struggle that families across the country face on a daily basis. This innovative partnership has not only led to Cerebra’s Innovation Centre part-building the set, but also to the opportunity for unlimited numbers of unpaid carers to access tickets for the production for free. Families supported by all three organisations will take part in a Carers’ Day at the theatre (1st October), including time to relax and chat to fellow carers as well as a sneak peek into rehearsals. The company is reaching out to writers with any level of experience for a workshop session (8th October) with Tracy Harris.
For MumFighter, Grand Ambition has brought together an experienced team of Welsh and Wales-based creatives who hope to deliver a truly original piece of theatre.
Director Richard Mylan is best known as an actor, with award-winning stage performances including the Sherman Theatre/Royal Court production of Killology and television roles including Waterloo Road, Where the Heart Is and Coupling.
Actress Katie Payne wowed audiences across Wales and in Edinburgh in Dirty Protest’s My Mixed Up Tape, Payne’s self-penned one woman comedy drama, having previously performed with Frantic Assembly and National Theatre Wales.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter, and Grand Ambition co-director Steve Balsamo is creating music for Mumfighter alongside Swansea Valley music producer Dai Griffiths, continuing Steve’s creative exploration in theatre music.
MumFighter will be designed by Elin Steele, who has designed for theatre, opera and ballet. She recently designed Branwen: Dadeni for Wales Millennium Centre/Cwmni Fran Wen and Kill Thy Neighbour for Theatre Clwyd/Torch Theatre. Lighting design will come from Cara Hood who also designed Sorter. Ian Barnard and Georgina Nobbs will co-sound design, Dena Davies is assistant director, Nia Thompson will be production manager and Tom Bevan produces.
This premiere production of MumFighter has been developed following a creative research and development period co-directed by Richard Mylan and Deborah Light at Swansea Grand Theatre in November 2023. MumFighter has received National Lottery and Welsh Government funding via Arts Council Wales, UK government SPF funding via Swansea Council, as well as funding and support from Ty Cerdd, the Postcode Lottery Community Trust, Aligra, Cerebra, Swansea Carers’ Centre and Learning Disability Wales.
Tickets for the production, including pay what you decide options, are now available from Swansea Grand Theatre’s box office and online here.