Diana Nneka Atuona’s Trouble in Butetown will receive its world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse next month. We spoke to actor Ifan Huw Dafydd about bringing this new show to life.

Tell us what Trouble in Butetown is about and a little about your character.

Trouble in Butetown takes place in the Butetown area of Cardiff during the Blitz of WW2, a multi-ethnic area noted for its racial harmony and community solidarity, until that is, racism rears its ugly head in the form of the American Military Police’s treatment of black GIs. The multi-ethnic community is represented in microcosm by the boarding house in which the play is set and where my character Patsy is the oldest resident. He is somewhat of a father figure to the two daughters of the landlady – Gwyneth – and thinks himself a bit of a sage in matters of the sea and Butetown. 

As a Welsh individual, how does it feel to be able to tell a story that is set so close to home?

I love that the story of Tiger Bay (as Butetown was known in an earlier age) is being told to a wider audience. Being the port area of Cardiff gave Butetown a very rich and colourful aura which we, in Wales, have appreciated for a long time. 

As an actor, how does the process of putting on a world premiere differ from putting on a classic revival?

Doing a new play, you’re aware that you’re in what’s going to be the definitive version that will influence future incarnations of the play – so it’s important to get it right. This means experimentation with the text and characterisation – much more so than with a revival.

What have you learnt so far working on this play, both personally and as an artist?

Even though I’ve lived in Cardiff for many years, researching for Trouble in Butetown made me realise how limited my knowledge of Tiger Bay really was. I do hope the audience, through seeing our performance, will appreciate the multi-cultural diversity that made the community of Tiger Bay. On a personal level, it’s a joy to work with such a talented bunch of actors and stage management, none of whom I’d met before, who I now count as firm friends. 

The Donmar Warehouse is a famously intimate venue. What is it like to perform with the audience in such close proximity?

I have performed in smaller theatres than the Donmar – I love the intimacy and the audience response is that more palpable. Sometimes you hear a whispered comment, which can force a suppressed giggle!

The venue is celebrating its 30th anniversary. What do you think makes audiences keep returning to this particular theatre?

Audiences love fresh, new writing. It’s exciting. I think audiences love the intimacy of being in smaller spaces. When you can look someone in the eye, you become involved in their thoughts.

Despite being set during the war, what does the play have to say about the world we live in today? What do you hope audiences will take away with them?

The most important thing an audience can take away is the sense of enjoyment. An enjoyment of the story, and its performance. An added bonus – the knowledge that Tiger Bay existed, and that whilst it was poor, it was an exciting, multi-cultural peaceful place to live in, until it was interrupted by war. I think today’s world could learn a lesson or two from such communities. 

Trouble in Butetown plays at the Donmar Warehouse from 10 February-25 March, with further information here.