Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco Explained

Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco is a play by Gary Owen that was first presented by Paines Plough and Sgript Cymru in Cardiff, Wales, in 2001,^[1] after which it won the first Theatre in Wales Award for Best New Play.^[2] The play is set on a Thursday night in a small town in Wales and focuses on three young men in their mid-twenties burdened by their school reputations of the gimp, the geek and the bully.^[3] The play takes the format of three monologues and the tagline for the play is "their dream is to get the hell out".

The script was published by Bloomsbury in 2001, who republished it 2005 in a collection of Owen's plays.^{[4] [5]}

Dramatis personae

• Gary: a hate-fuelled arsehole who dobs enemies into Crimewatch for fun.
• Matthew D Melody: charismatically naïve and thinks Frank Sinatra can save the world.
• Russell Markham: imploding from a life full of repressed anger, which is causing everything from impotence to fear of cancer.

Selected productions

• 2001 – Premiere at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff,^{[4] [1]} followed by performances at the Lyric Studio, London, and a tour of English theatres.^[3]
• 2003 – Staatsschauspiel Dresden, Germany, in a German translation by Peter Torberg^[1]
• 2006 – Inis Nua theater, Philadelphia, USA^[6]
• 2011 – Tron Theatre, Glasgow, and Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh^{[7] [8]}
• 2014 – Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, followed by a tour of other theatres in Wales^{[9] [10]}

External links

• reviews at 'Theatre in Wales'

Notes and References

1. Web site: Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco . Felix Bloch Erben . 22 November 2023 . de.
2. Web site: Ghost City Is a Day in the Life of Welsh Town, Making U.S. Debut in NYC June 1-13. Jones. Kenneth. 26 May 2004. Playbill. 2009-08-03.
3. News: Welsh theatre's blazing new talent. Gardner. Lyn . Lyn Gardner. 15 March 2001. . London . 2009-08-03.
4. Web site: Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco . Bloomsbury . 21 November 2023.
5. Web site: Owen Plays: I . Bloomsbury . 21 November 2023.
6. Web site: Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco . Inis Nua . 22 November 2023.
7. News: Theatre reviews: Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco / At-Swim-Two-Birds / I Heart Maths . . 25 May 2011.
8. News: Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco, Tron Theatre, Glasgow . . 26 May 2011 . Glasgow.
9. News: Price . Karen . Disco Craze Returns for a New Run . . 20 September 2014.
10. Web site: Bainbridge . Julie . Theatre - Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco . Wales Arts Review . 25 September 2014.