Our destination the Dylan Thomas Theatre.  Located in the heart of Swansea's Maritime Quarter it's a well equipped community run facility and home to the Swansea Little Theatre - of which Dylan Thomas himself was a member in the 1930s.  We included the city in our tour as part of our commitment to reaching new audiences.  There is no organised Irish Centre that could serve as a marketing base - which is not to say that the city lacks a substantial population of Irish heritage.  With the Cork ferry in dock, almost within sight of the theatre, the Irish are never really out of the picture.

Our primary marketing focus on the theatre's own mailing list yielded an audience high in quality if low in numbers.  We found ourselves playing for the first time to an audience containing no-one who declared themselves to be Irish.  Interesting that the fantastic reception demonstrates the show's appeal is not limited to people of Irish heritage, and that three separate groups within the audience had made journeys of over 30 miles to attend the production.  One UK-born Welsh resident wrote:

'An inspiring and stimulating evening which surpassed expectation in its range and impact. This quality of production deserves the widest possible audience for it is all too rare an experience.'

Poetry remained unquestionably in the air.  In the waterside square outside the theatre, looking with affection at the statue of Dylan Thomas himself, were Terence and his wife.  Falling into conversation with us, and discovering the shared passion for words, Terence spoke for us a long and beautiful composition of his own reflecting on the passage of life and lives, inspired by the stories caught within the church of his Essex village.  Moment of magic we shared, the spirit of Thomas present with us.