Welch, a young gay actor, writer and performer from Sheffield will being starring at the festival this year; firstly in drag as his own grandmother in his ‘Side-Splitting’ & ‘Poignant’ new play Wildcat’s Last Waltz, then as the title character in Flute Theatre’s ‘stunning’ & ‘breath-taking’ production of Shakespeare’s’ Pericles whilst also performing Pericles for autistic individuals, in Flute’s ‘Groundbreaking’ production specifically adapted for people on the autism spectrum.
Welch is a working- class man from Sheffield. He came to theatre after the death of his mother when he was 10 years old. “Theatre was a lifeline” Welch says. He moved to London to pursue his acting career and trained at Drama Centre London, where he met Flute Theatre artistic director Kelly Hunter. They have been collaborating ever since and are currently touring the UK and Europe with Flute Theatre’s Pericles and The Tempest (in which Welch plays Caliban) whilst preparing to debut Wildcat at both the Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
Welch says: “Working with Kelly in the first years of my career has been invaluable and precious to me. We’ve done so much together in such small space of time. We have toured Europe, created Wildcat, created Pericles, toured Pericles, performed for and with refugees all over the world, and worked almost every day together during the pandemic performing over 900 online Shakespeare performances for autistic individuals. I’m thrilled to be able to bring all strands of our work to the same place, at the same time, all in sunny Brighton. I couldn’t think of a better place!”
Hunter says: “Josh will be showing all sides of his remarkable talents in the space of two weeks and three tents (Rotunda and Caravanerserai Luna Parc and Junk Poets) during the festival. He will be semi naked and soaking wet in Pericles, he will be challenging Davina McCall in his hilarious dance off in Wildcat and he will be showing his genuinely huge hearted generous self, playing with the autistic individuals in our performances for people on the spectrum. He is an inspiration to all young actors and all human beings.”
Wildcat’s Last Waltz:
Move over Dame Jude – there’s a new national treasure in town! This bold piece of theatre pierces to the heart of love, life and grief. It is a truly unique theatrical experience. The self proclaimed ‘Wildcat of Sheffield’ faces the end of her days after the death of her beloved Geoff. With her razor-sharp wit and larger-than-life personality, she looks back on her past, her outrageous youth, falling in love, marriage, motherhood, ageing and loneliness. after being inspired by long drives with his own grandmother in his clapped-out VW polo. Welch and his grandma shared stories of each other grieves and became an unbreakable bound because it.
“This play is my tribute to her and all the other strong, loving and wildly fierce mothers I have met along my way. I’m so pleased I get to throw on the platinum wig, put on the lippy and bring this incredible force of nature to both the Brighton and Edinburgh fringe festivals this year. I can’t wait to tell you her story.” – Joshua Welch.
Kelly Hunter Says: “A 28-year-old man dressed as his grandmother, leaping like a starfish, chatting to us, giving us tea, making us cry, making us laugh, revealing how his grandmother’ fanny fell out, how her heart broke and perils of being alone. This hour doesn’t fit one “theatre category, it fit’s em all”
