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A Cautionary Tale Communities throughout the UK are increasingly getting anxious about the young people and their actions in our streets. These gangs often intimidate frightened residents, mainly elderly,, especially during early dark evenings. The amount of litter, cans and bottles, in their gardens and the verbal abuse they receive from these youths are dreadful. Tredegar Comprehensive School, together with Gwent Police, have been looking for a way to address this problem. Jeff O’Reilly, Deputy Headteacher of Tredegar Comprehensive School, came up with the idea of making a safety/precautionary film that would portray a lesson about the community aspects of binge drinking and its consequences, using mainly pupils from the school. It is hoped this film will be used in pastoral/tutorial lessons with Year Tutors as a deterrent to the whole culture of binge drinking. Inspector Alan Webber, of Gwent Police, Tredegar, helped Jeff O’Reilly to put through a bid for the funding of the filming. A sum of £8,500 was granted by the community safety section over two financial years. Gordon Main, of Curlyman Productions, West Wales, was called in to write the script and direct the film. Gordon and his colleagues have worked with Tredegar Comprehensive previously in short, educationally based films, so a working relationship with the school has already been established. Jeff O’Reilly also liased closely with Karen Livingstone, Head of Drama at Tredegar Comprehensive, to audition and select pupils to ‘star’ in the film. Meanwhile, Gordon Main approached surrounding schools and theatre groups setting up work-shops and auditions for additional actors. The film is to be called Kiddo, and was shot in the streets, shops and houses of Tredegar. The police station was also used. The filming was over four days, Friday January 28th, to Monday January 31st 2005. As well as the pupils who took part, professional actors and actresses were used in supporting roles. Perhaps the most well known of these actresses would be Mary Evans, who at the moment runs the Youth Theatre in Tredegar, but starred for four years in the TV series Nuts and Bolts, playing June Thomas. She also appeared in another Tredegar-based film about cancer awareness, called The Dose. Another known actress to be drafted in for this film was Eiry Thomas, who has worked for Pobol y Cwm, The Bench, Mind to Kill, and is to star in the new series of Belonging due for release in the spring, playing Debbie, a new love interest. The famous actors employed include Jason May (Nuts and Bolts, The Bench, Carr, Mind to Kill) who is set to work on a new series for S4C called Caerdydd, due for release later this year. Also, Jonathan Lewis, who has also starred in Nuts and Bolts and Pobol y Cwm. All these professionals came onto the film set prepared to play supporting roles. But the real stars of this film are the children. The main character is Jay, played by 14-year-old Craig Roberts. He attends Pengam School, and started his acting career with Stagecoach Drama School in Pontypool at the age of nine. He now attends Astli Castings with tutors Peter and Susan Woolridge. Craig starred in BBC1 Dram Care, Beauty and the Beast, has appeared on Blue Peter and toured with the Welsh National Opera. Craig has private tutors to keep up with his education. He is busy working on a new series of Tracey Beaker, and at the moment he is only allowed to do 80 days of filming a year because of his schooling, but this allowance will increase when be becomes 16. Doggy is played by 15-year-old Darren Evans, a Year 11 pupil at Tredegar Comprehensive. Doggy appears in all the scenes. His character is that of a ‘nutter’ bringing an element of comedy to the film. Darren studies Drama at Tredegar Comprehensive and has auditioned for the National Youth Theatre of Wales, and has an audition shortly with the National Youth Theatre. The lead female, Kirsty is played by 15-year-old Kayleigh Bennett, a Year 11 pupil at Tredegar Comprehensive and a very promising actress. She is a member of Tredegar Thespians at the Little Theatre, Tredegar, and has played the part or Eponine in Les Miserables at Tredegar Comprehensive School. Kayleigh is also the grand-daughter of Mary Evans. Stacey Hale plays Sal, and Jason Stait and Ryan Probert had non-speaking parts. These are just a few of all the supporting roles played by the pupils of Years 10 and 11 at Tredegar. Carl Harris, a Year 13 pupil at Tredegar School, very kindly loaned his car to the film set for the boy-racer scenes. One of the actors Gordon Main brought in was 18-year-old Leighton Martin, who played Sam. Leighton, from Abergavenny attended King Henry VIII School and has been a member of the Gwent Youth Theatre for four years. The special effects in Kiddo would not have been possible without the help and guidance of Gwent Police, Tredegar, and the Tredegar branch of the South Wales Fire Service. They were on hand to ensure complete safety for the burning car and search scenes, and actually set up the scene for the burning car. In fact, they were available for any scene that smelled remotely of danger. The services also provided the police helicopter, ambulances, fire engines and body bags that makes this film so authentic. Another vital link in this production was Dave Smith, the school liaison officer for Tredegar and Ebbw Vale. Dave helped convey and organise the requests made by Tredegar Comprehensive and the film crew, working very much in the background to ensure the filming ran smoothly - often during his own free time. The editing of Kiddo began in March, and was premiered to all involved in April. For more information on this film please contact Mr Jeff O'Reilly at the school.
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