The first production in National Theatre Wales’ third season, De Gabay [The Poem], will be a three-day, site-specific exploration of the Butetown area of Cardiff, with a focus on the lives of its young Somali poets and the generations that came before them. The cast and crew will include members of the local community.

Starting on Friday 1st March 2013 (St David’s Day), audiences in Butetown will move from private living rooms to wide boulevards, swept along by both intimate and large-scale spectacular performances including an extraordinary parade. Audiences around the world will be able to interact with and watch the production, as well as films made in and by international Somali communities. Events will be held across the weekend, much of them free to attend.