Payday Party's Rhiannon White says Scotland can help lead the way

Rhiannon White, co-artistic director of Common Wealth Theatre, insists support for self-determination in Wales is growing after Welsh people saw how the country managed itself through the Covid pandemic.

And she believes the rise of the independence movement in Scotland has given Wales the belief its story can be different, with more and more people wanting to see the end of Westminster rule.

Rhiannon White has high hopes

Common Wealth Theatre’s Payday Party will hit the stage this week at the Pleasance Dome, a show which follows six Welsh artists sharing their real life stories of surviving through the cost of living crisis in the hope of getting paid by the audience.

It was derived from an original show by Darren Pritchard and Cheryl Martin called Rent Party, which harked back to the 1920s when rent parties were thrown in Harlem by black tenants so they could raise cash to pay their landlords.

During the show, there is a toast raised to independence as the cast show solidarity with Yessers in Scotland. And while White admitted any sort of independence referendum in Wales was some way off, she did not think it would take the nation too long to follow in Scotland’s footsteps if the Yes side won at the second time of asking.

She said: “I feel like support [for Welsh independence] is growing.

“I feel like, especially through the pandemic, we watched our government take responsibility in a way that the English government didn’t and that felt really empowering for Welsh people, to see us being led by people who understand Wales and understand our community.

“There’s a massive movement called Yes Cymru and it feels like that’s picking up quite a lot of traction. There was a big march in Wrexham recently, it was attended by so many people.

“I think Yes Cymru and Wales beyond that see Scotland and think ‘yeah, that could be us’. I think it inspires Wales.

“We’re a bit away from a referendum I think but if you guys [Scotland] go first, Wales will quickly follow.”

More than 6000 campaigners took to the streets of Wrexham for the first Welsh independence march – organised by All Under One Banner Cymru – since the pandemic began last month. The latest poll on independence in Wales found 32% in favour of Yes, with No at 68%.

When the Scottish Government announced its intention to hold a referendum on October 19 next year, Welsh indy campaigners rallied in support, with Yes Cymru’s Christine Moore saying “we’re 100% behind you”.

White – who is from east Cardiff – believes the sympathy Wales has for Scotland comes from Welsh people hearing the same demeaning commentary from many about how the country couldn’t cope on its own.

She said: “We hear it all. ‘You’ll never survive’, ‘you’ve got nothing to give the world’, but I say we’ve got nothing anyway and I think in terms of pioneering ideas, Wales is quite advanced.

“We’ve got the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. She [Sophie Howe] is a minister and her whole point is to protect future generations of our country. Anything that gets passed through Government has to go through her.

“That doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world and it’s something Wales is leading on, but we can only get so far with initiatives like that without our independence.”

Payday Party will form part of the Wales in Edinburgh showcase supported by the Arts Council of Wales alongside two other shows, The Rest of Our Lives and

Double Drop.

Many of the cast have never set foot in Scotland and are excited to share raw and real Welsh stories at the Fringe.

White added: “I think only two of our actors have ever been to Scotland, so it’s quite a big deal.”