A Statue of Dylan Thomas

My last blog post was before Christmas. There was a moment when I considered the possibility that this issue may be linked intrinsically to a bout of festive laziness. However, this moment was a brief one, and the thought was quickly dismissed. I then began to wonder whether  the lack of blog post was due to a lack of Welsh Theatre, but then I remembered I’d already written that blog, so I couldn’t go down that route for fear of becoming tedious and languorous, repeating the same old concerns(what do you mean you haven’t read it? Go and read it, then come back to this blog, and appreciate the reference. It might even make you laugh. That’s a bit presumptuous actually. It would be more of a light titter if anything. A playful smile perhaps. But again, I’m being presumptuous.) I have therefore come to the conclusion that I simply haven’t written a blog since December because I had nothing to say, and as tragic as that sounds, I really was just saving you all the bother of reading pointless drivel.  You’re welcome.

I should have written a review of ‘Deffro’r Gwanwyn’. I should have done that. I took notes on the performance and everything. I had a special private preview of the show with the director Elen Bowman in preparation for my impending review subsequent to its performance.  Now I wish I had written that review, because the production was really enjoyable, and coming from a musical pessimist, that statement in itself is a favourable review.  I think the show really struck a chord with me because it harked back to my school days. I found the whole experience extremely nostalgic, and as a great believer in the cathartic nature of Theatre, the fact that this production was able to affect me in this way is surely an indication of its merit.  Perhaps it was something to do with bumping into my school drama teachers in the foyer, but I like to think it was largely due to the former reason.  The translation of the music (my particular favourite, ‘Totally Fucked’ translated to ‘Dwi’n Fucked’) and the immaculate choreography were the productions strongest points. Aled Pedrick took on the lead role of Melchior, and gave a strong performance.  I think his performance probably would have had more of an effect on me had I not witnessed his talents several times before at school (naturally he was often the lead, and I was usually on a wall or squashed against the lighting box as part of the chorus), so I was definitely expectant of a flawless vocal performance, and I was not disappointed. I was slightly more mesmerised by the performance of Iddon Jones, who played the sexually naive Moritz. In fact, I found myself retrospectively wishing that I’d held onto his hand a little longer than is perhaps socially acceptable when I was introduced to him at one of the rehearsals in Carmarthen.  So, consider that my compressed review of ‘Deffro’r Gwanwyn’ by Theatr Genedlaethol. I’m glad I got that off my chest.

This blog post isn’t just to vent repressed theatrical criticisms. Oh no, it is so much more than that. Actually, I feel that comment might be slightly misleading, in the sense that I’m potentially building this up to be more than it inevitably will be. Don’t be disheartened by my own pessimism. I’m being modest.  Unless you think that’s somewhat arrogant, in which case, the blog is what it is, but I think you should continue reading. Moving swiftly on...

This year proves to be an exciting one in terms of Welsh arts. With the re-opening of Sherman Cymru looming, I’m highly anticipating the first production of ‘Sgint’ by Bethan Marlow, directed by Arwel Gruffydd.  Significantly, a Welsh language play signals the launch of Sherman’s new programme, which can only be a positive signifier of the near future for Welsh language writing, something which I feel is integral to the preservation of our heritage and culture, as many do. So much so in fact, that I’ve already booked my ticket, a rarity for me let me assure you. Review to ensue. This year looks to be a massive year for National Theatre Wales too, with Welshman Peter Gill’s production of ‘A Provincial Life’ beginning in March at the Sherman. From then on, we look set to be bombarded with an array of innovative theatre from the company.  I’m particularly looking forward to ‘Little Dogs’, a production inspired by Dylan Thomas. Being a native of the Swansea valleys, some may think it’s predictable that I would be interested in this specific piece of theatre, but in all honesty, I’ve never been much of a fan of Thomas. This statement is practically blasphemous where I come from. Yes, I’m implying that Thomas is a sort of holy figure in Swansea and its surrounding valleys; it’s difficult to argue otherwise.  There’s the Dylan Thomas centre, a theatre, a school: the list goes on. In fact, I recall having my photo taken with a metallic statue of him on Swansea Marina one summer.  A photo with a statue of Dylan Thomas: for me, that epitomises his fame and legacy for us Welsh folk. I’m not sure why I never bought into the whole ‘Dylan Thomas’ hysteria, especially considering the fact that I have a literature degree. I’m often caught out in situations where somebody will discover that I never actually finished reading ‘Under Milk Wood’. I’m met with looks of horror, exclamations of disgust. Somebody was sick once. Ok, that’s definitely an exaggeration, but that really is the severity of the situation. I don’t have an excuse for not reading it. I’ve picked up a copy of it countless times. I remember sitting in the Arts and Socials library on a rainy Monday afternoon with a copy of it in front of me. I may have been heavily procrastinating with various pieces of literature, but a couple of pages in, I reverted back to my essay on the religious homilies allegedly depicted in Shakespeare’s Histories plays. I am however quite fond of the short story ‘Extraordinary Little Cough’. I particularly enjoy the conclusion:

“And when I stared round at George again he was lying on his back fast asleep in the deep grass and his hair was touching the flames.”

That image is really interesting. Ordinarily, such a statement would signal the beginning of a tale, but in this case, Thomas uses it as an ending.  I never even saw the film ‘The Edge of Love’, despite my curiosity surrounding the execution of the Welsh accent depicted by Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller. I was in Cardiff museum this week, and found myself standing for a good ten minutes in front of a water colour portrait of Thomas. He really was unfortunate looking. He sits snugly next to a portrait of the Polish painter Josef Hermann, an artist who I am extremely interested in mainly because he lived most of his life in my home village of Ystradgynlais. His paintings are so fantastic, and really capture the mood of the repressed, coal mining valley of the 1940’s. Rolf Harris visited Ystradgynlais as a result of this connection. A big day for us in the village. Interestingly, there now also exists a large photo of Michael Sheen in the same section as these portraits. It’s hidden in a corner, almost as if it’s aware of its inferiority. That’s not a personal opinion. I love Michael Sheen. I think it’s just an issue of maturity, both in subject and art form. There’s also a large photo of the Welsh harpist Catrin Finch. For some reason she’s seemingly naked and wearing some sort of furry hooded cape, with a naked pregnant stomach making a disturbing appearance. Also, there’s no harp in the photo, which I think is slightly misleading.

So you see this blog wasn’t just a backdated review. It was in fact a long tangent of issues related to Wales, mainly Dylan Thomas. Ironic really, considering the fact that I always tried to avoid writing about him during my Literature degree. A legitimate theatre review will be my next blog post, I promise. I’ll leave you with a portrait of Thomas, the very same which I stood in front of and undoubtedly, albeit subliminally, aroused this apparent need to write about him.

“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Dirty Protest’s ‘Office Christmas Party’

‘Five new plays exploring the world of the office Christmas party.’

The concept behind the whole event was an extremely intriguing one: a small conveyor belt of original writing excerpts situated in different venues on Cardiff’s city road.  It was difficult to know what to expect, but this ambiguity transpired to be one of the attractions of the evening. Starting at the conservative club next door to Milgi, we were ushered inside and divided into three groups.  A choice of chocolates and festive gifts greeted us as we got upstairs before we were invited to get a drink at the bar and take a seat. As 8pm neared, the place had really started to fill up; the turnout was excellent. It just goes to show that people are still interested in innovative new theatre projects.

A scene by Aled Roberts entitled A Cold Coming signalled the beginning of the evening’s performances. A dead body was carried through the crowd and put onto the table in the middle of the room. The fifteen minute scene, which centred on the desired last rights of a Catholic man, was a pleasing piece of script despite occasionally slipping into some clichés. An extract written by Beth Granville entitled Foiled followed. The script was slightly more generic than the first. The performance was punctured slightly by members of the cast forgetting lines, but on the whole, it seemed to appeal to the audience. Next up was Mistakes have been made by Duncan Macmillan situated in Ambala, an Indian takeaway.  This small one-man play was, in my opinion, the strongest of the evening. The piece recounted the history of a disliked, corrupt Regional Manager of a company, perfectly portrayed by Ceri Murphy.  The audience were forced to become a part of the scene taking on the role of his employees. Rich in sarcastic wit and amusing anecdotes, the piece ended with the sabotage of the Manager’s toast as he was manhandled into the toilet by two plants in the audience. Arguably more  daring than the other scenes, I felt the piece was perfectly rounded for such a short performance.

Nestled in the cosy Milgi’s Yurt, the next scene took place. Written by Alan Harris, Before I go was another one-man play which explored the feelings of a man jilted in love and ignored by an unsuspecting co-worker. The script was enjoyable, but didn’t really take off; perhaps this was due to the time constraints of the evening. The last performance  required us to be squashed into a small bus stop on City road as we listened to the ravings of Mary, depicted wonderfully by actress Hanna Jarman. An extremely eloquent and well written piece, The Demise of Photocopy Boy definitely differed from the other excerpts. I couldn’t help but wish that the conclusion didn’t see Mary saunter off casually to commit a murder, as the script up until that point had been perfectly plausible. However, this could be considered as pushing the boundaries and venturing into the unconventional.

Considering the nature of the event, the organisation of the evening was fantastically smooth. There were occasional delays, but nothing that wasn’t to be expected from such a creative venture. Hopefully, similar events will occur more often; the turnout certainly indicated the public’s desire to see new writing outside the conventionality of the Theatre. Hats off to Dirty Protest for succeeding to showcase original, new writing talent in innovative and creative ways!

Why to England? The lack of Welsh Criticism in Wales.

Originally this next blog was meant to be a review of Theatr Na n’og’s Welsh language production of ‘Salsa’, but after the performance, I couldn’t quite bring myself to write about it. I’m not saying it was all bad. For what it was it was perfectly enjoyable, if the thing you enjoy is sexual innuendo and a recurring ‘falling down the stairs’ joke. Which, incidentally I don’t, but each to their own. After feeling slightly disheartened, the next night I went to see Hamlet at the Young Vic, and my faith in Theatre was thankfully restored. Of course it was: Michael Sheen took the leading role in an Ian Rickson production. This complete contrast in quality of productions made me see a possible answer to something which I have often questioned: why do the Welsh go to English Theatre? I’m not saying that English Theatre has a better quality, far from it. In fact, I have often argued the opposite. I simply think that this is stemmed to a bigger problem, one which applies to both Welsh playwrights and Welsh actors, and that is, the lack of criticism we have here in Wales.

Just to look at it simply to begin with. I search both phrases ‘Salsa reviews’ and ‘Adolygiadau Salsa’, the bilingualism potentially an advantage. A mere six reviews is nothing to compare with the endless pages of results I get with my search for Michael Sheen as Hamlet. Arguably, this could be down to Theatr Na n’og up against the Young Vic; of course the results are going to be fewer because ‘Salsa’ is a Welsh language production. However, the same lack of results comes up for National Theatre Wales’ production of ‘The Village Social’. Why? Is it any wonder that the Welsh cross the bridge?  In London you can see countless shows every night of the week. In Wales, you’re lucky to find one every few weeks, and then a lack of critical acclaim will follow, which will then continue this cycle of a poor number of Welsh productions. So why is there such a lack of criticism? Critic Megan Jones asks the same question. She observes, “Even after the excitement generated by various Welsh productions staged across Wales, something important is missing-Theatre Critics.” [1]She believes this is linked to a lack of National newspapers, as The Western Mail is generally the only Welsh newspaper that publishes Welsh theatre reviews.

Last month, National Theatre Wales held an event to pose these questions raised by so many recently. The event’s objective was to encourage and perhaps instruct in the craft of new theatre criticism in Wales. One solution raised at the event was to potentially create a Welsh website similar to the Artsdesk, a website used to promote new criticism. I believe such a website would encourage younger people to write reviews and publish them online rather than focus on getting the reviews in the limited Welsh newspapers. More reviews would lead to more people going to see these Welsh productions, which would hopefully increase the productions available to an audience in Wales.

I truly believe we are in the middle of something: the rejuvenation of Welsh Theatre to be precise. National Theatre Wales’ explosive innovative Theatre is an exciting prospect, as is Arwel Gruffudd’s takeover as Theatr Genedlaethol’s Artistic Director. The opening of Sherman Cymru next February is edging closer, and with the release of their fantastic new programme, I think it’s safe to say that Welsh Theatre is on the up. So why can’t the same be said for Welsh criticism? Maybe that comes with taking a risk. Staging Welsh theatre at the risk of not receiving the acclaim it deserves. Maybe that’s what needs to be done, and if enough people are aware of the problem, then hopefully we can surface from this rut and make new Welsh criticism as exciting as new Welsh Theatre.

---

[1]Jones, M, 2011, Dydd Y Farn? [online] Barn available at http://www.cylchgrawnbarn.com/index.php?option=com_content&view...

Cipolwg 'Deffro'r Gwanwyn'/ Sneak Peak 'Deffro'r Gwanwyn'

'S'dim dwywaith amdani. Dwi'n fucked.'

Ges i’r cyfle i eistedd mewn ar un o ymarferion olaf ‘Deffro’r Gwanwyn’ bore ddoe. Mae’r sioe gerdd yn agor  ar y 9fed o Dachwedd yn adeilad cartrefol cwmni Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, sef Y Llwyfan yng Nghaerfyrddin. Mae rediad y sioe yn dilyn llwyddiant ysgubol y daith gyntaf yn 2009. Yn seiliedig ar ddrama Frank Wedekind o 1892, mae’r cyfieithiad Cymraeg o’r sioe gerdd ‘Spring Awakening’ yn archwilio canlyniadau anwybodaeth rywiol sydd wedi cael ei achosi gan gymdeithas gul ac adwasgol. Cafodd y cyfieithiad Cymraeg gan y dramodydd Dafydd James ei lwyfannu’n wreiddiol yn 2009, a nawr mae Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru yn ôl gyda thaith newydd a ffres gyda pedwar aelod newydd i’r cast. Ond dydi’r ffaith bod y sioe wedi cael ei llwyfannu yn barod ddim yn effeithio’r broses baratoi o gwbl. Wrth wylio’r ymarfer mae'n amlwg bod y broses yn fanwl ac yn drwyadl iawn. Dyw hynny ddim syndod gydag Elen Bowman yn cyfarwyddo, ac mae’r actorion yn treulio amser yn ceisio deall y cymeriadau er mwyn cyflwyno’r perfformiad gorau o fewn eu gallu. Gyda chymaint o ffocws ar ansawdd y cynhyrchiad, mae’n argoeli i fod yn sioe well nag erioed.

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the last rehearsals for ‘Deffro’r Gwanwyn’. The musical opens on the 9^th of November in Theatr Genedlaethol’s home building Y Llwyfan in Carmarthen. The show’s  run follows an immensely successful first tour in 2009. Based on Frank Wedekind’s controversial play from 1892, the Welsh translation of the musical ‘Spring Awakening’ explores the consequences of a sexual ignorance caused primarily by a repressive society. The translation, by Welsh playwright Dafydd James, was staged originally in 2009, and now Theatr Genedlaethol is back with a fresh, exciting tour and four new cast members. The fact that this is not the show’s first run doesn’t seem to have affected the rehearsal process at all. Sitting in on the rehearsal, the process seems to be extremely thorough and in-depth. With a director like Elen Bowman, this isn’t really a surprise, and the actors spend time trying to understand the characters and their motives in order to give the best performances they possibly can. With such focus on the quality, the show promises to be better than ever before.

Dyddiadau ‘Deffro’r Gwanwyn’

9-11 Tachwedd, 7.30 y.h, Y llwyfan, Heol y Coleg, Caerfyrddin.

15-17 Tachwedd, 7.30 y.h, Canolfan Hamdden Glaslyn, Porthmadog.

21-22 Tachwedd, , 7.30 y.h, Canolfan Hamdden Y Flash, Y trallwng

25, 26 a 28 Tachwedd, , 7.30 y.h, Canolfan Hamdden Pontardawe

1-3 Rhagfyr, 8 y.h. Stiwdio Weston, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, Caerdydd.