A Taste of Wales - Caerleon, Monmouth and Chepstow

Croeso y cymru! Despite what I thought when I first heard the name, A Taste of Wales is not a gastronomic festival, but rather a day trip around South East Wales: Caerleon, Monmouth and Chepstow. I was extremely excited about this trip as I love the countryside, castles and Roman ruins, but sadly we could only persuade thirty students to come with us (apparently the experience of Cardiff on the same day as football, cricket and Speedway had put them all off Wales for life!).

The day started with the coach breaking down just outside of Bath, but undeterred, we turned it into an opportunity for more induction into British culture and took advantage of the tea rooms handily located at the side of the motorway. 

Finally, we made it to Caerleon, site of the Isca Augusta fortress, which was used between about 75 and 300AD. Our first stop was the recreated Roman barracks at the National Roman Legion Museum, where we experienced life as centurions.

Our photographer Louis captured this very realistic example of Roman weaponry

Next was the Caerleon Spa, where the centurions would get clean after a hard day's beating each other up with hams. Unlike at Bath Spa, the water would not having been heated from the ground so they just had to get a little chilly.

Wanting our ruins a little more ruined, we then headed to the old barracks and amphitheatre, where all that remains are the foundations revealed by archaeological digs.

Roman barracks

Football seems to have replaced gladiatoring in the centre of the amphitheatre

Next up, we were off to the incredibly quaint town of Monmouth, where the streets were lined with bunting and flowers. 

We took advantage of the Heritage Day, which allowed access to many usually closed buildings, to satisfy my film geekery and visit the beautiful old Savoy cinema.

 This is how a cinema should be, a real theatre with plush seats, velvet curtains and a stage for cavorting on.

Talking the projectionist into letting me visit the projection room made me unspeakably happy. I'd never seen a film reel before and I loved to see how tradition is still preserved. Celluloid feels so much more like a film should be than a disk or computer file.

Last but not least, we went to Chepstow Castle, Britain's oldest surviving post-Roman fort, which began construction in 1067. The signs were a little scary, but we all amused ourselves pretending we were Kings and Queens of the Castle.

In short, South East Wales is clearly the place to go for a fun day out!

St Fagans - Museum of Welsh Life

On Saturday, I headed back across the border to Cmyru and the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans. Museum may sound a bit staid, but St Fagans is so much fun, we could have happily spent all day there. The site features buildings from different periods of Welsh history, from the Celtic tribes to farmers and miners.

Our first stop was the main farmhouse - we wanted to take a piglet back to the office with us. We then went back several centuries to explore the Celtic yurts.

Traditions are still very much alive at St Fagan's - not only can you observe historical Welsh customs, you can take part and sample the food.

I wish we could have stayed in St Fagans: there was so much to learn, and so little time! And best of all, it's free. It's definitely worth a visit while in Cardiff: you can find all the details at http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/

Happy 1st Birthday RWCMD!

One year ago today, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama first opened its doors. Since then, the breathtaking new building has revolutionised the way the College operates, seen 60,000 tickets sold, won four prestigious RIBA awards and even impressed Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. All of these achievements culminate tonight in a spectacular celebration of the RWCMD's first birthday.

My imaginary birthday cake for the RWCMD

Tonight's event showcased the incredible wealth of talent at the RWCMD. Regular readers will know I'm no stranger to the college, but I've only ever seen the drama, musical theatre and opera students perform. This birthday extravaganza gave me a chance to enjoy the exceptional talents of the music students too, in a performance that celebrated the diversity offered by the college. Starting with a pre-show performance of Unruly Women by the opera students (arias from the bad girls of opera), the evening blended percussion, brass, students from the conservatoire, musical theatre and drama. Musical highlights of the evening were Tianhong Yong on piano (who moved her fingers so quickly I could barely keep up with her!) and William Percy on cello. As for drama, Rebecca Newman and Dafydd Llys Thomas' monologues got everyone laughing from the start (you can watch them here, as well as the other students' monologues). A real treat was Alexander Griffin-Griffiths and Isabella Marshall's dark and compelling excerpt from Richard III which felt wholly professional. Finally, interspersed throughout the evening were excerpts from Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood. This must be a very special piece for the students, as they first performed it this time last year, as the new building was unveiled. They were only second years then and now they are about to graduate and prove to the world what skilled actors they have become. The comedy of the piece really suited the students, who regaled us with a variety of funny accents and facial expressions - perfect for this joyous celebration!

After the performance came champagne, cake, singing of Happy Birthday and speeches. Of course the students and staff were thanked for their dedication, as well as David & Philippa Seligman, without whom tonight wouldn't have been possible. Having only moved to Cardiff when the building was already in action I had no idea just how much the new facilities had revitalised the College, allowing the students to finally all study together on the same campus and rehearse and perform in industry standard locations. The building has also allowed the creation of the MA Musical Theatre, which is going from strength to strength (their next performance is Closer Than Ever, 3-7 July)

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In his speech, Welsh Minister for Education and Skills Leighton Andrews admitted he had only been to the RWCMD three times, and was seeing the students perform for the first time tonight. All I can say is that he has missed out. Tonight's event once again proved that the Royal Welsh College is brimming with talent, and will continue to get bigger and better in its second year.

Helen Griffin on Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts?

Helen Griffin is a Welsh writer and actress who won a BAFTA in 2005 for her performance in her self-penned film Little White Lies. Rachel Roberts, another Welsh actress, rose to fame in the 1960s, staring in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and This Sporting Life, before taking her own life in 1980. Now the two come together in Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? a new play co-written by Griffin and stand-up comedian Dave Ainsworth. I spoke to Helen about the play and her attraction to the character of Rachel.

Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? is currently touring, and comes to Sherman Cymru, Cardiff on 17-18 May 2012.

Fragments of Ash - interview with Terry Victor & Sam Harding

Terry Victor is a playwright known for combining the political with the deeply personal. His latest work, Fragments of Ash, is a challenging anti-war piece, which combines traditional theatre with music and movement. At its heart is one extremely difficult question: what would turn an ordinary mother into a suicide bomber? I spoke to Terry and Sam Harding, who plays Ash, about the work, their inspiration and chat-up lines.

Fragments of Ash is coming to Chapter Arts Centre on 1 & 2 June. Full details of the tour are available at www.fragmentsofash.co.uk

WOWFilm2012: Turksib

With it's opening film, Turksib, WOW Film Festival (@wowfilm) is certainly living up to its name.

Turksib is a 1928 black-and-white documentary. Directed by Victor Turin with a stunning sense of rhythm, it depicts the incredibly harsh conditions of Turkestan and Sibera, and the race to build a train-line between the two that will alleviate their difficulties. It's a very Soviet celebration of the triumph of man and machine over nature. Turksib became world-famous and highly influential, and almost a century later remains a captivating visual experience.

As a special treat, this showing of Turksib (and the following showings in the WOW Festival around Wales) had live musical accompaniment, composed and performed by Bronnt Idustries Kapital. The ethereal music compliments the images so perfectly that it's impossible to imagine the film without it. Altogether a truly hypnotising experience.



WOW stands for Wales One World, a festival which brings the very best cinema from around the world to cinemas across Wales. Now in its 11th year, the festival, directed by David Gillam, is searching increasingly wide for films, introducing works from Lebanon, Mongolia and Africa alongside films from Europe, Latin America and Japan which are now more common in UK cinemas than when the festival began. WOW runs from 22-25 March at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and continues across Wales until 11 April. The full programme is available at http://www.wowfilmfestival.com/2012-programme/ If you can't make it to the festival, I'll be watching as many as I can and reviewing them here.

Shock n Awe presents Muscle @ Sherman Cymru

Muscle is certainly the most unique show I've ever seen. With just five men and minimal costumes and props, the Shock n Awe Performance Co create a whole world of characters; men and women, children and pensioners, priests and murderers. It's a testament to the strength of the cast and the writing that we were completely sucked into these characters' stories, seeing an old woman when really a young man stood before us.

Muscle began as a conversation in a pub between writer Greg Cullen and choreographer Phil Williams about what it means to be a man. Determined to move beyond the stereotype of men from Mars, they set out on a journey across Wales interviewing men from all walks of life and, as Greg explains, "Once they started talking, the most incredible stories poured out of them". One of the greatest strengths of Muscle is the diversity of the anecdotes brought to life so expertly through not just acting but dance, animation (from Kirsty Green) and music (composed by RWCMD student Benjamin Talbott). Some, like the story of an extraordinarily well-endowed grandfather, are laugh-out-loud funny, while many are quite heartbreaking, exemplifying the potential fragility of man. Muscle skilfully danced between these two extremes, joy and sorrow, the one heightening the other. The characters ranged from Welsh miners to a Libyan freedom-fighter turned Cardiff cab driver, children in the Valleys to a gay Brazilian ex-Catholic priest. Each story presented a different interpretation of what it means to be a man, but each was thoroughly engrossing.

Many of the stories revolved around fathers - losing one, meeting one, becoming one. It was very interesting to see how much the father-son relationship, or lack thereof, weighs upon the idea of masculinity. Greg and Phil both lost their fathers during the conception of the show and Muscle is a tribute to them that they would surely have been very proud of.

Although I will never know how it feels to be a man, I was still completely gripped by Muscle, because as Greg and Phil say, it's a very human show. You don't have to be a father, a son, a fighter, to be moved by these stories, nor to be swept away with the technical skill of the performers and creatives. It's truly a production not to be missed.

Muscle continues at Sherman Cymru until 17th March then heads on tour. Full details at www.shocknawe.org.uk. Muscle is constantly evolving so you can add your story on their website and it might well be in a future version of the production. Shock n Awe's next project is Love At First Light, opening at Chapter Arts Centre 8th-19th May - once again you can send them your story and maybe see it on stage.


PS: I had this song stuck in my head the whole time I was writing this...

Connie Fisher interview

Going through my old shows recently, I realised that I never posted my interview with Connie Fisher from November last year. I caught up with her just before a recording of the comedy panel show What's The Story? for BBC Wales. We talked about what makes Wales special musical and she was also very candid about her health problems and future ambitions.



I look forward to seeing her in Wonderful Town at the Wales Millennium Centre in the summer.

Act One presents White Crow @ The Gate Arts Centre

An ancient tale transformed into a thoroughly modern, thought-provoking piece about 21^st century Britain and identity politics.

“What will happen to Wales in the case of Scottish independence?” It’s a question posed by many academics here at Cardiff University, and one which fuels Act One’s latest production, White Crow. The premise is that forty years in the future, Scotland and Ireland have gained independence - the former peacefully, the latter through terrorism – leaving Wales to be walked all over by England. Ruled ever more strictly by Westminster, Wales becomes increasingly destitute, giving rise to radical nationalist groups. White Crow explores difficult questions like where is the boundary between nationalism and being proud of your country, and just what is best for the future of Wales.

White Crow, however, started life as the Branwen branch of the Mabinogi, the foundational myth of Wales. The myth tells of Bendigeidfran, King of Wales, his brother Efnissien, and their little sister Branwen (Welsh for White Crow). Branwen marries the Irish leader Matholwch who imprisons and tortures her, so her brothers, with the help of Pryderi must fight to free her.  Under the guidance of director Aled Bidder and production manager Ellen Green, over ten months of preparation, improvisation and editing, the myth was transformed into a remarkable play which combined hard-hitting political commentary with a deeply personal story. The main characters and plot points remain, but this time Ben, Niss, Branwen and Father Pyrderi are involved in a much larger struggle for national self-determination. Many new characters have also been added, including the sibling’s parents Eirlys and Llyr, and their friend turned political opponent Bran Lloyd who serves as catalyst for much of the play’s political philosophising.

The long preparation process and strict editing (which I believe caused a few arguments at the time) ensure that this unique, original and collaborative play is consistently engrossing. Pacing is often a problem with Act One plays, which usually feel far too long, but White Crow was kept tight whilst tying together many diverse plot strands. Particularly effective was the clever use of temporal shifts, flashbacks of Bran in his early days with the movement and relationships with Eirlys and Llyr interwoven with Ben’s assent in the nationalist movement. The juxtaposition of the two periods really added to the sense of Bran’s heartbreak and regrets, although they did seem to perplex some audience members - a fault of the audience not Act One I believe!

More than just a great script, however, the production brings together an extremely talented cast and creative team. Right from the beginning, Act One successfully create an oppressive atmosphere symbolic of the political climate, encapsulated in the black crows that constantly surround the stage. Like many other audience members, I was genuinely frightened when I walked into an almost black auditorium and found myself face to face with a giant crow. Apparently many hours of rehearsal and improvisation were dedicated to perfecting the birds, but it certainly paid off! Besides avian impressions, much of the power of this production comes from the very strong central performances of Greg Davies (Ben), Ben Atterbury (Niss) and particularly Alex Mann, who really stood out for me as disillusioned politician Bran Lloyd. In fact, the whole ensemble seemed the strongest Act One cast that I have seen, bringing to life the strong emotions and high drama of the script with subtlety. They were also very versatile, with some beautiful singing (particularly James Rollinson) and once again proving Act One’s stage fighting prowess, although some of the cast could do with a bit more work on their accents (especially Irish ones)!

The production received a well-deserved standing ovation and it’s not hard to see why. White Crow is in a league of its own when it comes to amateur productions, both in terms of the performances and especially the quality of the writing. Act One pull off a real achievement with this production, combining gripping entertainment with serious political commentary. I will be recommending it to my Nationalism professor and to anyone who wants to see an exciting, engrossing new production. 

SHOWING AT THE GATE ON 2-4 MARCH 2012.

Open House @ Sherman Cymru

Today I braved the snow to visit the Sherman Cymru's Open House, along with a large crowd who had gathered to celebrate the reopening of what is so much more than a theatre.

The Sherman Cymru (www.shermancymru.co.uk) was originally opened in 1973 as part of the University of Wales and has since been through many guises, but has always been at the heart of the local community. In February 2010 the Sherman closed for a £6.5million redesign to create a space that would really cater for the community's needs. Beyond its spectacular new façade and much improved seating for the utmost comfort during performances, the new building was designed to create a space where people of all ages and walks of life could come and be creative. There is a new café/bar area with free Wi-Fi so the Sherman can be a space to gather and discuss or a retreat to focus on work. Moreover, the new writing and rehearsal spaces mean the Sherman can continue and improve its role as a key centre for new creative work, particularly in Welsh.

One of my favourite parts of the new building is the memory wall, where anyone can add a note or a picture about what the Sherman means to them.

It was heart-warming to see that this theatre has such a special place in so many people's lives. I particularly liked the letters like the one below (sorry it's so fuzzy), where people said they went on their first dates with their future spouses at the Sherman. I hope that the new building will provide even more of these special moments for years to come.

While I was there, I spoke to Suzanne Carter, PR & Campaigns Manager, who told me more about the new building and what to expect from the next season:

I also asked some long-time patrons what they thought of the new Sherman:

Special thanks to Deryn Tudor for her lively and informative tour, and all her help with lost keys!!

Gareth Gwynn on The Pantheon of Heros

Last night I went to a live recording of a BBC Wales comedy radio show called The Pantheon of Heroes. The premise of the show is that comedian Elis James and his side-kick Ben Partridge go through the canon of great Welshmen and women trying to work out who's the most interesting. While it's packed with facts, it's also surprisingly funny - it is after all a comedy show, not a piece for BBC Learning.

Today I caught up with Gareth Gwynn, who writes the show with Elis and Ben, to discuss the writing process, as well as his own personal Welsh heroes.

 Gareth Gwynn on Pantheon of Heroes by Never A Frown

The Pantheon of Heroes will be on BBC Wales from Friday 13th January 2012.