Cardiff events this week not to be missed

If I were in Cardiff this week, there's a whole load of fantastic cultural goings-on I wouldn't want to miss. However, as I'm going into hospital instead, I'd like to encourage other people to go and then report back to me please!

Poetry Under Pressure - Thurs 24/Fri 25 May 

Academics from my department at Cardiff University - the School of European Languages, Translation and Politics - have invited two East German poets, Uwe Kolbe and Richard Pietraß, for a two-day poetry extravaganza. There's a poetry reading (Thurs 7-8:30, Chapter) and a public colloquium (Fri from 10, EUROS building) featuring interviews, talks from academics and a free lunch, as well as two workshops, one for translators (Thurs 10-12, EUROS building) and one for poets (Fri 3-5, Wales Millennium Centre).

The full programme is available here: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/europ/newsandevents/events/underpressure.html

The Human Library - Sat 26 May @ The Old Library

More from the School of European Languages, Translation and Politics, this time as part of the Transeuropa Festival. The Human Library is like a real library, only the books are humans. People from a whole range of backgrounds with so many different life experiences. 'Readers' sit down with their 'book' and get to know there story. Given that Cardiff is such a vibrant city, I'm sure there'll be lots of people with fascinating stories to tell.

More info is available here: http://www.cardiffstory.com/content.asp?nav=178,228&id=641

The Get Together - until Sat 26 May @ Sherman Cymru

As I've said many times before, one of the great things about Sherman Cymru is its commitment to new writing, and Simon Crowther's The Get Together is another example. Four friends and a few drinks promises to end in 'laughter, betrayal and blood'.

If you go to any of these events (and why not?), please comment and let me know how they went!

Act One & Xpress Radio present Sherlock Holmes & The Hoards of Dracula

This year, Xpress Radio, Cardiff University's student radio station, have shown an incredible dedication to producing diverse content and on Tuesday evening they took on their most ambitious project yet, live radio drama.

Throughout the year, Head of Speech for Xpress, Amanda Cooper, has been working with the university's drama society, Act One to write, record and produce new radio dramas. So far the first episode of The Secret of Alexander (the secret being she's a girl) is up on iTunes, while The Bullingdon Boys is in production. On Tuesday, the whole six episode series of Sherlock Holmes & The Hoards of Dracula, written and performed by Act One members, was broadcast live in a technical feat involving the most microphones in Xpress history. The series will now be edited into podcasts, soon to be available to download (I'll keep you posted with when).

For a story called The Hoards of Dracula, there wasn't a huge amount of the blood-thirsty Count, but a whole range of literary references, from Frankenstein to Murder on the Orient Express. At its core, of course, was the irresistible bromance between Holmes and Watson. The six episodes all had different writers, but ran together well (credit to directors Rob Thomas and Aleks Ford). Each writer did bring their own style to their episode though, and I have to say Aled Bidder's was my favourite, while Darren Freebury-Jones' felt just a touch too repetitive.

The whole thing was incredibly funny - sometimes silly slapstick or scatological humour, sometimes really clever wit. At one point I actually laughed so hard I cried, although that had a lot to do with the unfortunate wardrobe mishap that revealed more of James Davies than anyone wanted to see. They promised nudity in the advert and they almost delivered!

Speaking of Davies, as the titular character, he joked that he'd based his performance on Benedict Cumberbatch, but I found him much more charismatic than the BBC's sleuth. As his devoted companion Watson, Adam Feltham revealed a real comedy talent. He has an incredibly expressive face - not great for radio - but luckily an equally expressive voice.  He also seemed totally unperturbed by having to perform most of the evening in his boxers (Act One's costume department must have a small budget). James 'Rolly' Rollinson was a great choice for narrator, again very funny and with a really strong voice for radio.

I really have to praise the hard work of the whole cast and crew for putting an event like this together to such a high standard, and especially Amanda Cooper and Tom Gerken, without whose dedication none of this would have been possible.

Act One presents Sunrise

While most students are now retreating into exam revision and essays, Act One are still as busy as ever. Not only are they hard at work preparing three productions to take to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (King Lear, Wuthering Heights and The Institute), but they have also just created a brand-new play. Written and directed by English literature student Ben Atterbury, Sunrise is at turns touching and highly entertaining.

Sunrise follows schoolboy Will on the first day of his work experience placement at a care home. Throughout the day he gets to know both the residents and the staff, which teaches him some valuable life lessons and also takes him out of his shell. I was surprised when I looked at my watch after the show and discovered it was only half an hour long as it felt so well-developed. Through this short but very sweet one-act piece, we get to know not only the range of residents and the care-workers but also the sympathies and tensions between them.

On the one hand, Sunrise is very truthful. Sensitive issues like whether to remind someone with Alzheimer’s that a loved one is dead are treated delicately, but also in a factually correct way. There are many touching moments which consider the injustice and tragedy of a parent suffering from dementia, or the loneliness of being forgotten by your children once they’ve put you in a home. But it’s not all bleak, quite the opposite. Sunrise is full of humour. The whole audience was laughing out loud throughout, mainly thanks to the residents who try to keep having fun and show that their life isn’t over just because they’re in a home.

While praise is certainly due to the whole cast and creative team (Mica Jones especially did a great job of aging the actors through hair and make-up), the success of Sunrise comes down to its impressive ability to capture characters and every-day drama. I particularly enjoyed the interaction between the snooty manager Jenny (Alice Thatcher, who did a brilliant job at being an annoying jobsworth) and the volunteer Monica (played with real sensitivity by Ellen Green). The conflict between the one who is just there to earn money and the other who has an unbreakable emotional link to the home (her mother died there and her father, who suffers from severe dementia is still there) is both an engrossing source of drama and another very true-to-life aspect. I also loved how Will (Lawrence Dixon) evolved through the play. At the beginning, he is overwhelmed by everything and looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights, but he gradually gains confidence and learns to deal with difficult situations and turn them into something positive.

Despite dealing with difficult issues, Sunrise is a heart-warming play. A recurring line in the play is “There are good days and bad days”, and the key message of the play is to make the most of the good. I’d like to think that Sunrise will inspire the almost entirely student based audience to reconsider how they view and treat the elderly, as it shows how much can be gained from opening ourselves up to those who society too often writes off. Following the success of White Crow, Sunrise also once again establishes that, beyond performing existing plays, Act One is a great source of new writing. 

Anant Kumar - Poetry Beyond Borders?

"Poetry is what gets lost in translation" - Robert Frost

I'm back from Iceland and have lots to write about that, but first the talk I went to today: Anant Kumar - Poetry Beyond Borders. Kumar is a poet of Indian origin, living, working and writing in Germany. His talk was meant to address how to overcome cultural differences in poetry. It didn't. At least not explicitly. Instead, Kumar read the introduction to his new book, Stories Without Borders, and several poems, in German and English simultaneously (one verse in each language at a time). Then he repeatedly reminded us that he is "not a best-selling author" while asking why people - academics he has never met - have given so much time and effort to translate his work for free. While I wasn't particularly enthralled with Kumar's poetry and disappointed that his talk didn't give me what I expected from it, it nonetheless got me thinking.

Firstly, Kumar's question - while not what the talk was supposed to be about - is an interesting one. Why do people translate for free? Kumar himself suggested that it comes down to funding. There is so little funding for translators to get their work published that they will work for free if it means getting their name in print. This seems a bit cynical for me though. While he's probably right, I like to maintain a more romantic view that people fall in love with texts and want to share them with the world. I know there are many books that I love and would one day like to translate just so that they could reach a wider audience.

Secondly, Kumar unintentionally made an interesting case for poetry beyond borders by talking in German to an audience who he assumed understood the language when many of us didn't. My German is rudimentary at best (aber ich lerne!) but I enjoyed listening to Kumar read his poems in their original language, more so than in English. It made me think that perhaps the sound of words, their rhythm, their intensity can produce a stronger effect than their semantic meaning. It occurred to me then that poetry can escape linguistic borders in a way that no other literature can. Geographical borders are even more easily transcended, as Kumar himself pointed out that his readers are not 'German' but 'German-speaking', be that in Austria, Switzerland, Turkey or indeed a German teacher in the United States.

What about cultural borders then? When asked if he tried to bridge the gap between Indian and German literary traditions, Kumar said that it is not his intention, but he cannot avoid references to India and its culture. He nonetheless insisted that he was a German writer, as he writes and is almost entirely received in German. Does this mean that the language something is written and read in affects how it is read and interpreted? Does reading a language imply certain cultural understanding? Are we returning to Herder's argument that language is an expression of the soul of a people?  That would surely imply that poetry cannot truly transcend borders, but experience would tell me otherwise. As usual, I have no real answers, only questions to ponder.

African Caribbean Society presents AfroGene

We’ve had Malaysian Society’s Festival of Diversity and Asian Society’s Elements, now it’s African Caribbean Society’s turn with AfroGene. ACS is in its infancy and clearly looks up to these longer running societies, hoping that one day their event too will be an established part of the Cardiff University social calendar. Given the quality of this first performance, it certainly looks set to run for many years to come.

One of the best things about AfroGene was the diversity of performances, not just song and dance, but drama, comedy, poetry and fashion too, all delivered with soul, style and lots of skill. After a warm welcome from the ACS President Chez Mundeta and Vice President Tobi Otudeko, the evening properly began with Silvia Anie-Akwetey, Jac Jones and Danny Kasto performing Jailer. The song gave me goosebumps thanks both to the ethereal beauty of Silvia’s voice and the song’s political message about justice and equality. Jac, who provided the guitar for this and three other numbers, was a real revelation for me, infusing his playing with Caribbean rhythms. I loved the variety of songs, from Clinton’s modern, urban This Girl to Kiki’s spiritual Freedom Reigns, all performed with real talent.  

As for the dancing, Funky Ass Dancers can always be relied on for a strong guest performance (their third in eight days), but what really impressed me was the performances by ACS members themselves, both the group dance montage and Oyinda’s Spotlight Dance.  I was equally jealous of and awed by the way the dancers could make their bodies move. The fashion shows (one in each act), reflect the colour and energy of the dancing in the clothes from the Rhian Jack Summer 2012 collection, designed by Sotonye Walson-Jack, and some perilously high shoes.

At the heart of the performance was a short play, Maame Agbeke Comes to Visit, which centres on the culture shock caused when a UK-based family get a visit from a Nigerian aunt. Silvia is clearly one talented woman as not only can she sing, but she also wrote the play. While very funny and well-acted, the play served to raise important issues about identity and belonging in relation to immigrants and their children. The final scene where Sandra (Maame Agbeke’s sister-in-law from the Virgin Islands who she calls a ‘fake African’) explains the difference and similarities between African and Caribbean cultures did feel slightly didactic, but I still appreciated the new insights it gave me into cultures I don’t know enough about. The cast also deserves praise for bringing so much personality to their performances, particularly Daima Aromolaran in the title role and Raymond Lashwayo as her nephew and wannabe-rapper Ayo.

On either side of the play were comedy and poetry, both welcome additions to the more common combination of dance, drama, song and fashion. It seemed to me that local comedian Leroy Brito was trying too hard to be controversial and I personally didn’t find him as funny as he found himself, but he was certainly ticking the right boxes for many people in the audience. It was also good to see someone from Bute Town talking about the experience of people here in Cardiff, something which many audience members could either relate to or learn from. Banwo the Poet, on the other hand, was another highlight of the show for me. His performance of Signs of the Times was mesmerising, both lyrically dextrous and thought-provoking, juxtaposing wealth and poverty, crime and religion, and questioning modern values (find him on Facebook for videos of more poems). The whole evening was rounded off with some delicious home cooked chicken and rice, showing off yet another aspect of African and Caribbean culture.

If I could give ACS one piece of advice for next year (as I am certain that AfroGene will become a permanent fixture): give the show a more spectacular ending. While I enjoyed the fashion show, something more energetic and exciting, like the ACS dance montage, would have seemed a more fitting culmination of the festivities. This is just nit-picking an otherwise incredible show, full of passion and spirit, which demonstrated what a wealth of culture ACS has to offer. Bring on next year’s AfroGene! 

Remember you can find the African Caribbean Society on Facebook and Twitter @CaridffACS 

Celebrating diversity at Cardiff University

As part of Go Global, the annual celebration of cultural diversity at Cardiff University, the Asian Society put on a Bollywood spectacular at the National Museum of Wales. The production comprised traditional dancing, singing (from traditional to pop to rap) and a fashion show, topped off with a delicious three-course dinner.

Here's what I had to say about the production, as well as a backstage interview with Reemia Peters, one of the committee and performers, and a preview of African-Caribbean Society's AfroGene.



UPDATE: I had an interview yesterday (29 Feb) with Tobi from African Caribbean Society about what they do and the show.

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.

Malaysian Society presents Festival of Diversity IX

If you’re like me, you probably know little about Malaysian culture. Well, the Festival of Diversity is the Malaysian Society’s annual chance to change that with a song and dance spectacular - this year, Pahlawan the Musical. For the first time ever the event is taking place at St David’s Hall, giving the society an opportunity to reach a much wider audience.

I say Malaysian culture, but actually Malaysia is a multicultural country, composed primarily of Malays, Chinese and Indians, and all three are represented in the show, both in terms of the cast and the routines. It was a desire to raise awareness of this unique cultural mixture that inspired the first Festival of Diversity nine years ago, as André Lim, former President of Malaysian Society, told me. He explained that back then it was little more than a talent show, a sort of Malaysia’s Got Talent, but over the years it grew into a play and then into its current musical format. It is one of the three key events that Malaysian Society runs throughout the year. While Festival of Diversity focuses on culture, the Cardiff European Games bring together Malaysian students from across Europe for sporting competitions, and an annual Leadership Conference focuses more on business, politics and economics. Through these events, as well as day-to-day activities like mentoring new students, the Malaysian Society works to create a community of Malaysian students, not just within Cardiff, but all over Britain and beyond. The musical is a particular draw for Malaysian students from far and wide; law student Linnie Ooi explains that she came down from Aberystwyth for the show last year and this year has friends visiting from all over Britain for the event.

The main event of the night, Pahlawan the Musical, reinvented the age old folk tale of Hang Tuah, a warrior from the 15th century Malaccan Sultanate, torn between love and loyalty. He has become a hero fighting pirates with his brother, but when the Sultan sends him on mission to procure the beautiful Princess Tun Teja’s hand in marriage, Tuah’s life is turned upside down. This story is told through both drama and song, but I was surprised to find that the songs were not traditional Malaysian pieces, or even new works in that style, but mainly adaptations of songs from popular West End musicals like Wicked and Miss Saigon, and pop hits from Michael Jackson to Coldplay (with two Malaysian pieces thrown in). Nonetheless, I am reliably informed that the incidental music was very typical Malaysian fare and the overwhelming feel of the show, from the brightly coloured traditional outfits to the martial arts fight scenes, was undeniably Malaysian. Moreover, the electrifying dance scenes, a highlight of the show, showed off the diverse styles of the different cultures that make up Malaysia.

On the whole, the cast gave very strong performances considering they are all amateurs. Vingesh Raja as Tuah gave a solid, heart-felt performance (although he did lose himself during the songs in a charmingly overblown way that reminded me of when I sing along to musicals in my bedroom when no-one is watching!). As his brother Jebat, Leon Lee put in a particularly strong performance while Elizabeth Wong as Tun Teja displayed a surprisingly good voice. Comedy relief came in bucket loads from Sivaram Prasad who hammed up the role of Sultan Mahmud, turning him into a perfect pantomime villain. Equally funny and charming was Amanda Chong as the vivacious lady’s maid Suria, whose rendition of I Can Hear the Bells was the best vocal performance of the musical. All in all, despite a tragic ending to the show, my overall impression of it was very cheesy but very fun, I think because the enthusiasm of the cast and their joy in performing was infectious.

However, the musical was not all the Malaysian Society had on offer tonight, but rather sandwiched between two other exciting, energetic performances. The first was from special guests Festival Drums all the way from the University of Liverpool. This was a perfect start to the show, impressively choreographed playing of traditional drums, and I was especially pleased to see that the drummers included a wide range of people, not just Malaysians, showing that the event really is trying to be inclusive. Then after the musical came the Dikir Barat, which seemed to be moment everyone had been waiting for judging by the cheers when it was announced. This traditional seated dance, involving lots of clapping, and accompanying upbeat songs, was a real highlight. It was incredible to see about a hundred Malaysian Society members dancing as one and with so much energy, while the crowd sang, clapped and cheered along.

By the end of the night, I have certainly learnt a lot more about Malaysian culture. I can now recognise traditional music, dress and dance styles, have learnt a key story from Malaysian folklore and even have a few recipes to try out from the programme. But more than that, I feel like I have really learnt something about the spirit of Malaysia. One of the aims of the show was to celebrate “a people, proud, diverse and united despite the apparent differences in creed and colour” and in this aim Festival of Diversity most definitely succeeded. From not just the performers but the audience, the overwhelming passion for their homeland and strength of their community was obvious and inspiring. Directors Stephanie Wong and Aqil Ariffin, as well as the enormous team of performers and crew, deserve a huge congratulations for putting such a successful night together and bringing a little bit of Malaysia to Cardiff. 

Act One Presents King Lear @ YMCA Cardiff 3/2/12

As Act One’s latest production of King Lear was advertised as “a dramatic re-telling of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies”, I was sure it would have been rewritten in modern English, and was pleasantly surprised to instead find that directors Madison Fowler and Piers Horner, with their talented cast and crew, succeeded in their mission to create an engaging Lear for the twenty-first century whilst remaining faithful to Shakespeare’s play.

The idea behind the production was to “bring Lear to a wider audience by heightening the violence and raw power of the text”, updating the story from pre-Roman England to a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where Lear is the leader of a gang of survivors and Gloucester an ex-policeman struggling to adapt to the new world. This background is set out for us in the programme which sadly suggests that the Daily Mail survives the end of civilisation, and brought to life though Mikey Boyle’s minimum yet highly effective set design covered with graffiti including a Banksy-esque Grim Reaper. The nightmarish setting is further enhanced by music composed especially for the production by Nick Cotton (@fblockisadj), a dark mixture of classical and techno that perfectly suited the oppressive mood of the piece.

Given the description in the advertising and the ‘strictly over 18s’ rating, I expected a truly graphic production and Act One did not disappoint. The performance began with the very violent murder of Lear’s eldest son and continued with similar scenes dotted throughout the production which made it seem more immediate and gripping. Act One have certainly been taking their stage fighting classes seriously. However, what should have been the most harrowing scene, the gouging of Gloucester’s eyes, instead was messy and distant because of the decision to pre-film the scene and project it onto the stage. While I understand it would be difficult to make this scene work well live, the projection seemed out of place and distracting from the raw power of the rest of the production.

As for the acting, it was generally quite good, but a bit of a mixed bag. A special mention has to be made for Ellie Hepworth playing the Fool who had to spend half an hour on stage alone keeping in character as we took our seats; it was a tough ask and she dealt with it commendably. The central performance of the play, James Davies in the title role, was strong. He rendered Lear’s descent from powerful leader to madman with sensitivity and subtlety. Lawrence Dixon’s rapper inspired portrayal of Edmund was a particular highlight. It could have been an annoying gimmick but actually really worked and suited the scheming and unhinged character perfectly.  As his half-brother Edgar, Oliver Ferriman was also very impressive.  He combined extreme physicality (there seems to be an Act One tradition following the Panto that every production this year must have at least one almost naked male lead) with a genuinely moving performance. Dom Gwyther, as their father Gloucester, gave a very natural, engaging performance, which is sadly more than I can say for some of the other parts. For me the sign of a good actor is when you forget they have a script and it seems the words they are using are their own. Unfortunately, some of the cast fell into the usual trap when performing Shakespeare of thinking that shouting will make the words make more sense instead of really engaging with them, whereas others were competent but just lacking that essential spark.

   

On the whole, Act One produced an engrossing vision of King Lear, thanks to impressive central performances, set-design and music. Their desire to draw in a new audience to Shakespeare by bringing out the violence and the passion of the play was a clear success, as audience members delightedly professed that the production had made them understand and enjoy this complex play for the first time. I look forward to seeing what they do with Measure for Measure in March.