Measure for Measure Theatre Review

A Young Critics view of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure at the Provincial in Cardiff Bay by Sherman Cymru.

Black, White and those murky shades of grey

“Like for like, Measure for Measure”

Shakespeare’s measure for measure can be seen as a social commentary of 1604 dealing with issues within humanity. Yet for that, the very essence of play still resonates in modern society, and the focus in this production is the dealings with personal and public morality and sexuality to the politics of power: how little the Duke does to stay in power and then when Angelo has power his changes create his downfall. The original play deals with those topics but as mercy, justice, truth and the bond each has with pride and humility: asking where along the path do you fall and if any stance that you take is right. The difference is simply that today the shades of grey take precedence instead of a 16^th century clear cut black and white. Looking at the history and the evidence Measure for Measure provides, social and religious unrest exists now as it did then, just on a far larger scale, as does political scheming. It all prompts the question: how much could we learn if we looked at the lessons history gives us?

Walking into the theatre space you are greeted by opulence and luxury: everything in red from velvet drapes to satin seat cushions and red carpet. The ‘haze’ used during the production added to the overall atmosphere, particularly as ‘opium haze’ and such things were common place in the whore house and ‘parlours’ of the Medieval world.  As much as it created an extra element of authenticity I wasn’t keen on the haze: it came in waves, often overpowering: I felt that a lesser dose would have been better but at least they warned us before we went into the production. Ascending the stair’s the room opens out before you, white marble column’s rising to the roof, displaying the age and grandeur of the building – the Provincial being a bank in earlier times. The audience is seated in tiers around the central stage looking down on the performers. The production is full of sensuality and grace, the costume’s are revealing, the casts movements and poses are sexually inviting, there is dancing at certain points as the Saxophone player fills the room with this bluesy, sensual music.

With this version of the play the number of cast does not measure up to the number of characters taking part. Of the eight performers, five have two parts to play and to differentiate between each one subtle costume changes and clear accent differences occur: Lord Angelo becomes Mistress Overdone by draping sparkly material over the arms - much like a lady holds out the ends of her skirt – and the crisp upper class accent melts in to the lilting musical welsh accent. All the actors use the variation between the crisp upper class and the Welsh accent to differentiate their characters; of course some have stronger Welsh accents than others. In the limited space that the Provincial provides there was little if no space to change costumes behind the scenes, so a character’s representation had to be far more subtle, this is where accents play a great part and also to give actors character’s with opposing gender’s and personalities: Eiry Tomas playing the gentle Julietta and the bawdy Lucio. Productions that employ this technique can become difficult to follow but with the techniques used, my advice is to bear with it and the further you are drawn into the play the quicker it snaps into place.

As one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, unlike the populist Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet or Macbeth it is a play of multiple faces with brilliant comedy and heart wrenching tragedy, it is as if the play has never made up its mind whether to side with the bawdy sexual humour or to dive into the tragedy. Yet in doing that it enthrals you even more: endearing the sinful characters and the audience dislikes the ‘pure’ character – introducing shades of grey into Angelo’s white and the Duke’s black portrait.

Is the path to hell paved with good intentions?

Leaving his city in the hands of piously minded powerful Angelo, the Duke goes into hiding as a Friar (there are two in the original play, one a proper friar, the other the Duke), and he observes Angelo bringing back the old laws: banning sex and brothels. As part of his intentions to clean up the city Angelo condemns a man to death (Claudio) as Claudio has made Julietta, his lover, pregnant.

Yet Angelo’s purity is questioned when Isabella appears, she is the innocent novice begging for her brother’s life, Angelo is tempted by Isabella – her purity and innocence, and he suggests that Claudio’s life could be saved if she will sleep with him. Also when the wrongs he has done Mariana are revealed by the Duke as Friar.  When the Duke is finally discovered as the Friar he has final judgement, forcing Angelo to marry Marianna as he should have many years ago and giving Isabella the right to demand Angelo’s life for Claudio’s life:

Duke Vincentio:

“...but as he adjudged your brother,--
Being criminal, in double violation
Of sacred chastity and of promise-breach
Thereon dependent, for your brother's life,--
The very mercy of the law cries out
Most audible, even from his proper tongue,
'An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!'
Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure;
Like doth quit like, and MEASURE still FOR MEASURE...”

Claudio has not died – a likeness of him has gone in his place, but only the Duke knows this, even so Isabella does not bow to pressure to have Angelo’s life forfeit and is rewarded by the appearance of her brother. What is truly a piece of political scheming is the Duke’s request to marry Isabella at the end, his scheming and plotting as the Friar and his political clout as the Duke has cleared the path for him to do this.

The production stays true to Shakespeare’ s language – I am encouraged when I find they have kept the language as true as possible, translating it into the truly modern English takes away from what Shakespeare is meant to be, the history and the gift it is to the literary cannon. I accept that there will always be interpretations, they are a good way of exploring old themes in new ways and are often good productions – maybe I’m just a sucker for tradition, even if I still haven’t made my way through all of Shakespeare’s plays quite yet. I’ll get there one day.

I bumped into an old lecturer at the play; he is the dramaturge for the production (DJ Britton) which was an excellent surprise: it is nice to see people I know at productions, I feel like I am doing the right thing and getting on with it. 

This production has been a fantastic version of Measure for Measure; everything has been done well and even with the revamps to fit an eight member cast and the focus on the modernity of the issues. The production is on until 5^th December at the Provincial by Sherman Cymru.

Measure for Measure

Black, White and those murky shades of grey

“Like for like, Measure for Measure”

Luxury and Opulence, all in red

Shakespeare’s measure for measure can be seen as a social commentary of 1604 dealing with issues within humanity. Yet for that, the very essence of play still resonates in modern society, and the focus in this production is the dealings with personal and public morality and sexuality to the politics of power: how little the Duke does to stay in power and then when Angelo has power his changes create his downfall. The original play deals with those topics but as mercy, justice, truth and the bond each has with pride and humility: asking where along the path do you fall and if any stance that you take is right. The difference is simply that today the shades of grey take precedence instead of a 16^th century clear cut black and white. Looking at the history and the evidence Measure for Measure provides, social and religious unrest exists now as it did then, just on a far larger scale, as does political scheming. It all prompts the question: how much could we learn if we looked at the lessons history gives us?

Walking into the theatre space you are greeted by opulence and luxury: everything in red from velvet drapes to satin seat cushions and red carpet. The ‘haze’ used during the production added to the overall atmosphere, particularly as ‘opium haze’ and such things were common place in the whore house and ‘parlours’ of the Medieval world.  As much as it created an extra element of authenticity I wasn’t keen on the haze: it came in waves, often overpowering: I felt that a lesser dose would have been better but at least they warned us before we went into the production. Ascending the stair’s the room opens out before you, white marble column’s rising to the roof, displaying the age and grandeur of the building – the Provincial being a bank in earlier times. The audience is seated in tiers around the central stage looking down on the performers. The production is full of sensuality and grace, the costume’s are revealing, the casts movements and poses are sexually inviting, there is dancing at certain points as the Saxophone player fills the room with this bluesy, sensual music.

With this adaptation of the play the number of cast does not measure up to the number of characters taking part, nor to Shakespeare's orginal much longer cast list. Pared right down, five of the eight performers have two parts to play and to differentiate between each one subtle costume changes and clear accent differences occur: Lord Angelo becomes Mistress Overdone by draping sparkly material over the arms - much like a lady holds out the ends of her skirt – and the crisp upper class accent melts in to the lilting musical welsh accent. All the actors use the variation between the crisp upper class and the Welsh accent to differentiate their characters; of course some have stronger Welsh accents than others. In the limited space that the Provincial provides there was little if no space to change costumes behind the scenes, so a character’s representation had to be far more subtle, this is where accents play a great part and also to give actors character’s with opposing gender’s and personalities: Eiry Tomas playing the gentle Julietta and the bawdy Lucio. Productions that employ this technique can become difficult to follow but with the techniques used, my advice is to bear with it and the further you are drawn into the play the quicker it snaps into place.

As one of Shakespeare’s slightly less well known plays, unlike the populist Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet or Macbeth it is a play of multiple faces with brilliant comedy and heart wrenching tragedy, it is as if the play has never made up its mind whether to side with the bawdy sexual humour or to dive into the tragedy. Yet in doing that it enthrals you even more: endearing the sinful characters and the audience dislikes the ‘pure’ character – introducing shades of grey into Angelo’s white and the Duke’s black portrait.

Is the path to hell paved with good intentions?


Lord Angelo accepts the Duke's handing over of power

Leaving his city in the hands of piously minded powerful Angelo, the Duke goes into hiding as a Friar (there are two in the original play, one a proper friar, the other the Duke), and he observes Angelo bringing back the old laws: banning sex and brothels. As part of his intentions to clean up the city Angelo condemns a man to death (Claudio) as Claudio has made Julietta, his lover, pregnant.

Yet Angelo’s purity is questioned when Isabella appears, she is the innocent novice begging for her brother’s life, Angelo is tempted by Isabella – her purity and innocence, and he suggests that Claudio’s life could be saved if she will sleep with him. Also when the wrongs he has done Mariana are revealed by the Duke as Friar.  When the Duke is finally discovered as the Friar he has final judgement, forcing Angelo to marry Marianna as he should have many years ago and giving Isabella the right to demand Angelo’s life for Claudio’s life:

Duke Vincentio:

“...but as he adjudged your brother,--
Being criminal, in double violation
Of sacred chastity and of promise-breach
Thereon dependent, for your brother's life,--
The very mercy of the law cries out
Most audible, even from his proper tongue,
'An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!'
Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure;
Like doth quit like, and MEASURE still FOR MEASURE...”

Claudio has not died – a likeness of him has gone in his place, but only the Duke knows this, even so Isabella does not bow to pressure to have Angelo’s life forfeit and is rewarded by the appearance of her brother. What is truly a piece of political scheming is the Duke’s request to marry Isabella at the end, his scheming and plotting as the Friar and his political clout as the Duke has cleared the path for him to do this.

The production stays true to Shakespeare’ s language – I am encouraged when I find they have kept the language as true as possible, translating it into the truly modern English takes away from what Shakespeare is meant to be, the history and the gift it is to the literary cannon. I accept that there will always be interpretations, they are a good way of exploring old themes in new ways and are often good productions – maybe I’m just a sucker for tradition, even if I still haven’t made my way through all of Shakespeare’s plays quite yet. I’ll get there one day.

I bumped into an old lecturer at the play; he is the dramaturge for the production (DJ Britton) which was an excellent surprise: it is nice to see people I know at productions, I feel like I am doing the right thing and getting on with it.  

This production has been a fantastic version of Measure for Measure; everything has been done well and even with the revamps to fit an eight member cast and the focus on the modernity of the issues. The production is on until 5^th December at the Provincial by Sherman Cymru.

The Wizard, the Goat and the Man Who Won the War

A tale of one man, or a tale of three?

A one off and premiere performance at the Dylan Thomas Festival

Writer/ Director: DJ Britton

Featuring: Richard Elfyn

 David Lloyd George was a man of great talents and great flaws, and in leading a very public life the press named him accordingly.

As the ‘Welsh Wizard’ for his oratory skills, the peoples champion – introducing pensions, national insurance and courage to take the country through its darkest hours in WW1.

‘The Goat’ for all his chapel upbringing he was a compulsive flirt and womanizer, having a long term mistress (later his second wife).

‘The Man Who won the War’: as named in 1918 in the tabloid press.

He started life as a lower class, chapel going Welsh boy from Criccieth who became Chancellor, Minister of War and later the Prime Minister. A champion of the Welsh and British cause, Lloyd George is one of the most documented men in history: from his own forays as a journalist, traveller, his autobiography, the press coverage of his life whilst alive, the countless accounts written of him by friends, family and historians and the numerous performances about him. All this information is a gift for a writer as, more often than not, research on a subject is scarce and here the writer David Britton – in his own words - takes the opportunity to pick “what’s interesting dramatically in his life”, using fact to inform an intricately woven fiction.

A one man play, it opens with Lloyd George sat on a bench in the French resort of Antibes covered in a Union Flag towel.  For the next hour we keep Lloyd George company during his waiting game for the young ‘Chanel girl’ Juliette even though it is supposed to be his 50^th wedding anniversary with Margaret. He talks about events and people in his life; his daughter Mair who died at 17, Frances his mistress and growing up as a child in Criccieth. It soon becomes evident that his life is one large juggling act: between his wife and mistress; his Welsh identity and British image and his role as the people’s protector with his ever increasing wealth. The French cloth makers have made him the Union towel but “oh for a draig goch” (Welsh dragon) he cries at one point. The play is a mix of three languages with the English speech broken up by flashes of Welsh and French and whilst many in the audience may not understand the French or Welsh it adds to the atmosphere and the depth of the character before us. He also breaks into song, Myfanwy being one: singing is a huge part of Welsh culture, more so then with the prevalence of Christian hymns one of his speeches in Wales during the war centres around singing, asking why should we not sing? I’d pick a link on you tube for Myfanwy but there are a lot of them and some are pretty awful - unfortunately I don’t have the technology to extract my decent recording from its vinyl record.  One theme running through the play is the legend of King Arthur and his Knights – he talks to his Uncle Lloyd as a child about the legends, to his daughter Mair about believing in the legends and compares his political partnership with Churchill to King Arthur and Lancelot – Lloyd George as Arthur and Churchill as Lancelot.

Richard Elfyn had the difficult task of holding the performance together without the support of fellow cast members and the end result is brilliant: for a one off premiere performance it was carried off with fantastic flair and if any words or lines were missed out, I couldn’t tell you. Lloyd George as a character animates Margaret, Frances and Mair: Richard pulls it off effortlessly – changing voices for each character. In all humorousness he continued the animation in the question and answer session after, imitating David (who is Australian) rather well.  His costume was fantastic – almost the image of the man he is portraying, down to the cream suit, pocket watch and slightly long hair.

I was utterly sympathetic to the play only being an hour long, firstly for Richard Elfyn’s sake coping with all those lines and that single character productions carry the danger of floundering on the rocks of dramatic tension and momentum. Yet this play, with its carefully crafted devices and props works well. Giving Lloyd George a past and a present allows tension to shift and create drama: moving between his memories and the expectations he carries for the present/future. Winston Churchill and his aides are also at Antibes: Lloyd George is unable to decide who he should approach should Churchill’s men come by or go to his latest ‘flirt’ Juliette when she appears and the knowledge that Margaret expects him back or may even appear at any point. It ends with neither; he is the butt of a joke between Juliette and friends and is ignored by Churchill’s men so returns to the hotel and to Margaret.

I love going to the Dylan Thomas Centre for events and the yearly Dylan Thomas Festival – this is the third year running I have attended at least one event and The Wizard, the Goat and the Man Who Won the War was a closing event for the festival. It is a brilliant place with a staff always willing to help and it would be a disappointment to see anything happen to it – if the rumours DJ Britton mentioned about it going or anything like that are true - even if I always complain there’s no room to move in the theatre’s seats, which there isn’t but I’d rather suffer a discomfort than see a vital piece of the Swansea arts scene disappear.  It has always been an opportunity to catch up with people I no longer see on a daily basis; lecturer’s and friends from the Swansea MA in Creative Writing – often it results in fresh writing tips, welcome encouragement and interesting titbits of information on new reading material.  Talking to David after I explained I was now a young critic and he revealed that being a premiere performance there were no ‘professional’ critics - simply not to put Richard off and also they are unsure as to what is the official next step. For that I am glad I didn’t catch him before hand, even if I am still only finding my feet.

Listening to David and Richard discuss the play after was interesting, as they revealed the organic process by which the play developed – David writing a few pages at a time, Richard reading them and David writing the next few depending on how Richard read each piece. Also that finding out about Lloyd George in Antibes had been a dramatic gift to good to turn down. They spoke about staying away from the ‘historical overview’ that piece’s like this can become and create “our Lloyd George” a fictional creation of their own based on the facts – after all Juliette is an invention.  The piece was excellent and I wish David and Richard all the best in taking it on tour next year, and would see it again just to find out what tweaks or sweeping changes they decide to make. I think that whatever they decide will only make it better.

The Wizard, the Goat and the Man Who Won the War

A tale of one man, or a tale of three?

A one off and premiere performance at the Dylan Thomas Festival

Writer/ Director: DJ Britton

Featuring: Richard Elfyn

 David Lloyd George was a man of great talents and great flaws, and in leading a very public life the press named him accordingly.

As the ‘Welsh Wizard’ for his oratory skills, the peoples champion – introducing pensions, national insurance and courage to take the country through its darkest hours in WW1.

‘The Goat’ for all his chapel upbringing he was a compulsive flirt and womanizer, having a long term mistress (later his second wife).

‘The Man Who won the War’: as named in 1918 in the tabloid press.

He started life as a lower class, chapel going Welsh boy from Criccieth who became Chancellor, Minister of War and later the Prime Minister. A champion of the Welsh and British cause, Lloyd George is one of the most documented men in history: from his own forays as a journalist, traveller, his autobiography, the press coverage of his life whilst alive, the countless accounts written of him by friends, family and historians and the numerous performances about him. All this information is a gift for a writer as, more often than not, research on a subject is scarce and here the writer David Britton – in his own words - takes the opportunity to pick “what’s interesting dramatically in his life”, using fact to inform an intricately woven fiction.

A one man play, it opens with Lloyd George sat on a bench in the French resort of Antibes covered in a Union Flag towel.  For the next hour we keep Lloyd George company during his waiting game for the young ‘Chanel girl’ Juliette even though it is supposed to be his 50^th wedding anniversary with Margaret. He talks about events and people in his life; his daughter Mair who died at 17, Frances his mistress and growing up as a child in Criccieth. It soon becomes evident that his life is one large juggling act: between his wife and mistress; his Welsh identity and British image and his role as the people’s protector with his ever increasing wealth. The French cloth makers have made him the Union towel but “oh for a draig goch” (Welsh dragon) he cries at one point. The play is a mix of three languages with the English speech broken up by flashes of Welsh and French and whilst many in the audience may not understand the French or Welsh it adds to the atmosphere and the depth of the character before us. He also breaks into song, Myfanwy being one: singing is a huge part of Welsh culture, more so then with the prevalence of Christian hymns one of his speeches in Wales during the war centres around singing, asking why should we not sing? I’d pick a link on you tube for Myfanwy but there are a lot of them and some are pretty awful - unfortunately I don’t have the technology to extract my decent recording from its vinyl record.  One theme running through the play is the legend of King Arthur and his Knights – he talks to his Uncle Lloyd as a child about the legends, to his daughter Mair about believing in the legends and compares his political partnership with Churchill to King Arthur and Lancelot – Lloyd George as Arthur and Churchill as Lancelot.

Richard Elfyn had the difficult task of holding the performance together without the support of fellow cast members and the end result is brilliant: for a one off premiere performance it was carried off with fantastic flair and if any words or lines were missed out, I couldn’t tell you. Lloyd George as a character animates Margaret, Frances and Mair: Richard pulls it off effortlessly – changing voices for each character. In all humorousness he continued the animation in the question and answer session after, imitating David (who is Australian) rather well.  His costume was fantastic – almost the image of the man he is portraying, down to the cream suit, pocket watch and slightly long hair.



David Lloyd George 1863-1945



I was utterly sympathetic to the play only being an hour long, firstly for Richard Elfyn’s sake coping with all those lines and that single character productions carry the danger of floundering on the rocks of dramatic tension and momentum. Yet this play, with its carefully crafted devices and props works well. Giving Lloyd George a past and a present allows tension to shift and create drama: moving between his memories and the expectations he carries for the present/future. Winston Churchill and his aides are also at Antibes: Lloyd George is unable to decide who he should approach should Churchill’s men come by or go to his latest ‘flirt’ Juliette when she appears and the knowledge that Margaret expects him back or may even appear at any point. It ends with neither; he is the butt of a joke between Juliette and friends and is ignored by Churchill’s men so returns to the hotel and to Margaret.

I love going to the Dylan Thomas Centre for events and the yearly Dylan Thomas Festival – this is the third year running I have attended at least one event and The Wizard, the Goat and the Man Who Won the War was a closing event for the festival. It is a brilliant place with a staff always willing to help and it would be a disappointment to see anything happen to it – if the rumours DJ Britton mentioned about it going or anything like that are true - even if I always complain there’s no room to move in the theatre’s seats, which there isn’t but I’d rather suffer a discomfort than see a vital piece of the Swansea arts scene disappear.  It has always been an opportunity to catch up with people I no longer see on a daily basis; lecturer’s and friends from the Swansea MA in Creative Writing – often it results in fresh writing tips, welcome encouragement and interesting titbits of information on new reading material.  Talking to David after I explained I was now a young critic and he revealed that being a premiere performance there were no ‘professional’ critics - simply not to put Richard off and also they are unsure as to what is the official next step. For that I am glad I didn’t catch him before hand, even if I am still only finding my feet.

Listening to David and Richard discuss the play after was interesting, as they revealed the organic process by which the play developed – David writing a few pages at a time, Richard reading them and David writing the next few depending on how Richard read each piece. Also that finding out about Lloyd George in Antibes had been a dramatic gift to good to turn down. They spoke about staying away from the ‘historical overview’ that piece’s like this can become and create “our Lloyd George” a fictional creation of their own based on the facts – after all Juliette is an invention.  The piece was excellent and I wish David and Richard all the best in taking it on tour next year, and would see it again just to find out what tweaks or sweeping changes they decide to make. I think that whatever they decide will only make it better.

Secrets? Truths? & Disclosing them to a stranger

Childhood             Forgiveness         Tolerance              Crazy Things

Like ghosts stepping out of the mists of time - instead it is the youth theatre cast approaching our tables from within the inner chapel and altar of St John the Baptist Church. But in the dark with the lighting set just right? It felt eerie yet I was relaxing into my seat. The haunting Russian folk /string music playing enforced that feeling actually enhancing the feeling of stillness that silence would normally bring in a church.

Kontakt 3 is not your average theatre production: pushing the boundaries of theatre as we know it: there no audience separation and you are right there in the thick of it. Singled out, one per table the ‘audience’ await the arrival of the cast - you are left alone with the music and your thoughts unable to converse with friends, family or even swap comments  with a stranger.  In the

blurb handed to participants on leaving Philip Mackenzie (Director) asks the very pertinent question of “How often does an adult sit across the table from a 14 year old and have a meaningful interaction or conversation?” and unfortunately today the answer is likely to be rarely; if ever. Not wanting to be clichéd but Kontakt does what it says on the tin, but it explores how we communicate in an unconventional manner

And to provoke some level of response? Yes.

The first point of contact between people is eye contact. To demonstrate this, a cast member come and sit opposite you, staring/watching you in silence before moving on and a second does the same.

Second is conversation: a third person comes and sits with you striking up conversation. Mine, a friendly young gentleman who wasn’t that much younger than me, asked me to tell him about myself and it turns out we had interests in common. Too be honest being of a similar age I wasn’t too surprised yet if an older adult was in my seat I doubt they would expect to have similar interests.

The third step in this process was a set of cards each having a topic or phrase to initiate specific conversation, whilst this is a somewhat forced way of interacting it opens doors for individuals to open up to a stranger or connect over similar situations. Here she held my hand in silence before the cards, hiding her face – creating a sense of security before the questions were asked.

In the fourth exploration of communication a girl sat opposite me with pen and paper and we communicated through art, drawing different things on the paper. The end result looked a bit like a child’s drawing of home with a house, sunshine, tree’s and people there were also the mountains of Wales as ‘home’. The music then changed to an Abba classic and everyone was coaxed up to dance: was this the breaking down of barriers now we had communicated? As many people find getting up and dancing difficult (the guzzling of alcohol is usually required in my case)

Last but not least was the ‘interrogation’ as the youngest of my questioners called it – wearing a Poirot moustache of all things, it was a series of probing questions that I had to answer although he was a bit too friendly and encouraging to be Poirot and I struggled not to laugh at the comedy value.

Throughout this process those of the cast who stood behind the chair opposite completed a set choreography that was nothing less than the Macarena in slow motion - though that it was the Macarena didn’t click until after when talking with the other young critics. I was rather unsure as to the point of this choreography initially it did not seem to have a purpose yet now thinking on it each movement was a representation of the open and closed nature of communication: showing open empty hands, hidden palms, hiding faces and arms wide open above heads. Not knowing what to expect at the start I was a little put out by the staring at first, didn’t know where to look and questions like why is she staring? What are they doing? Were running through my head: until I focused and simply stared back. One thing that did make me giggle as well as pause for thought was that on two occasions everyone sat down and the chair opposite me was empty – no one came to fill it for a moment – in those seconds I felt the echoed moments of loneliness I experienced as a young adult and also laughed at being the last one left as usual.

The actors and actresses where certainly brave to keep a straight face complete the piece’s and listen to strangers open up. I really enjoyed the experience and although very different, it was completely worthwhile. If you are given the opportunity to see a production like this go, though expect to divulge your inner most truths and wants and don’t expect to be judged: some are willing to divulge their own feelings and opinions to you to. Think of it as the turn of a priest to confess to the sinner who has been confessing, apt for a church I think.  Kontakt is on for a further day (Sat 6^th November).

KONTAKT 3

Kontakt 3

 Secrets? Truths?  and Disclosing them to a stranger

Childhood

Forgiveness

Tolerance

Crazy Things

Ghosts?

Like ghosts stepping out of the mists of time - instead it is the youth theatre cast approaching our tables from within the inner chapel and altar of St John the Baptist Church. But in the dark with the lighting set just right? It felt eerie yet I was relaxing into my seat. The haunting Russian folk /string music playing enforced that feeling actually enhancing the feeling of stillness that silence would normally bring in a church.

Kontakt 3 is not your average theatre production: pushing the boundaries of theatre as we know it: there no audience separation and you are right there in the thick of it. Singled out, one per table the ‘audience’ await the arrival of the cast - you are left alone with the music and your thoughts unable to converse with friends, family or even swap comments  with a stranger.  In the blurb handed to participants on leaving Philip Mackenzie (Director) asks the very pertinent question of “How often does an adult sit across the table from a 14 year old and have a meaningful interaction or conversation?” and unfortunately today the answer is likely to be rarely; if ever. Not wanting to be clichéd but Kontakt does what it says on the tin, but it explores how we communicate in an unconventional manner:                                    

All to provoke some level of response? Yes, definately.

• The first point of contact between people is eye contact. To demonstrate this, a cast member come and sit opposite you, staring/watching you in silence before moving on and a second does the same.
• Second is conversation: a third person comes and sits with you striking up conversation. Mine, a friendly young gentleman who wasn’t that much younger than me, asked me to tell him about myself and it turns out we had interests in common. Too be honest being of a similar age I wasn’t too surprised yet if an older adult was in my seat I doubt they would expect to have similar interests.
• The third step in this process was a set of cards each having a topic or phrase to initiate specific conversation, whilst this is a somewhat forced way of interacting it opens doors for individuals to open up to a stranger or connect over similar situations. I turned over 4 cards, the words meaning quite different things to me. Here she held my hand in silence before the cards, hiding her face – creating a sense of security before the questions were asked.
• In the fourth exploration of communication a girl sat opposite me with pen and paper and we communicated through art, drawing different things on the paper. The end result looked a bit like a child’s drawing of home with a house, sunshine, tree’s and people there were also the mountains of Wales as ‘home’. The music then changed to an Abba classic and everyone was coaxed up to dance: was this the breaking down of barriers now we had communicated? As many people find getting up and dancing difficult, lots of cider is usually required in my case. 
  

 Speak in silence, in ink.

   Can you dance? Show me...

• Last but not least was the ‘interrogation’ as the youngest of my questioners called it – wearing a Poirot moustache of all things, it was a series of probing questions that I had to answer although he was a bit too friendly and encouraging to be Poirot and I struggled not to laugh at the comedy value.

Throughout this process those of the cast who stood behind the chair opposite completed a set choreography that was nothing less than the Macarena in slow motion - though that it was the Macarena didn’t click until after when talking with the other young critics. I was rather unsure as to the point of this choreography initially it did not seem to have a purpose yet now thinking on it each movement was a representation of the open and closed nature of communication: showing open empty hands, hidden palms, hiding faces and arms wide open above heads. Not knowing what to expect at the start I was a little put out by the staring at first, didn’t know where to look and questions like why is she staring? What are they doing? Were running through my head: until I focused and simply stared back. One thing that did make me giggle as well as pause for thought was that on two occasions everyone sat down and the chair opposite me was empty – no one came to fill it for a moment – in those seconds I felt the echoed moments of loneliness I experienced as a young adult and also laughing at being the last one left as usual.

The actors and actresses where certainly brave to keep a straight face complete the piece’s and listen to strangers open up. I really enjoyed the experience and although very different, it was completely worthwhile. If you are given the opportunity to see a production like this go, though expect to divulge your inner most truths and wants and don’t expect to be judged: some are willing to divulge their own feelings and opinions to you to. Think of it as the turn of a priest to confess to the sinner who has been confessing, apt for a church I think.  Kontakt is on for a further day (Sat 6^th November).

Kontakt 3 is at St John the Baptist Church in Canton until 6th November 2010

performed by Sherman Cymry Youth Theatre

Photos by Andy Hammer

Bay Lit Festival Shock of the New

Over the weekend I scouted out the Bay Lit Festival - something I have been looking forward to since I came across it last year. It is a literary festival held over two weeks and it’s a chance for the authors, artists and publishers of Wales to showcase their talent on home soil and discuss topics central to welsh literature. Events take place across the modern, popular environment of Cardiff Bay: a centre of artistic and creative events and the home of the Wales Millennium Centre. 

Of the events I attended, Shock of the New proves an apt title for this Bay Lit Festival and not simply because the titles launched are new. Those new titles I was tempted with are a mix of innovation, challenge and certainly unusual in some cases, they should provide an exciting year for Welsh literature and entertainment for the reader. Listen, and for all the newness that abounds in these titles, the past gets a nod: after all there is no future without a past.

Thurs 28^th: New Stories from the Mabinogion launch by Seren

Outside of Wales and even to some Welsh the Mabinogion is an unknown so firstly: the book is 11 stories from early British history from the Red book of Hergest and the White book of Rhyderch but brought to prominence as the Mabinogion in the 1800’s by Lady Charlotte Guest. The stories give us the ancient perspective of the Arthurian tales; Celtic mythology and the magical belief’s of the British people. For the modern reader the Mabinogion can be a difficult read: the language is dry, its prose frustrating and it often leaves moments important to the narrative that are ripe for emotion as bare facts. Although for all its anarchic qualities it carries a freedom – there are no rules binding it to genre, form or style: the myth chosen by Gwyneth Lewis has Blodeuwydd as a woman created from flowers then turned into an owl as punishment, few writers could put that together even as Sci-fi or magic realism.

Change and tradition were the buzz words at the launch; difficult words to pair up but with a reworking of Mabinogion up for discussion they are central themes. How much danger do retellings carry? Too much change and the essence can be lost, not enough is seen as going over old ground. Seren’s editor Penny Thomas explained the writers were invited to choose a myth, given a deadline and a word count then given free reign – even with full creative control each chosen myth is at the centre of the novellas, this was evident from the readings given by the authors. Owen Shear’s in White Ravens borrows pieces of his myth Branwen’s message too her brother via bird as one example. As a Liverpudlian with Welsh and Irish heritage Niall Griffiths spoke of it as an opportunity to “reassess and rewrite a part of his own history”. Taping into the myth’s narratives unearths the roots of the Welsh and Celtic culture’s; carrying on our storytelling tradition.

We are as bad now as we were then: something of a generalist claim I agree but there is a parallel between the now of the Mabinogion stories and the here and now: a great deal of conflict existed then the only difference is that conflict now exists on a far more global stage. To the British chieftains of the time the Irish and greedy neighbouring kings were the biggest threats. History should teach us the lessons we need to change but Prince’s still head off to war to defend their people and from already leafing through the pages both The Ninth Wave and the Dreams of Max and Ronnie promise to pull in that parallel: from observing the state of the nation to setting it in an almost plausible future.

As a lover of ancient literature I have read the Mabinogion and even though it is a struggle to read it is rewarding. My advice is to just tackle each story one at a time and at your own pace and you will discover the wonders of magic and myth. As something of a devourer of all things Welsh I am certainly looking forward to reading my freshly purchased copies and hope to be as enthralled as I was last night.

Saturday 30^th: Getting Up Launch

Breakfast and Books: a brilliant idea, but at 10am on a Saturday morning? My first thought was adding a bed would be perfect but I doubt many people would  appreciate a) sharing a bed with strangers in a public place, b) going to someone’s house for the event or c) people turning up to a public event in pyjamas no matter how comfortable they were. Though if memory serves, I could name certain individuals who have actually turned up to events or gone shopping in their PJ’s and called it ‘self expression’: 9am lecture’s in my slippers is as far as I’ll ever go. With the early morning moan over and tucking into tea, scrumptious looking pastries, fruit and yogurt (I was good I chose the healthy fruit and yogurt option) I settled into literary and writer esq conversation about the Rhys Davies short story competition – Getting Up the collection of the winning and runner up short stories - with a lovely lady who I’d met whilst getting confused trying to find the location within the Wales Millennium Centre.  It was a tad disappointing to see so few of the runner’s up included in the book attending – only one was there.

Getting up is certainly an innovative piece:  written from a young graffiti artist’s point of view – Sian, as the discussion progressed, talked about art as a form of communication across cultures and time: her own experience with a museum guide whose first language was not English where they ended up communicating via images and the boy in her story falls into a cave coming across cave drawings. Cave drawings being a rare access to a past we know very little about.  Graffiti is much like the short story: short, succinct and often short lived but altogether powerful with an immediate impression. Short stories are slowly gaining more ground in literary circles, but as a form still have to justify their existence in the market far more than the novel even though examining history proves the form is far older – for example the Mabinogion is in a sense made up of ‘short stories’ that came from the oral traditions. They are gaining more prevalence via the Radio: BBC Radio 4 has the 15 minute afternoon reading slot, particularly suited to radio in their paired down, very visual nature where the reader/listener can fill in their own images and imagination.

Saturday 30^th Bright Young Things

A solid walk later I entered the cosy Havannah Bar and was greeted by a friendly, young crowd gathered near the bar awaiting the next event. I have been intrigued by the Bright Young Things and their titles – they blog regularly, or at least try to as author Tyler Keevil admits, and are debut writers that together create a unique support network for each other: a rare thing indeed for the writer. Yet their books seem to come from very different places, a small nugget garnered from the readings given by Suzie Wilde and Tyler Keevil who are in attendance at the event with the Parthian editor Lucy Llewellyn. I appreciated the inclusion of the missing author’s Wil Gritten and James Smythe: giving an appreciation of all the books together particularly as they are being marketed as a group.

One thing that stood out against the other launches was the encouragement of audience participation: ‘quiz’ sheets were handed out at the start and we were encouraged to listen carefully and fill in the sheet as there would be prizes for the winner. This is my meagre attempt: I have left it as I started it (honestly) – my multi-tasking skills have been left wanting between the listening, taking notes and filling in quiz sheets although it was a nice gesture and certainly a good incentive tool to engage with the panel. Goodies were also given out at the end for those who had questions.

One comment made by the audience that there is a common theme running through the books: there is a macabre quality to all the books as each deal’s with darkness and death; yet the writers are all young.  It was certainly evident in the readings as Suzie’s character Amy loses her boyfriend and Tyler’s Razor loses his friend Chris although I will certainly reserve judgement and eagerly devour the books at a near point in the future.

Whilst I have thoroughly enjoyed my weekend of literary events and I certainly wish I could have attended more, one thing that has disappointed me is the timing: the end of the festival clashes with the start of Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Festival. It is an even smaller festival but one just as good and seems to carry more worldly renown and reach. Bay Lit is very much a writer/author and literary orientated event and it would be interesting to see collaboration between Academi and other artistic forms to create a bigger, more modern bilingual festival. The bilingual nature adopted by Academi is fantastic: it encourages the inclusion of all Welsh people: providing a local and international outlook, whereas the yearly Eisteddfod is still very much a Welsh language led programme and difficult to navigate by those of us struggling with the Welsh language. The location is a good one: Cardiff Bay has good parking facilities as well as the numerous places to eat before and after even if the events are spread out – the walk between the Millennium Centre and Havannah Bar felt a bit long after having to search for it. There are maps of the Bay posted on various walls but a map on the website to pin point all the places would have been good.  I do have high expectations for next year, and I am curious to see the theme as Shock of the New has been inspiring and thought provoking. I hope that it has chance to grow and opportunities arise for expansion or collaboration.

As a writer myself I am always on the lookout for idea’s or even inspiration for ideas and listening to the readings and the author’s generally talking has sent me in the direction of a new piece so we shall see what path that takes.

Bay Lit Festival Shock of the New

Over the weekend I scouted out the Bay Lit Festival - something I have been looking forward to since I came across it last year. It is a literary festival held over two weeks and it’s a chance for the authors, artists and publishers of Wales to showcase their talent on home soil and discuss topics central to welsh literature. Events take place across the modern, popular environment of Cardiff Bay: a centre of artistic and creative events and the home of the Wales Millennium Centre.  The festival ran from 25th - 30th October.

Of the events I attended, Shock of the New proves an apt title for this Bay Lit Festival and not simply because the titles launched are new. Those new titles I was tempted with are a mix of innovation, challenge and certainly unusual in some cases, they should provide an exciting year for Welsh literature and entertainment for the reader. Listen, and for all the newness that abounds in these titles, the past gets a nod: after all there is no future without a past.

Thurs 28: New Stories from the Mabinogion launch by Seren



Owen Shears, Niall Griffiths, Gwyneth Lewis &

Russell Celyn Jones



Outside of Wales and even to some Welsh the Mabinogion is an unknown so firstly: the book is 11 stories from early British history from the Red book of Hergest and the White book of Rhyderch but brought to prominence as the Mabinogion in the 1800’s by Lady Charlotte Guest. The stories give us the ancient perspective of the Arthurian tales; Celtic mythology and the magical belief’s of the British people. For the modern reader the Mabinogion can be a difficult read: the language is dry, its prose frustrating and it often leaves moments important to the narrative that are ripe for emotion as bare facts. Although for all its anarchic qualities it carries a freedom – there are no rules binding it to genre, form or style: the

myth chosen by Gwyneth Lewis has Blodeuwydd as a woman created from flowers then turned into

an owl as punishment, few writers could put that together even as Sci-fi or magic realism.

Change and tradition were the buzz words at the launch; difficult words to pair up but with a reworking of Mabinogion up for discussion they are central themes. How much danger do retellings carry? Too much change and the essence can be lost, not enough is seen as going over old ground. Seren’s editor Penny Thomas explained the writers were invited to choose a myth, given a deadline and a word count then given free reign – even with full creative control each chosen myth is at the centre of the novellas, this was evident from the readings given by the authors. Owen Shear’s in White Ravens borrows

pieces of his myth Branwen’s message too her brother via bird as one example. As a Liverpudlian with Welsh and Irish heritage Niall Griffiths spoke of it as an opportunity to “reassess and rewrite a part of his own history”. Taping into the myth’s narratives unearths the roots of the Welsh and Celtic culture’s; carrying on our storytelling tradition.

We are as bad now as we were then: something of a generalist claim I agree but there is a

parallel between the now of the Mabinogion stories and the here and now: a great deal of

conflict existed then the only difference is that conflict now exists on a far more global stage. To

the British chieftains of the time the Irish and greedy neighbouring kings were the biggest

threats. History should teach us the lessons we need to change but Prince’s still head off to war

to defend their people and from already leafing through the pages both The Ninth Wave and

the Dreams of Max and Ronnie promise to pull in that parallel: from observing the state of the nation

to setting it in an almost plausible future.

As a lover of ancient literature I have read the Mabinogion and even though it is a struggle to read it is rewarding. My advice is to just tackle each story one at a time and at your own pace and you will

discover the wonders of magic and myth. As something of a devourer of all things Welsh I am

certainly looking forward to reading my freshly purchased copies and hope to be as enthralled as I

was last night.

Saturday 30 (Morning): Getting Up Launch

Breakfast and Books: a brilliant idea, but at 10am on a Saturday morning? My first thought was adding a bed would be perfect but I doubt many people would  appreciate a) sharing a bed with strangers in a public place, b) going to someone’s house for the event or c) people turning up to a public event in pyjamas no matter how comfortable they were. Though if memory serves, I could name certain individuals who have actually turned up to events or gone shopping in their PJ’s and called it ‘self expression’: 9am lecture’s in my slippers is as far as I’ll ever go. With the early morning moan over
and tucking into tea, scrumptious looking pastries, fruit and yogurt (I was good I chose the healthy
fruit and yogurt option) I settled into literary and writerly conversation about the Rhys Davies short
story competition – Getting Up the collection of the winning and runner up short stories - with a lovely lady who I’d met whilst getting confused trying to find the location within the Wales Millennium Centre.  It was a tad disappointing to see so few of the runner’s up included in the book attending – only one was there.



Rhys Davies Short Story Competition Winner Sian Preece



Getting up is certainly an innovative piece:  written from a young graffiti artist’s point of view – Sian, as the discussion progressed, talked about art as a form of communication across cultures and time: her own experience with a museum guide whose first language was not English where they ended up communicating via images and the boy in her story falls into a cave coming across cave drawings. Cave drawings being a rare access to a past we know very little about.  Graffiti is much like the short story: short, succinct and often short lived but altogether powerful with an immediate impression. Short stories are slowly gaining more ground in literary circles, but as a form still have to justify their existence in the market far more than the novel even though examining history proves the form is far older – for example the Mabinogion is in a sense made up of ‘short stories’ that came from the oral traditions. They are gaining more prevalence via the Radio: BBC Radio 4 has the 15 minute afternoon reading slot, particularly suited to radio in their paired down, very visual nature where the reader/listener can fill in their own images and imagination.

Saturday 30 (Afternoon): Bright Young Things



Parthian Editor Lucy Llewellyn & author's Suzie Wilde and Tyler Keevil



A solid walk later I entered the cosy Havannah Bar and was greeted by a friendly, young crowd gathered near the bar awaiting the next event. I have been intrigued by the Bright Young Things and their titles – they blog regularly, or at least try to as author Tyler Keevil admits, and are debut writers that together create a unique support network for each other: a rare thing indeed for the writer. Yet their books seem to come from very different places, a small nugget garnered from the readings given by Suzie Wilde and Tyler Keevil who are in attendance at the event with the Parthian editor Lucy Llewellyn. I appreciated the inclusion of the missing author’s Wil Gritten and James Smythe: giving an appreciation of all the books together particularly as they are being marketed as a group.

One thing that stood out against the other launches was the encouragement of audience participation: ‘quiz’ sheets were handed out at the start and we were encouraged to listen carefully and fill in the sheet as there would be prizes for the winner. This is my meagre attempt:

I have left it as I started it (honestly) – my multi-tasking skills have been left wanting between the listening, taking notes and filling in quiz sheets although it was a nice gesture and certainly a good incentive tool to engage with the panel. Goodies were also given out at the end for those who had questions.

One comment made by the audience that there is a common theme running through the books: there is a macabre quality to all the books as each deal’s with darkness and death; yet the writers are all young.  It was certainly evident in the readings as Suzie’s character Amy loses her boyfriend and Tyler’s Razor loses his friend Chris although I will certainly reserve judgement and eagerly devour the books at a near point in the future.

Whilst I have thoroughly enjoyed my weekend of literary events and I certainly wish I could have attended more, one thing that has disappointed me is the timing: the festival clashes with the start of Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Festival. It is an even smaller festival but one just as good and seems to carry more worldly renown and reach. Bay Lit is very much a writer/author and literary orientated event and it would be interesting to see collaboration between Academi and other artistic forms to create a bigger, more modern bilingual festival. The bilingual nature adopted by Academi is fantastic: it encourages the inclusion of all Welsh people: providing a local and international outlook, whereas the yearly Eisteddfod is still very much a Welsh language led programme and difficult to navigate by those of us struggling with the Welsh language. The location is a good one: Cardiff Bay has good parking facilities as well as the numerous places to eat before and after even if the events are spread out – the walk between the Millennium Centre and Havannah Bar felt a bit long after having to search for it. There are maps of the Bay posted on various walls but a map on the website to pin point all the places would have been good.  I do have high expectations for next year, and I am curious to see the theme as Shock of the New has been inspiring and thought provoking. I hope that it has chance to grow and opportunities arise for expansion or collaboration.