CWMNI THEATR ARAD GOCH started in 1989 with one phone, two Amstrad computers, 6 people and a cold, damp, dirty rehearsal room! This year the company celebrates its 25th anniversary in its £3 million multipurpose production house in Aberystwyth, probably the best independent facility in Wales for the creation of art for young audiences...yes it’s come along way and still going strong! CWMNI THEATR ARAD GOCH was set up by it’s Artistic Director Jeremy Turner after two companies Theatr Crwban and Cwmni Cyfri Tri united. From the outset, the company’s main aim was to produce high quality and contemporary work for children and young audiences. Today, its work is performed in theatres, schools, community venues and youth centres to some 25,000 each year. In 2008, the £3 million development project on the old Bath Street Vestry and Chapel was completed and as a result Arad Goch had a new home which allowed them to develop and perform their work. It also enabled Arad Goch to share their experience and their facilities with other people. The company’s director, Jeremy Turner, says ‘If we want to create the best possible art for the best audience – children and young people – our artists need the best facilities and resources’. The company has developed its centre as a creative community, used by other artists, including 3 resident artists, other companies, students, members of the local community especially young people, and international artists with whom the company collaborates including the current intern, Eliot Moleba, a young director and writer from South Africa”. Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch now employs 8 permanent staff members, but it often employs up to 25 people due to its busy touring schedule, its participatory work and the fact that the Company is the Welsh delivery partner for Somewhereto_ an UK wide project which enables young people to access space to create their own projects. “I’m running a business so we’ve tried to respond to changes - in public expectations and national policy for the arts and education – when planning our work; but we also place great importance on the role of the independent artist as an instigator and creator – and we encourage the development of new ideas and the creation of new work”. Jeremy Turner The company has always been known for its high standard of contemporary theatre to young Welsh speakers. However its English output has grown and it’s now one of only a few fully bilingual arts organisations in Wales: ‘I’m aware that very little art is created in Wales specifically for non-Welsh-speaking young people: so denying them part of their cultural identity. The company’s recent productions of Sexting and Stones toured extensively in both languages and a multimedia production currently in development, Outsiders, will tour in both languages this Autumn’. One of the company’s unique roles is the organisation of the biennial AGOR DRYSAU-OPENING DOORS – Wales International Festival of Performing Arts for Young People. Through this festival the company brings some of the best in world theatre to Wales and promotes its own and other Welsh productions to an international market. ‘I totally believe that Welsh culture is strong enough to stand alongside other world cultures and that we have to see ourselves in an international context – linguistically, creatively and culturally.’ Due to the success of this Festival, Arad Goch has performed in many foreign festivals and theatres – from Seattle in the West to Singapore in the East; last year it performed in Russia and Tunisia and this year will visit South Korea and Slovakia with a show for small children and families Where the Leaves Blow. ‘It is fascinating how good art, for a specific type of audience, can travel‘, says Jeremy Turner ‘but also how the play is interpreted differently according to the context and tensions of each country’. Despite its success in Wales and abroad, the company has always had to work hard to persuade the Cardiff-centric media to take note of its work: ‘They see a Welsh name, from Aberystwyth and think it’s foreign,’ says Jeremy; ‘It’s about time the English press and media in Wales paid more attention to Welsh language work just as the Welsh-language press and media cover English work. We’re all in one country.’ The company is fortunate to have the support of many partners, the most important being the Arts Council of Wales and the county councils. ‘We are very lucky to have the support of the Arts Council. Public funding is not a right – we have to earn it by maintaining artistic standards, innovation and good business practice. The Arts Council does an important and difficult job with limited funds: it doesn’t always get things right, but we respect its role and enjoy creative dialogue with Arts Council staff.’ Other organisations with which the company has collaborated during the past 25 years include the BBC, the National Library of Wales, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire Museums, the NSPCC, The British Council, The Welsh Books Council, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Basic Skills Wales, The ARK Dublin, GLOR Arts Centre in Ennis, Tamakk-za from Japan, and Zeal Theatre Australia, Mudiad Meithrin, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and other theatres and arts centres across Wales. What will the next 25 years bring to the world of theatre and to Arad Goch?! “The main area we are exploring at the moment is digital media and how we can use this alongside live performances. This and many other issues are being discussed in the seminars during this years’ AGOR DRYSAU-OPENING DOORS festival. The Festival starts on the 1st of April and this is our official birthday!” In order to celebrate with the best, Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch have invited old and new friends; performers, directors and promoters from 8 countries to this years Festival “The festival is a full programme of performances from 8 countries, seminars, workshops, lots of talking and some singing! This is a special birthday so we’ve invited friends from all over the world to perform, discuss and, hopefully, to take a little part of Wales back to their own countries” The birthday celebrations will continue throughout the year as the Company will tour its biggest and most ambitious production to date this summer; Mordaith Anhygoel Madog which is part of a multi platform project for children and families. ‘When I look back and as I look forwards I’m certain that whatever the future will bring I know that I have the best job in the world!”. Jeremy Turner See www.aradgoch.org and www.agordrysau-openingdoors.org.uk for all details |
| Arad Goch web site: www.aradgoch.org |
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Monday, March 17, 2014 |
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