Arad Goch |
| Arad Goch- Taf;liad Carreg / Stones , YsgolPenweddig Aberystwyth , January 27, 2006 |
| A hithau’n fore ddydd Gwener yn dilyn wythnos hir a chaled o waith, dyma fi’n darganfod fy hun yn eistedd mewn llys barn yn trafod dedfryd dau fachgen ifanc a gyhuddwyd o ddynladdiad wedi iddynt daflu carreg oddi ar bont uwchben traffordd. A’r cwestiwn mawr – euog neu di-euog? Mewn gwirionedd, roeddwn i’n eistedd yn un o nifer yn neuadd Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig yn dilyn perfformiad gonest a dirdynnol gan gwmni Arad Goch o ‘Tafliad Carreg’. Dyma ail-gynhyrchiad Arad Goch o’r ddrama a berfformir gan ddau actor brwd ac egniol sef Iwan Charles ac Owain Llyr Edwards ac mae eu perfformiadau yn ganolog i lwyddiant y ddrama hon. Mae Tafliad Carreg wedi ei selio ar ddigwyddiad go iawn ac ar gymeriadau go iawn ac o ganlyniad i hyn, mae gonestrwydd y sefyllfa yn ymestyn yn ddi-rwystr i galon y gynulleidfa. Mae’r ddrama a ysgrifennwyd gan Tom Lycos a Stefo Nantsou wedi ei selio ar adroddiad papur newydd â’r teitl ‘Boys on Death Charge’ sy’n adrodd hanes dau fachgen ifanc sy’n darganfod eu hunain mewn cythrwfl wedi i chwarae droi’n chwerw. Yn y ddrama, fe’n cyflwynir ni i bedwar cymeriad : dau grwt ifanc, y naill yn bymtheg a’r llall yn dair-ar-ddeg sy’n brwydro yn erbyn cydymffurfiaeth a rheolau cymdeithas ar un llaw; ac ar y naill llaw yn ysu i gael eu derbyn ac i berthyn. Y ddau gymeriad arall yw’r ddau ditectif sydd yng ngofal yr ymchwiliad ac sydd yn rhoi strwythur i’r ddrama. Maent yn gymeriadau gwrthrychol sy’n cyflwyno a gwthio’r ddadl a’r drafodaeth a’i gadael yn benagored i’r gynulleidfa. Mae crefft yr actorion wrth symud o naill gymeriad i’r llall yn syfrdanol a llwyddant i gynnal yr egni yn ddi-ben-draw. Fe’m tywysir drwy’r stori yn gelfydd ac mae arddull fywiog y ddrama yn croesawu ymateb didwyll y gynulleidfa ac mae’r actorion ar eu gorau o gael ymateb gan y bobl ifanc. Mae natur y gofod yn syml dros ben, ac eto, ceir ymgais deilwng i abrofi gyda deinamig y set ac amrywiadau delweddol. Mantais set syml, wrth gwrs, ydy’r agosatrwydd â’r gynulleidfa a dyma un o gryfderau’r cynhyrchiad hwn. Er mwyn cynnal yr agosatrwydd hyn, mae’r actorion wedi creu cymeriadau didwyll, mewn sefyllfa real gan arbrofi â thechnegau dramatig creadigol dros ben. Un o’r uchafbwyntiau personol i mi oedd y rhyddid creadigol oedd ynghlwm wrth y perfformiad. Ni chyfyngwyd yr actorion na’r gynulleidfa yn ystod y ddrama a chafwyd perfformiad llawn egni, cyffro, angst, hiwmor a cherddoriaeth gyfoes oedd ar yr un pryd yn ymdrin â thema a phwnc dwys a difrifol. Dyma un o’r perfformiadau theatr-mewn-addysg prin a lwyddodd i hoelio sylw a diddordeb pob un unigolyn yn yr ystafell drwy gydol y perfformiad ac a daniodd ddadl chwilboeth yn dilyn y ddrama ynghylch dedfryd y ddau fachgen. Dyma i chi berfformiad theatrig pwerus a ffraeth sy’n cwrdd a’r gynulleidfa ar lefel aeddfed a deallusol ac sy’n ysgogi dychymyg y gwyliwr mewn modd cyffrous ac unigryw. Review of ‘Stones’ It’s a Friday morning of a very long and tiring week, and I find myself sitting in a court room discussing the verdict of two young boys who, following an incident involving them throwing stones from a motorway bridge, are accused of manslaughter. The big question being : guilty or not guilty? In fact, I wasn’t in a courtroom at all, I was one of many captivated individuals in Penweddig School hall following an honest and moving performance by Arad Goch called ‘Stones’. This is the second time for the company to perform this play. It is performed by two gripping and energised actors : Iwan Charles and Owain Llyr Edwards and their performances are central to the success of this play. ‘Stones’ is based on a true story an real characters and therefore the truth and reality of the situation is easily accesssible to the audience and we were gripped from the very first scene. The play, which is written by Tom Lycos and Stefo Nantsou is based on a newspaper report entitled ‘Boys on Death Charge’ which recalls the story of two boys who find themselves in a sticky situation after one foolish act. The story is narrated using four main charcters : the two young boys, who are typical teenage boys fighting against conformism and society expectations on the one hand and on the other hand in desperate need of acceptance. The other two characters are the detectives in charge of the investigation who give structure to the play. They are objective characters who skilfully present the argument and discussion arising from the play in a way which leaves it open ended to the audience. The actors’ technique of switching back and forth from the different characters is extraordinary and they successfully maintain the energy throughout the performance. The story is presented exquisitely and the energetic style of the performance welcomes an organic and honest reaction from the audience and the actors are at their best when encouraged by the audience. The nature of the set and space is relatively simple, but there is a conscious effort to experiment with the dynamic of the set and imagistic variations. One of the advantages of a relatively bare set, of course, is the close proximity between audience and actor and this is one of the strengths of this production. In order to maintain this closeness, the actors have created believable characters, in a real situation experimenting with crreative dramatic techniques. A personal highlight for me is the creative freedom throughout the performance. Neither the actors or the audience were restricted in any way, shape or form which resulted in a performance full of energy, excitement, anxst, humour and contemporary music which simultaneoulsy dealt with a gritty and intense subject matter. This was one of the few theatre in education productions which successfully captured the attention of every member of the audience throughout the hour performance and which provoked a heated discussion at the end. This is a gritty and powerful drama which meets the audience on an intellectual and understanding level and which inspires the audience in and unique and exciting way. |
Reviewed by: Carys Mai Lloyd |
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