| “Art, if it’s about anything, is about saying the difficult thing" |
Theatre in Wales: Comment |
| Playwrights, Directors, Critics , Arts and Culture of Wales , September 15, 2021 |
This sequence followed no path other than to respond to events as they occurred. Previous summaries and guides can be seen below.The period 2016-2018: 27 August 2018 Flying Bridge, Seiriol Davies, the Sherman in Edinburgh “Productions went on to be seen and to win nominations and awards. “Not About Heroes”, “the Revlon Girl”, “Sugar Baby” and “How to Win Against History” were in the lead.” 03 July 2018: Arrival of Radio Wales' “the Review Show” “The Review Show is a new monthly discussion about the arts in Wales. I think it also stands as a marker for a change in attitude from BBC Wales to the way arts is covered here. I was given a very clear brief, and it was to deliver a serious, thoughtful, engaged, but accessible show about the arts... Serious and accessible. Discussion that is worth listening to for it’s own sake, whether you have any interest in the subject or not.” 05 March: 2018: Neil Docking award for “Revlon Girl” "It has been a remarkable journey by any count for Maxine Evans and Neil Docking. Neil Docking's win shows that a play of Wales is capable of competing with the best of London. The reasons are several...the first is courage." “Wales has a theatre of a quality and a scale that belies its size. No community of three million in the world has a larger. It is a record in which all concerned should take pride.” 25 December 2017: Ten years of Reviewing “Seymour was played by another Aberystwyth school pupil, “geeky to his fingertips”. The review also noted a fine sense of timing. A year later the Cambrian News ran a story that he had won a place at RADA. Many an actor of Wales needs a name change for Equity purpose. The actor who played Seymour Krelbourn that year had a name that was distinctive enough not to require a change. Taron Egerton he was then and Taron Egerton he is now. 21 December 2017: Simon Harris, Matthew Bulgo, Meredydd Barker, Tim Rhys Speaking Matthew Bulgo: “there are so many promising playwrights in Wales and so few opportunities for them to get their work produced on a Welsh stage.” Meredydd Barker: “...there are communities in Wales that aren’t addressing their faultlines and if theatre can’t point that out then it doesn’t deserve to call itself art because art, if it’s about anything, is about saying the difficult thing.” 20 December 2017 Critical deficit in Wales a Result of Media Deficit “We have allowed others to set the terms of debate for crucial things (like bilingualism) that we should have framed for ourselves long ago. What’s heartbreaking and infuriating (in equal measure) is that we are better placed to frame an intelligent debate...Wales has insufficient self-confidence, belief and leadership to speak out and to challenge hideous misrepresentations in an effective and constructive manner.” 28 August 2016 Awards and Plaudits at Edinburgh “Thus the observer made no reference to acting, theme, direction, lighting, design or sound. In its place he inserted a rampaging solipsism. The words “I”, “me” and “my” featured thirty-one times. The review hovered on the borders of illiteracy with misspellings and the omission of capitalisations. Better then to follow the old precept: “if you have nothing to say then don’t say it.” 01 February 2016 At the Wales Theatre Awards Terry Hands’ award for the lighting of “Hamlet” is received by Lee Haven-Jones. Bizzy Day is a name so great it should be copyrighted. She is part-architect in 2015 of the work that took best production, best director, best male actor and best English-language playwright.”. 02 January 2016 Criticism Variety and Groupthink “A reviewer dredged up the notion of the passive audience. This is a piece of groupthink which promotes the bubble of a view that artistic superiority is conferred upon an audience on two legs. It relies on confusion. Mistake metaphor for reality and the result is muddle. The fourth wall is a metaphor and not even a good one given that a wall for instance does not permit the free flow of sound and image. Actors know whether an audience is passive or not.” |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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