| A Look-Back and Guide |
Arad Goch |
| Premier Theatre For Young People , Theatre of Wales , January 28, 2024 |
In 2024 Jeremy Turner retired after a long, admired and successful tenure of Arad Goch. Jeremy and colleagues Mari Rhian Owen, Mair Tomos Ifans, George Llyfni, Ellen ap Gwynn and Catrin Hughes founded the company in 1989 when Theatr Crwban, the first Welsh language theatre in education company, and experimental company, Cwmni Cyfri Tri, merged. The decades of the company saw many productions, many in schools, co-productions and the Agor Drysau festival. On 24th January 2024 Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, Arad Goch Board Chair: “Over the years Jeremy has contributed immensely, not only to the field of theatre in education and theatre for children and young people, but also more widely to the fabric of Wales’ artistic culture. One of Jeremy’s main strengths over the years has been the ability to evolve, to reinvent, to collaborate and to be willing to implement new ideas – and this is undoubtedly a strong factor in the company’s longevity...we offer our heartfelt thanks to him” Jeremy Turner: “Three generations of people have now seen the company’s work, and parents and a few grandparents who saw the first productions are now bringing their children and grandchildren to see the latest productions. Theatre is a vital part of supporting children and young people to value their Welsh identity.” “The great experiences I’ve had leading Arad Goch Theatre Company are too numerous to list, and I’m very, very proud of the work we’ve achieved across Wales, and the way a company like Arad Goch has taken on an ambassadorial role in so many countries. Putting Welsh theatre on an international map and inviting international theatre companies to Wales, to collaborate with us at the AGOR DRYSAU festival for example is an important element of our work. The reviews here are a small selection of the company's work. Reviews of productions by Arad Goch below: "Agor Drysau":19 March 2019: 05 April 2008: 19 March 2008: 25 March 2003 “Agor Drysau – Opening Doors” is Wales’ International Festival of Performing Arts for Young Audiences. Arad Goch is the host, presiding spirit and management force of the Festival which takes place every two years. This, the ninth, has a special significance. Those who have travelled to Ceredigion include companies from Spain, France, Belgium. The sponsors are many. They include county and town, Mercator and Arts & Business Cymru. The colourful, excellently produced brochures display the blue background and yellow stars that is the symbol of Europe.” "Old Far Line Festival": 07 August 2017 “Freya Thomas and Barney White have a big wooden circle, nine feet in diameter, distressed in age. It has a bench and a sound system inside and its outside is decorated with shoes, a clockface, a fuse box. On their faces they wear kerchiefs and goggles. Freya Thomas climbs to the top and spies the route with a telescope and the wheel rolls. Circus plays on the border of danger. Their great wheel rolls along the path and the two acrobat-dancers do wild things and do lyrical things.” "To Kill a Machine" 24 April 2016 To Kill a Machine” circles around the central question of consciousness, whether it can be truly achieved extra-somatically. Intelligence is not just adherence to an ever greater complex of rules. Of his fellow defendant in Manchester Turing says “I know the rules. He lied.” To be truly intelligent the machine must know how to lie. That in turn necessitates taking the role of the other, which is the work of observation that can only for the present be made from being in a body. Most of all thought, the working-through of intelligence, is inseparable from feeling.” "Oes Rhaid i mi Ddefro" 24 February 2015 [6 reviews] “Roedd yr actorion yn gwneud i ymarfer llythrennedd, rhifedd a bwyta’n iach ymddangos fel gemau hwyl; gan floeddio’r llinell “get up and play”, mi wnaethant i mi gofio fy mrwdfrydedd fel plentyn i chwarae, a dysgu trwy chwarae – gwers gallwn ddysgu fel oedolyn hefyd efallai!” "Innocent as Strawberries": 11 November 2014 “Innocent as Strawberries” is about what matters for this year of commemoration, the poetry. But a company does not pass a twenty-five year milestone without knowing its audience. The production, devised by cast and director Angharad Lee, surges with physical action, music and the crafted rhythm of performance. It is a touring show heading, after its public unveiling next to the National Library’s own Dylan Thomas exhibition, for the schools of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. It travels lightly with three wooden boxes and a couple of oil drums, put to various and inventive use.” "Crash": 22 January 2005: 20 March 2007 “An involving and an intelligent piece of theatre for young audiences,” “Tafliad Carreg / Stones”: 27 January 2007 “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.” "Confetti": 06 August 2005 “Conffeti yw’r cynhyrchiad mwyaf theatrig, grymus, a chelfydd yr wyf wedi cael y pleser o’i weld yn ddiweddar, ac mae hi’n haeddu cael ei gweld gan lawer mwy na’r gynulleidfa fach oedd yn y theatr yr un noson a mi.” “Llew Lletchwith”: 25 May 2004 “Roedd Theatr y Werin yn llawn plant eiddgar yn disgwyl cynhyrchiad diweddaraf Arad Goch. Addasiad o lyfr Gwyn Morgan oedd y sioe, a chredaf fod addasu llyfrau’n weledol ar lwyfan fel hyn yn syniad ardderchog ar gyfer yr oedran 7-11 oed. Mae’n creu diddordeb mewn llyfrau ac yn sbarduno ambell un i fynd i chwilio am gopi ar silffoedd y llyfrgell.” "Riff": 06 April 2004 “Pwysigrwydd y gwaith hwn yw ei fod yn theatr berthnasol, cyfoes, a deniadol. Mae hon yn sioe galed i’r actor, ac yn un sy’n gofyn am wrando a syllu gofalus gan y gynulleidfa. Ond dyna’r her, i greu gwaith anodd sy’n denu a difyrru ar yr un pryd â phrocio’r meddwl a’r cydwybod. Dyma waith o’r safon uchaf eto gan un o brif gwmnďau Cymru.” "Letus" 17 October 2003: 06 August 2003 “Mae Lis Letus yn gymeriad annwyl iawn, ac mae Sara Harries - Davies yn llwyddo i'w phortreadu yn real tu hwnt. Mae'n gymysgedd o'r dwys a'r digri - ac ambell i olygfa yn codi gwęn, ac ambell i olygfa yn gwneud i ni chwerthin yn uchel. Mae rhywun yn tristau i raddau wrth ddod i adnabod Letus yn well, wrth ystyried ei chefndir, yn enwedig pan mae'n ymbil ar y doctor i'w helpu i derfynnu'r cwbl, a hithau wedi anobeithio byw.” Picture: Innocent as Strawberries” Source for quotations: https://aradgoch.cymru/a-new-chapter-for-arad-goch/?lang=en |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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