| Big Report Published: "Canon of Welsh Writing Invisible and Under-celebrated" |
Arts Policy Report |
| Review into Support for English Language Theatre , Arts Council of Wales , April 10, 2025 |
On 29th March in Aberystwyth two hundred people were on their feet cheering. In London a debut playwright is receiving critical applause without exception. Both productions were from the Sherman, out and away from Cardiff. Company of Sirens is resting up after a tour, north and south, of explosive content. Things, at least some things, are manifestly going right. And on 31st March the report from Jon Gower, promised 27th September 2023, saw the light of day. Joe Murphy leaves for Birmingham with a cracker-jack of a last season. If some things are indeed going right Joe Murphy also left a testament for what it takes. “The artists we’ve worked with are absolutely incredible, we’re telling more local stories with a global resonance and our audience figures are reaching the highest levels they’ve ever been - in terms of volume, diversity and the distances they travel to see our work. "However, the fight to maintain all of that is costing so much on a human level. Our extraordinary staff and artists are having to work over capacity to be able to deliver it all, and that’s not sustainable. "For me, that’s what this research lays bare; yes, we can achieve a lot on a shoestring and we are hugely grateful for the funding we receive from Arts Council of Wales and other funders, but we can’t go on like this.” (www.thestage.co.uk/news/welsh-theatres-warn-of-closures-and-job-cuts-without-immediate-intervention) * * * * At an interval of five years the first days of the pandemic are being recalled. Many of the makers, the performers, were thrown without warning into Excluded UK, a group of 3,800,000 who slipped through the conditions for furlough income. Poets and writers had it luckier. Their world of words is eternal. This site found solace in reminiscence and reflection. A series of articles of summary included Ernst Schumacher, 28th March 2020, to the effect: “The true problems of living- in politics, economics, education, marriage etc are always problems of overcoming or reconciling opposites. They are divergent problems and have no solution in the ordinary sense of the word. They demand of a person not merely the employment of reasoning powers but the commitment of the whole personality. Naturally, spurious solutions, by way of a clever formula, are always being put forward; but they never work for long, because they invariably neglect to be of the two opposites and thus lose the very quality of human life.” The new report is big and it is full. But like a good drama a report is fuelled by what is not said. The contradictions it seeks to reconcile are the most revealing element. In the case of the culture, as managed in Cardiff, the deep issues may not be spoken of. “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” The zones of silence will be written of at a later time. * * * * “The Stage” published a quick response that centred heavily on the new national theatre. “The majority of contributors to a review of Welsh theatre have called on Michael Sheen to make his new Welsh National Theatre a bilingual company. “...Though not included in the 25 recommendations to ACW from the review, conducted by author and broadcaster Jon Gower, "most" of its contributors favoured a bilingual Welsh National Theatre with performances in both Welsh and English, which they said would be more accessible, "cohesive" and "exciting". “Sheen’s plans so far suggest he intends to champion English-language plays, and has founded the company as "separate but complementary to" national Welsh-language company Theatr Cymru. In response to the recommendations, ACW is putting together an "action plan" for English-language theatre, with the review also flagging widespread anxieties including a lack of provisions for new writers and a lack of large-scale work. Richard Huw Morgan was the first to state the obvious. “The headline to this article is simply untrue. Page 19 of the report: “Ahead of the launch of WNT (Welsh National Theatre), interviews revealed strong support for an integrated approach to national theatre in Wales, with most contributors advocating for a unified company that would work fluidly across both Welsh and English languages’ “This is simply not the same as saying that people want Mr Sheen’s theatre to be bilingual as it ignores the existence of Theatr Cymru. No one in the report urged Mr Sheen’s company to be ‘bilingual’ as when interviewed no one was officially aware of his plans.” * * * * “The Stage” also wrote: “Informed by more than 120 "revealing" interviews with figures across Welsh theatre, recommendations made to the funding body include "specific funding deadlines" for productions. “...One contributor said: "If you had one single National Theatre of Wales – with two separate public facing brands, but the same organisation – I feel like there might be a bit more cohesion, consistency and benefit and have more people accessing and enjoying work through Welsh. "And I don’t personally think that would cause a threat to the well-being and the celebration of Welsh language that Theatr Genedlaethol (now Theatr Cymru) exists to serve. "For me, a National Theatre for Wales is a multilingual company that operates across the country," they continued, adding: "And it’s something that makes Wales quite unique. A bilingual company working at that scale could be globally exciting." “Another respondent said: "Reimagine a bilingual national theatre company." “Others raised concerns including a shortage of producers, an "invisible", "under-celebrated" canon of Welsh writing and fewer larger-scale productions due to lack of funding and "financial fear". “The arts in general in Wales and in England has become really territorial," one contributor said. "It’s incredibly difficult to find access to scale." “Another lamented the lack of opportunities for new writers, telling Gower: "In Wales there’s no clear progression. If I’m in London, I can send a play to the Royal Court; they might put me on their writing scheme, I’ll then go to a studio play at the Bush, then I might go and work at Hampstead or the Kiln, then I might go to the National. You can climb the tree, whereas here there’s no tree." “...Dafydd Rhys, chief Executive of ACW, added: "Some actions will be able to proceed sooner than others. Work is already underway to ensure the findings of the report inform changes to how Lottery funding is structured, and to explore opportunities to invest in new writing and theatremaker development. "I would like to thank Jon Gower for his diligent work on this review, and to all those who gave their time to contribute to the process. We look forward to working with the sector on implementing the actions which have been identified as key to the future of English-language theatre in Wales." “All 25 recommendations are set to be considered in further detail at an ACW meeting in May.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the article which can be read at: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/michael-sheen-urged-to-make-welsh-national-theatre-bilingual-in-landmark-review |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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