NATIONAL THEATRE WALES #NTWDREAMING DESIGN / DYLUNIO: BWTIC.CO.UK CREATED BY / WEDI’I GREU GAN MARK STOROR THE COMPANY / Y CWMNI AND THE PEOPLE OF RHYL / A PHOBOL Y RHYL _1 “ THE JOURNEY THAT LED NATIONAL THEATRE WALES TO MAKE THIS SHOW IN RHYL TAKES IN SOME KEY MOMENTS IN THE COMPANY’S OWN HISTORY.” KULLY THIARAI ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / CYFARWYDDWR ARTISTIG, NATIONAL THEATRE WALES Our fifth production, The Beach, was devised and performed in Prestatyn in July 2010 with Hide & Seek, and put the local community centre stage; a principle of so much of our work still. Working and to some extent living in Denbighshire, the whole company but especially NTW TEAM fell head over heels not only with the area, but with the people who call it home. Jan Miller, Lifted by Beauty’s Community Associate, is just one of the lifelong friends we made that summer. So when the opportunity arose to return and make a show in Rhyl we jumped at it. Fast forward almost six years later, and in March 2016 NTW brought its three-year Big Democracy Project, which aimed to explore how art and creativity can help communities re-engage with the democratic process, to the heart of Welsh Government in Cardiff Bay. We vowed to make a theatre production inspired by what was agreed was the most pressing issue facing Wales, and the day-long event at the Senedd culminated in the question being answered, perhaps inevitably: ‘austerity’. Austerity is such a big, loaded, ugly and often reductive word, and it means vastly different things to different people. It’s reach and impact is enormous and goes beyond the notion of ‘government cuts’. We knew that no one production can do it, nor the communities it affects, justice, so it didn’t seem right to try to define austerity on stage. Instead, we wanted to use it as a springboard to exploring how communities survive – and even thrive – in the face of pressure, challenge and unwanted labels? What are the stories bubbling under the surface of Wales’ small towns? And as theatre-makers how can we shed light on much that is not seen, valued or understood. Few artists understand better than Mark how to work with communities to create an experience somewhere between live art and theatre that truly surprises and delights both the audience and the participants. He is the master of shedding light where there has long been only shade, and as soon as he arrived in Rhyl, he saw exactly what had appealed to us all those years ago; a warm, welcoming community full of hope and commitment, a forgotten town on the brink of a major regeneration and an insatiable creative urge. This production is our attempt to share some of the stories we’ve discovered with you. We hope it will inspire you to look at other communities in Wales with a fresh pair of eyes. #NTWDREAMING _2 “ IT IS A POEM. A LOVE LETTER TO RHYL.” MARK STOROR LEAD ARTIST / PRIF ARTIST I am grateful to National Theatre Wales for inviting me to make a work here with: the people who are Rhyl’s community, the company, with brilliant artists, production team and an extraordinary cast who are working on the project. But most of all I am grateful to those who live here. Those who have found a home here and those who have always been here. Spanning generations, they have witnessed many developments and changes. I am particularly thankful to have been here during the dark, cold, winter months. The months when the only people you will meet are the ones that are here living their daily lives all year round. Even when acknowledging the harsh darknesses together, every day has been shot through with some kind of wonderment: something special, surprising, life-affirming. In fact, because people are prepared to face the worst, they tell things as they are, recognise the contradictions, strive; every day is illuminated by profound tendernesses, a delicate beauty of all kinds. The work we have made together so far is unexpected, an adventure a surprise to us all. It is a tiny fragment of a continuous journey. The creative possibilities here in Rhyl are mind-blowing. They are unique, powerful and lush. There is deep magic here, it lies close by in the mountains, in the sea, and truly in the people. I hope the work reflects some of this. It is a poem. A love letter to Rhyl. IMAGES / LLUNIAU STEPHEN KING _3 “ THEY SPOKE OF A PASSION FOR THE FUTURE MORE URGENT THAN THE LOSS OF THE PAST.” JAN MILLER COMMUNITY ASSOCIATE / CYSWLLT CYMUNEDOL The cherry blossom is in full bloom as I write this, but my own adventure in dreaming with Mark Storor and the good people of Rhyl began in the darkest days of winter, right on the turn of a new year. The shop was cold, the glitter of the season long gone, and the clarion call of National Theatre Wales, marked out in neon, lay unlit behind the shutters. These were long winter days but despite the rain and the storms, people of all ages and from all walks of life joined us there. From cafes and sheds, from community choirs and churches; from the library (where we followed the sound of the children singing), the Little Theatre and the Women’s Centre, as well as all the curious passers-by – they all stepped forward with us together into this extraordinary journey. The shop heated-up, buses rattled past the window and the tea-urn rumbled against a backdrop of people telling us stories of hopes and dreams, renewed ambitions, of grief and loss and of great delight. They spoke of a passion for the future more urgent than the loss of the past. The word “sanction” was repeated, not as an abstract news story but in the real lives of families, neighbours, friends. But always, and with much less prevalence than harsh reality, the answer to the question, “What keeps you going?”, brought words describing friendships and the families we build around us; of acts of kindness restoring us. And the voices of the very young spoke clearly and simply of tolerance and acceptance towards each other. Everyone spoke of the urge to keep moving forward, to make things better for those around us, especially in the everyday way we live our lives together. As the light crept back to the day, Mark kept a ledger, our careful receipts, and through his workshops we became newly made paper dancers, life-sized, twirling all across town. We, all of us, placed ourselves among flowers (usually red), and danced our dance through the ordinary streets. The light has changed since we first began our journey through Rhyl. Spring is here. And by the time you read this, the blossom will be gone but all the voices of the people, their poetry and colours, are here to tell you their story. 4_5 “ THIS WORK WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ALL INVOLVED HAVING SHARED SOMETHING, AND INVITED ME OVER THE THRESHOLD TO LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN” STEPHEN KING PHOTOGRAPHER / FFOTOGRAFFYDD Photography of artistic process and performances has always resided in a dubious place for me. With every engagement, I have struggled to step away from documentation; the very thing expected of me. To depict the true ephemeral nature of how we witness any artistic practice, it seems necessary to un-hinge oneself from the convention of placing something brightly in a rectangle, and to co-inhabit the plain where these truly amazing notions and images are being created. Over the past ten years myself and Mark Storor have explored, and attempted to refine, these ideas of straddling the roles of subject and witness; a praxis that will forever be a work in progress. I am grateful to National Theatre Wales, the company and all who participated for having the faith in me to indulge this approach. This work wouldn't have been possible without all involved having shared something, and invited me over the threshold to look behind the curtain… to be right there with Rhyl in the midst of this transformation. IMAGES / LLUNIAU STEPHEN KING _6 “ HUNTING DOWN MUSIC BOXES, WIND CHIMES, POTTERY BELL MILK MAID ORNAMENTS, DRIED CHILLIES, LAUNDRY BAGS…” BRIAN DUFFY COMPOSER / CYFANSODDWR DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS HOW HAVE YOU COMPOSED THE MUSIC OF COMPOSING MUSIC. FOR THIS PRODUCTION? I like to start with the sound palette first. I prefer the I have tried to create landscapes for the sounds and instruments chosen to have philosophical images to live in. resonance with the subject matter and working methods of any given project. HOW HAS THIS FED INTO COMPOSING MUSIC WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THE AUDIENCE WILL TAKE FROM FOR LIFTED BY BEAUTY: ADVENTURES IN DREAMING? SEEING LIFTED BY BEAUTY: ADVENTURES IN DREAMING? I have been working with three themes; death, I hope that the audience will take with them a sense transformation and transcendence. Death represented that sometimes letting go of the past can lead to by the rattling of razor clam shells, transformation transformation and transcendence, and although with ballerina music boxes and transcendence by the journey can seem dark, hope and optimism are using whatever objects that I could find and transform the forces that will drive us into the future. from the local area: hunting down music boxes, wind chimes, pottery bell milk maid ornaments, dried chillies, laundry bags, and any objects that seemed to have an interesting sound. You must learn to drop your innate prejudices towards WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENT an object.