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I think Arwel and Amy make really great points about the importance of the Sherman touring and working in Welsh. Thanks for engaging with the community on these issues.
This still leaves us with the wider issue which I think nearly everyone in the group feels is that - we want more from the Sherman. More new plays, and more opportunities to work, in whatever shape they come. If the Welsh commissioning policy argument has been won (and I think it has) and the touring policy, isn't a detrimental cost, what is the SC going to do in the new building, that will be make that building more of a hive of activity, more of a place of urgency, if you haven't any more money?
I understand the temptation to just tell us your plans for the future, but it would be great if you could frame those plans in the context of what has gone before. As in; what are you going to do more of? What are you going to do less of?
@amyhodge. And you reminded me of this-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2011/jun/30/stronger-to...
Have to say, I agree with Amy on the Measure for Measure point. Plus, I think if different directors are drawn to the same text around the same time, there's often a current social reason which is quite interesting to explore. On the other hand, I am incapable of sitting through another Hamlet now for at least three years!
I can see the A-level syllabus point too. Not sure how many people have heard of the 'dead writers' tax' though on this one? Idea is that the commission money for Shakespeare etc goes into the new writing kitty. Theatres are always going to want to stage set texts. It's great for the kids, but it also guarantees box office. I think it's a neat way of doing Shakespeare whilst being true to the spirit of Shakespeare - new writer of his day, experimental etc etc.
I love the idea that Welsh theatre is a place for reinvention, in all its facets, and long may that continue!
Mereddydd I’m afraid I don’t agree about Clwyd and Sherman not staging the same classic a few years apart – there 150 miles away and there is virtually no audience cross over so staging a completely different productions of a seminal text, that remains on the A Level syllabus is justified. For me it would be different discussion if either production had toured - yet I do agree it is one of many plays that could be staged and reappraised.
There is a really important point your thoughts raise, which Arwel also touches on, about organisation in Wales working together. This is essential with new writing in particular, especially from the Sherman’s pov, as we are often the first point of call for new writers and we want to maximise the opportunities available to them. So sharing knowledge and information about writers is crucial and is something the Sherman, NTW, Theatr Gen and other companies do and must continue to do over the coming years. It’s important to foster an environment of collaboration while still allowing each company to hold its own identity
A couple of thoughts re. the recent interesting discussion triggered by questions on new writing and hopes for Sherman Cymru. As a former Associate Director with Sherman Cymru and in my role as the relatively new AD of Theatre Genedlaethol Cymru, I just wanted to add:
On ‘touring new writing’; new writing is a national endeavour, and new plays should not be restricted to the capital. However location should feature in any strategy, and some plays or showings fit better as part of the creative outputs of the capital, where there is a willing and hungry audience for theatrical experiment more so than in other parts of the country perhaps.
As for Sherman Cymru’s creative engagement in the two languages (brought up early in the discussion); I’m all for having one company with a writer development brief to work in both languages. For one thing (and there are numerous others), many of our writers are bilingual, and were it not for their work being known to the company in one language, the development of a play in the other language may not happen at all; e.g. it was only because Dafydd James sent in an unsolicited English-language play to Sgript Cymru that a relationship developed between Dafydd and the company (then with Sherman Cymru), which eventually lead to Sherman Cymru producing Dafydd’s first full-scale production, “Llwyth” (in Welsh, of course). And as for a theatre venue in our capital city with a distinct and dedicated new writing agenda; should this be confined only to the English language? I think not, and obviously think both languages should share equally in its fruits. We should embrace the fact that our nation has two tongues; it’s one of a number of wonderful things that defines us. To always separate or compartmentalise elements of our shared cultural richness and diversity not only unnecessarily over simplifies who we are, but also denies an essential element of what sets us out from other nations. The future sustainability of the Welsh language requires that certain elements of Welsh-language cultural activity needs to happen purely in Welsh, but writer development in the theatre and a commitment to producing new writing in the nation’s capital is not one of those. Sherman Cymru is the latest, and to my mind successful incarnation of the evolution of a shared writer development and new writing programme. I look forward to a continued and strengthened relationship between Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Sherman Cymru in the years to come. Look out for two particularly exciting collaborations in the ever so near future!
As for a writers’ library, I will look into this and seek to work with the Drama Association of Wales, The National Library at Aberystwyth and Sherman Cymru to see if we can find ways and means of moving forward this idea, as a resource in the Welsh-language too.
Hi Jenni,
Excellent advice from Carmen; keep reading, keep going to shows, but I wouldn't buy Final Draft just yet. It's a great bit of software and you can trial it without spending money, but you don't need it for plays. Microsoft Word is fine. You'll see that the format for a play is far simpler than a screenplay. A screenwriter friend of mine who wrote Spielberg's President Lincoln film and so is doing very well uses Microsoft Word and this template.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/screenplay-TC001018636....
Spend the money on plays and going to shows. The very best of luck.
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