Graig Du Theatre Players
Information
The players are in the process of being formed. I will post further updates in the next few days. My intention is to form a community theatre group, with four probable performances a year, to encompass the work of playwrights in the Rhondda as a beginning. Original work will be encouraged. I would like to hear from any members, when I give out further information, if they would be willing to partake in the first staging. This will include actors, actresses, directors,who would be interested in supporting the idea to get valuable experience at the start of their careers. It would be a learning curve for me. I intend staging my play" Sorrow for my Sons" to publicize the group within the next few months. The full version of this play "Painting the Darkness" is to have a performance with the Fluellen Theatre in 2017. The play tells of the mysterious death of William Dillwyn Llewelyn, the eldest son of Sir John Dillwyn Llewelyn, who was found shot dead in the woods of the Penllergare estate on the afternoon of his engagement to Lord Dynevor's daughter in August 1893. The play explores the background to events, the inquest held the following day into his death, and William's friendship with J.Arthur Gibbs, the author of "A Cotswolds Village". I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the late June Lewis-Jones of Fairford, Glos, who helped me considerably with the three-act version of events. After answering my advertisement in her local newspaper, she was intrigued by my discoveries and, as she held Gibbs's diaries in her possession; she was also an author in her own right, she said she would aid me in any way as long as it did not jeopardize her work. June said that I had seen something in the unfolding events that no-one had realized before. Gibbs's strange requiem poem to his dead friend is well worth reading, as is his version, which I believe to be truthful, of the events that took place at Penllergare on the fateful day.
Location: Porth, Rhondda
Members: 10
Latest Activity: Dec 11, 2018
Discussion Forum
Street Singers of the Valleys. Gwillym Pen Pwyll.
The one regret my father had while growing up in Dinas was that he did not pay much attention to the stories that were being told. The stories he did tell me were fascinating to the say the least,…Continue
Tags: Du, Theatre, Players, Graig, Pwyll
Started by Glyndwr Edwards Nov 21, 2015.
Unknown Stories from the Rhondda.
Ebenezer Chapel, pictured above before its demolition in the 1960s, was one of the…Continue
Started by Glyndwr Edwards Nov 17, 2015.
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Comment by Josh Edwards on March 30, 2016 at 4:33
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I have seen the Cymmer Historical Journal on Facebook and it looks good. This will be good publicity for the upcoming plays. You should have listened before now and not been so cautious. My friends have some good stories you can use after they spoke with their relatives.
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The P.H.Emerson book mentioned last week has some good tales in it. The oral tradition was well served by him while he was in Anglesey. The origin of the Welsh race is intriguing. The other curious matter was Wentz Evans mentioning a banana skin being pulped and the sign of the cross being made on the forehead with the juices to ward off evil. The source of this idea will be worth locating.
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Comment by Glyndwr Edwards on March 23, 2016 at 9:47
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I have received the updates, Josh, and one or two things I find puzzling. The main aim in any writing is to lead the audience and not have forced suggestions in any exchanges that will deter momentum. The less said, the better as far as I am concerned with far far too much exposition. The cast should be at a minimum. The originality was commented on and that is not presumptuous.It shows that people care about their work and are willing to broach a subject, no matter how difficult it is, if they have the confidence. This experience becomes second-hand when one knows what will work and what will not. Thanks again to you and your friends. You have saved my tired eyes from much work.
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Josh, I have left a comment on my page for you.
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The last one for now. Soldier Pass by will run for a little over forty-five minutes. We all believe that the actors will need to be older than you intend. Character is good and you sense their boredom and isolation. Mark believes all actors should be on stage; the opening scene could include one of Sassoon's poems. The price of a bottle of whisky in 1916 was 7s6d. We would like to see the follow-up you have mentioned concerning two of the boys' fathers set in the Rhondda public house three years afterwards. More tomorrow.
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The story of William David, Dr.Price, and Walter Coffin was thoroughly enjoyed by Mark. He knew the subject well, as I told you, and he said the speeches captured perfectly the sense of despair and unremitting pressure there was for change in peoples' lives. By not showing the attack of Newport, it showed the fragility of Mari when she was given David's letter. She said with the closing of her eyes that she was illiterate. He says the character of Dr.Price is fully rounded in The Heretic.
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The Dracula play presented different problems for Alex. She was familiar with the story because of the old films, but had never read the story because of the diary form. She had read Dracula's Guest and thought the play foreshadowed events that gave little away. It was for the audience to determine the level of ordinariness between Jonathan and Mina. This was good for showing hidden emotions. The pivotal scene was nicely underplayed, she thought,and there was a sense of foreboding when Jonathan tells Mina how Dracula was able to transform into a creature of the night. She questions the source of the Greek myth that was used for this plot development.
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Sam has read the revised middle of The Door Marked Winter. He does not agree with you, Glyn, that the references to past events detract from the action. The audience participation should not be undermined. However, the drawings of the young girl could be projected onto a background to give a dreamlike effect. This would certainly add to the atmosphere, he believes. More to follow. . .
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Here's another book that is well worth a look at: The Mammoth Book of Hauntings by Peter Haining. The stories covered are on a wide range of subjects and the source material is clearly indicated. One story that intrigued me was the one quoted from The Times of the 20th February, 1916, concerning a soldier, badly wounded, returning to Risca and his daughter who had recently died. Let me know what you think of this.
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Comment by Ann Stelling on March 16, 2016 at 10:08
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Thanks for the e-mails. The pointers were good as I did put too many stage directions in the second draft. The words, I suppose, are what carries the scene and the actors will respond to the emotion if it is evident. I am pleased with the scenario and I will send a few sample pages when they are revised.
Pages (108)
- Brook Cottage, Dinas.
- The Dinas Pals'1914.
- Death of Arthur Rees, Appletree, Dinas. 1908.
- Boot Inn, Dinas.
- Dinas Road before the clearance.
- The Prince of Orange pub, Dinas Road
- The Last houses to be demolished in Dinas.
- Inkerman Street, Dinas. "Concretes"
- Bethania Chapel, Dinas Road.
- Gwillym Pen Pwyll's"Ragamuffin Tales"
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