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National Theatre Wales's Blog (213)

Weird but Popular...

Travelled over to Newcastle this week to see the new show by Wildworks, the company started recently by Bill Mitchell and Sue Hill, two of the original founders of Cornwall’s Kneehigh. ‘The Beautiful Journey’ was a huge outdoor spectacle set some time in the future where water is scarce, bees have disappeared, cabaret tricks are the… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on August 9, 2009 at 21:30 — 7 Comments

The Great Welsh Musical?

Spent an enjoyable Saturday evening at Bridgend Youth Theatre's very good production of Gypsy. I have to admit it didn't seem an obvious choice of show for a youth theatre to me - a very American musical featuring a middle aged lead role and a bunch of strippers (the last time I saw it was on Broadway with Tyne Daly in the lead role); but the key to a successful musical comedy production is often sheer discipline and hard work, and Brigend Youth Theatre showed they have the guts and dedication… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on July 26, 2009 at 1:00 — 13 Comments

Digi Arty Thingy Day

Am spending a day at the 'Do the Arts Speak' Digital seminar at Sadlers Wells in London. I was asked to speak on a panel about how National Theatre Wales is using social networking to develop its community. Some of the usual stuff comes up: 'What about people who just want to watch a show' 'how do we guarantee quality'... Not sure they are very interesting questions, and we quickly move on to discuss what is interesting - and how new things emerge when people collaborate and interact. Someone… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on July 17, 2009 at 3:05 — 18 Comments

Visits and Visions

We've had some great visits to National Theatre Wales recently, as well as taking a few trips of our own. One of the highlights has been a day at NTW with David Jubb, Artistic Director of Battersea Arts Centre along with four of his producers. We discussed the vision of Batthersea Arts Centre (their mission is 'To Invent the Future of Theatre'!) and the ways in which it supports the development of artists, companies and new ideas. BAC are… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on July 9, 2009 at 7:30 — No Comments

Landscapes and Roadtrips

Just back from a couple of days that the Living Landscapes conference organised by Mike Pearson and Heike Roms at Aberystwyth University - theatre artists, professors of performance, geographers and choreographers. Hundreds of them. Landscape is HOT! I went to panels about Walking, Building Sites and Art in Forests! It was challenging and inspiring to hear such a range of thinking and discussion as we develop our 'Theatre Map of Wales'. Some of the students at Aberystwyth were doing… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on June 21, 2009 at 9:00 — 2 Comments

Group Wisdom

The eagle eyed among you have already spotted a new development on the site. GROUPS (yeah kinda like the thing on the facewhatsit site) is a way for folk with a common interest to share info, ideas, advice. GROUPS will be coming online properly in the next few days, but basically you can join ours, or you can start your own. The official National Theatre Wales groups so far are for ACTORS, WRITERS, CREATIVE PEOPLE and TEAM MEMBERS. And no, you don't have to choose between them, you can have as… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on June 18, 2009 at 11:44 — 1 Comment

Get Organised! (And Change Everything)

Do you remember the image of Jesse Jackson during Obama's acceptance speech last year? Tears of pride involuntarily rushing to the face of this now-elder-statesman of the Civil Rights era, as a man he had sometimes disagreed with achieved the dream that Jackson had dared voice - a black man in the White House. Most people, whatever their politics, must have had at least one 'Jesse Jackson moment' during the Obama campaign last year; a moment when tears welled up as the significance of it all… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on June 14, 2009 at 4:30 — 5 Comments

Underwater Thoughts on creating a Diverse Theatre

Thanks to everyone who has joined the 'What Shows Where Debate' (see forums section). It's great to get your ideas, opinions and creative suggestions. We had a very productive away day with the board on Tuesday, looking at the 30 possible projects we have in the mix at the moment, and starting to get a sense of the overall shape of the year's work, if not of individual programming decisions. Lucy and I will be doing a lot of work over the next two months to hammer this input and all your… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on June 7, 2009 at 10:30 — 8 Comments

Making Hay

While the sun shines unashamadly down on the borderlands - I'm on the last leg of an early morning train n' bus trip to Hay on Wye - land of books. As a theatre type I'm used to Edinburgh. I've never done Glastonbury as I have a tent phobia (if God had meant us to sleep in tents he would have given us inflatable backsides) though I have promised to do the Green Man in I this year which does look fab and where they have assured me that the tents are actually small bungalows in disguise. Anyway,… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 31, 2009 at 0:04 — 3 Comments

on the road (A5 edition)

In a Hire Fiat with Lucy D on the road after a night of Mary Stuart at Clwyd. Good to spend some time looking around the venue and thinking about possibilities. Being a long term urbanite I always find it extraordinary to look out from Theatr Clwyd onto hills and fields and a smallish town where I lived for five barely remembered years. Feel like I am in a Chekhov but with a Fiat on hand to solve the existential travel issues. Lucy D is a mean driver. Schiller's Queen Elizabeth on the road but… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 27, 2009 at 11:12 — 5 Comments

Create, Debate, Respond

Tonight we are letting everyone know the ideas behind our first year of activity at National Theatre Wales. We have an office party, a bunch of volunteers - our 'TEAM' members - helping us out, a beautiful 'newspaper' developed by our designers Elfen, and of course this online community to help spread the word behind our plans.

We'll be opening our first show in March next year, and for the whole of the year after we will be creating new theatre across Wales - with three main strands… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 21, 2009 at 1:30 — 4 Comments

Thanks to the Pioneers

Well, the social network is semi-live now, with a few friends and family having passed through the gates of Mighty Native HQ (also known as Carl and Tom, our online designers) to become invited members of the network, trying it out before it goes public on Thursday evening. Hello to all of you and thanks for joining up. As founding members you can do all sorts of marvelous creative stuff here, including starting a forum (and Hello but why has no-one replied to my very interesting forum question… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 19, 2009 at 11:08 — 2 Comments

Here We Are

We are sitting in a room together in Castle Arcade Cardiff, the rain is beating down on the glass roof above us. Carl says - just write something, your first blog post is going to be embarrassing, but then soon you'll be onto your second and you'll find you have something to say. So here it is! Last week we finally move into our 'shop' in Castle Arcade - a little store next to nail bar just along from the tattoo shop and the pizza store. National Theatre Wales is a theatre without a theatre -… Continue

Added by National Theatre Wales on May 17, 2009 at 23:02 — No Comments