Rwyf eisioes wedi  mynegi’r barn y dylai theatr gofyn cwestiynnau  a chyfleu materion y byd. Un o’r argyfyngau  economaidd ar hyn o bryd yw’r codiad o ddiweithdra, ac felly y problem o dlodi,  a dyma mae Bethan Marlow yn ceisio dangos yn ei gwaith newydd hi, ‘Sgint’.

Wedi ei gosodu yng Ngaernarfon sef tref catrefol Marlow, mae ‘Sgint’ yn dilyn gwahanol cymeriadau ac effeithiau’r  problem o dlodi arnynt. Un peth fe wnaeth curo fi yn gwylio’r perfformiad oedd ymrwymiad Marlow i Gaernarfon; roedd yr holl peth wedi ysgrifennu mewn tafodiaeth y Gogledd, gyda pob un o’r actorion yn cyfleu hwn gyda acenion. Mae rhaid parchu’r ysgrifenyddes am gadw’n cywir i wreiddiau hi. Yn lle defnyddio’r arc  adroddiad confensiynnol, bu Marlow yn defnyddio cyfres o fonolegau fe wnaeth hi cymryd o gyfweliadau gyda pobl real, yn creu effaith o ddarniad, ac yn anffodus yn fy marn i, o ganlyniad yn llydanu’r cynulleidfa o weithrediad ar y llwyfan.

Roedd yna amrywiad o gymeriadau: y gwraig ty, y mam sengl ifanc, y gwleidyddwr, yr entrepreneur; roedd digon i gadw’r adroddiant yn eang a diddorol. Un peth mi fyddwn i’n gwneud sylw ar, yw bod rhai cymeriadau yn fwy datblygiedig na’r lleill. O rhan perfformiadau, fe wnaeth Manon Wilkinson yn chwarae Ellie y mam sengl, sefyll mas. Roedd ei perfformiad hi yn naturiolaedd a professiynnol, ac i mi, fe wnaeth hi dwyn y sioe.

Efallai’r problem gyda’r cymeriadau oedd bod nhw’n pobl real: yn effeithiol, nid oeddent yn cymeriadau o gwbl. Rwy’n deall y sialens o geisio cipio’r elfen noeth yna, o geisio parhau’n dilys i bobl Caernarfon.  Wrth wneud hyn, roedd y geiriau ar y llwyfan yn geiriau llythrennol pobl real, ac wrth lwyfannu hyn, mae Marlow yn dod a rhywbeth gwahanol a newydd i theatr Cymraeg.

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I’ve always expressed the view that theatre should ask questions and display problems of the world. One of our current economic crisis’s is high unemployment figures, and as a result of this, poverty. Bethan Marlow displays this particular issue in her new Welsh language work, ‘Sgint’.

Set in Caernarvon, Marlow’s home town, ‘Sgint’ follows several different characters and explores the effects of these problems on the ‘real’ people. One thing that really struck me watching the performance was Marlow’s obvious dedication to her home town; it was written in a convincing North Walian dialect, with all the actors also conveying this through believable and probably natural North Walian accents. You have to respect the playwright for staying true to her roots. Instead of using the conventional narrative arc, Marlow opts to display the action through a series of monologs taken from actual interviews with the ‘real people’ of Caernarvon. This created a fragmented effect, and unfortunately, I think this resulted in a bit of a distance between audience and stage, making it slightly more difficult to really empathise with the characters. An odd and ironic effect, as empathising with real people should be far more plausible than empathising with fictional characters.

There was a wide variety of characters ensuring that the narrative was interesting and vast. Amongst these was the single mother, the housewife, the politician and the entrepreneur.  One thing I would say was that some of these characters were more developed than others. Manon Wilkinson, who played Ellie the young single mother, delivered a stand-out, naturalistic and professional performance.

Perhaps the problem with the characters was that they were not characters at all. They were real people. I completely understand the challenge of trying to contain that raw element, of trying to remain true to the real people of Caernarvon.  Trying to move that real world onto the stage is a task in itself, and requires tact and skill. The words onstage were the actual words of these people, and by staging this, Marlow brought something fresh and innovative to Welsh theatre.