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Comment by Laura Jeffs on December 18, 2011 at 2:51

Blimey, sorry its taken a while for me to get some thoughts down - but what a brilliant, busy, fun, interesting, mind opening week it was!  I think my brain has finally forgiven me for the information overload so I thought I'd take the opportunity to add to Abdul's (and others') overview of the week. 

I was a little bit worried as I walked to meet everyone, lugging my huge duvet, towards the NTW offices on Monday morning - what would they be like? Would the week be worthwhile? Would everyone realise that I had managed to somehow blag my way onto this process and I didn't really know what I was talking about??  Luckily I had nothing to worry about, as everyone was so friendly (thank goodness) and as Owain said, it was great how we all clicked so quickly - I felt immediately comfortable.  And everyone had such a range of backgrounds in disciplines and experience that we could all learn and teach each other at least something. 

After finally arriving at the farm and seetling in, we found ourselves shivering in the shared living room as Catherine talked us through her Assembly experiences the previous year.  Having been involved in the very first Respond programme that National Theatre Wales did, it was really interesting to see how it had developed into the types of assembly performances being delivered by the end of the first year, and of course it was lovely to see Catherine again! ;)

Luckily we got (well one of the men from Amelia Trust got) the fire going soon after, and after thawing out, three of us headed out for the most epic weekly shop I've ever seen!  After a belated (but delicious!) curry from Abdul, and some interesting chats with Fabio, who arrived shortly before, we headed off to bed wondering what the rest of the week would bring.  The boys, being sensible sorts of people, went off to their individual bedrooms, while we headed off to our Girl's Dorm (already provided with midnight snacks by some forgetful child - thankyou whoever you were, the sweets were gooooood), for a slightly giggly, noisy, sleep deprived night... Not helped by someone's snoring.  no names.  (ahem claire). 

The next day we woke up early, and were surprisingly bright eyed and bushy tailed after the night before, filled with excitment for our first full day at the farm.  After breakfast and warmup exercises we began our morning with Fabio.  This was one of the highlights for me, I felt like I learned so much and after only a few hours, I felt a lot more reassured about the projects we were going to undertake, after being given some handy tools and activities by Fabio.  (I had bananas and mangoes going round in my head for most of the week as a result of that morning). 

In the afternoon it was Mathilde's turn to come along to our little bunkhouse, and after having an intial chat and look at some pictures, we were let loose on the house with an array of technology that none of us had any idea how to use!  But this made it all the more interesting, and as the sleeplessness hit us and the hysterics entered, what started off in our group as a few fairly sensible ideas soon turned into a kitchen rave, with projections, spooky DJ and (interesting) versions of xmas songs!  A pretty good first couple of days all in all.

Comment by Owain Roach on December 17, 2011 at 2:26

Well its been a week since our residency at the Amelia Trust farm and finally my head has come back down to earth. All I can say that it was a fantastic and amazing experience with some wonderful people. I have learnt so much from the practitioners and the other Assembly performers, at times it felt like my head was going to explode with the overload of information (in a good way) 

Straight away I could tell that the other performers were going to be great to work with, we all seemed to click right from the start, there was no awkwardness and It was great learning about each other and our backgrounds and how we all ended up in the NTW offices at 8:45 on a Monday morning. 

 On arriving at the farm it was clear that it was going to be a great place for the residency week, away from the city, country side all around and very little phone signal. 

Our first session began with Catherine giving us an insight into the previouse assembly perfromances and I think I finally realized what we were taking on, the scale and importance of what we were doing, so with a bit of fear, excitement and many questions we got cracking. The two main things which became clear to me when creating an assembly project was the ownership and getting the people involved and making them care about what they are doing. To me it is about making people want to be part of this and see the importance of these projects within their community and this is exciting.

I will continue to blog throughout the week about the rest of the week

Comment by Sarah Mumford on December 15, 2011 at 6:42

Wedi treulio wythnos anhygoel gyda NTW fel rhan o'r tim cynulliad, pobl wych, bwyd blasus, digonedd o gemau a chwerthin, a rhannu a gwrando. Roedd yr wythnos gyfan yn gwbl ysbrydoledig. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen i cychwyn ar y prosiectau ar draws Cymru y flwyddyn nesaf. Diolch enfawr i NTW a phawb a gyfrannodd at wythnos gwych!

Comment by Sarah Mumford on December 15, 2011 at 6:28

Mwy o fewnwelediad....A little more insight...

What an amazing week! If you can for a moment imagine only being able to eat bananas (or any other single fruit of your choice, for those of you who have a huge love of bananas..) for months on end, and then you are suddenly given a fruit salad full of the most amazing tasty fruit you can imagine, a mouthwatering cocktail of textures, colours, tastes, each mouthful bursting with a new experience, that pretty much sums up my week with the assembly team. An incredible fruit salad of amazing people, lots of laughter, games and tasty food. Listening, sharing, boundless energy, creativity and animated conversation, a big bowl overflowing with exciting ideas and inspiration. A week that has left me feeling like anything is possible.

What was truly wonderful was that we gelled as a group really quickly, and shared so much over the week. Everyone that came in to work with us offered an enlightening insight into different approaches and ways of working, so that by the end of the week our heads were practically bursting with possibilities, questions, thoughts and ideas. Listening, Stories, Dialogue and Legacy kept coming up in all the sessions, so although everyones approaches are different we kept returning to the same values.

I would like to thank:

Catherine - For the insight into her work, her energy and enthusiasm, and for reminding us that this is about people accessing theatre and people being given an opportunity to debate issues, essentially creating dialogue.

Fabio - For sharing that it is the quality of the time spent that is important, that social and working time are of equal importance, and also that we should strive to embrace the ethos of shared creative responsibility.

Mathilde - For opening our eyes to look at things in a different way, to look at space in a new light and question our perception, and to remind us it's all about getting people talking.

Sue and John - For sharing a wealth of experience and the possibilities of spontaneous creation, that 'permission to play' opens up so many doors, the imaginative, the curious, the playful, that anything is possible, and that it is all about connecting with people, finding out what resonates with them.

Jill - For reminding us to listen, and that 'truth', is that persons reality, and this applies to each and every one of us. That it is about being open, and aiming for the 'can' as appose to 'can't'. Also for the amazing relaxation - 'Relax the brain as if it's a muscle' ... try it! A mind blowing sensation, I highly recommend it!

Not forgetting a huge thank you to the assembly team for sharing so much, being amazing people, and making me laugh a lot, oh, and getting me to do all those acty improvs and take me way out of my comfort zone!

Which just leaves me to say a huge thank you to everyone! Diolch enfawr i bawb!

Comment by Angharad Evans on December 14, 2011 at 13:33

SOrry this was the end:

I was really interested in Gil and Johns own journey of discoveries, getting art out of the galleries in the 70’s making collaborative work, artists as ‘INVENTORS’, to create celebratory arts in the community. Combining all the art forms. Discussing the idea of having  a Clear concept, Clear physical structure to find a way of making it work properly. This idea worked well when we did an activity that enabled us to explore the sight and create a brief for an event.

It was really interesting to be given a brief and think about how we would facilitate a project and be given the outcome of what had actually happened.

Site specific – looked at concepts and developed our own ideas what would you stage? What would the event be. Using the spaces and resources available within the community. This as a frame work to work from seemed to be the essential ingredients to the principles of community art. Setting up an expectation and creating a spectacle.

Thurs Gill Dowset Theatre Fforum Cymru gave us a insight into her practice of forum theatre. What really came out of this workshop for me was the importance of listening and how we all want to be heard.

We ended the week with a great skills sharing day full of, movement, games, song, rhythms and improvisations.

Not a moment that went by that we did not utilise the time to be creative. From Keith setting the scene of a virtual fire to creating, kitchen raves and to so much more. This is just a taste of the whole experience which was amazing to be a part of.   Thanks to all for the shared experience

Comment by Angharad Evans on December 14, 2011 at 13:30

I am lying in bed wrapped up on the coldest day ever reflecting upon the amazing journey we have been on in this past week. With my creative mind overflowing with new ideas and concepts, i will give you a brief insight.  

Where to begin, what a journey we have been on in such a short space of time which has felt like an eternity.  So much has happened i will try to keep it as brief as possible .  It all happened so quickly, applying for the post of freelance performer, getting an interview with Catherine and Abdul (which was an amazing day). Having a call on thurs evening from Abdul to say i was chosen to be a member of the Assembly Team.  I think my words to him were, are you sure you have the right person?. I immediately started to feel excitement and anticipation for what was in store for the week ahead.

 We got to NTW offices at 8.45 on Monday to meet the Assembly Team for the first time. A team of 7 people from all over Wales and beyond about to embark on a creative journey together to discover, explore, share, and build the foundations of the New Assembly for National Theatre Wales.

When we arrived we sorted out paper work, where briefed on the schedule for the week ahead and decided on who was cooking what with who. We got to Emelia Trust Farm and settled into farm life quite naturally and had our first game playing session. Each morning and evening started with one of us leading warm-ups, trust exercises, improvisations. You name it we were involved and ready to play.   

Catherine Paskell arrived in the Afternoon and gave us an insight to the previous Assembly. She gave examples and insight to the strategies they used to find the groups and performers with the locals, engaging with emotional connections and exploring ways and activities to accommodate that.   Highlighting the importance that everyone needs to be involved from the offset to give the community a sense of ownership. It was down to the assembly to respond artistically by giving it a structure to work from.  We looked at questioning, and the dialogue we have with people, how do we get people to talk?.  We worked in groups and came up with ideas based on the issues and ideas that may arise in different areas in Wales.  

Fabio arrived Monday evening  and Tuesday we embarked on a exploration of Project Phakama and later we watched examples of their work which was mind blowing.  I enjoyed the give and gain idea where everyone is involved in a shared experience.  He gave an example at the beginning of the practical workshop of a Triangle of support and gave a great example of how to allow individuals to work in their area of interest.  

In the afternoon Matilde arrived with a her vibrant energy and enthusiasm  and gave an interesting session on the geography of space and how this effects the way people function. I found this really interesting  as she gave visual examples of the impact and ideas around the use of space.  

We reflected upon how THE AUDIENCE IS THE HEART OF THE PROJECT.  How they participate and aids in the debate aspect of the assembly creating a platform for debate. Distinguishing the difference between dialogue and debate.  Working with the gatekeepers and particular knowledge people can communicate.

So the question was risen, How do you find people within the community? Connections within the community take time. We should not be afraid to go places you shouldn’t go.

Weds

Making Ideas Concrete, Gill and John

I was really interested in Gil and Johns own journey of discoveries, getting art out of the galleries in the 70’s making collaborative work, artists as ‘INVENTORS’, to create celebratory arts in the community. Combining all the art forms. Discussing the idea of having  a Clear concept, Clear physical structure to find a way of making it work properly. This idea worked well when we did an activity that enabled us to explore the sight and create a b

Comment by Sarah Jones on December 14, 2011 at 0:25

Wow what an exciting and inspiring week. You must have all been shattered after! Am very excited about what Assembly will deliver next...

Comment by Jen Thornton on December 13, 2011 at 6:29

Really enjoyed this roundup and all the Quotes / pictures of the day. Thanks for sharing, am looking forward to seeing Assembly head out around the country! 

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