Some thoughts about recording your session

What is the title of your session?

Rural voices and rural engagement in Theatreland

What is the name of the person who called the session?

Catherine Allan

Who attended the session? (You can pass this piece of paper round and ask people to write their name on it.)
5 people attended

Summary of discussion: (Notes, ideas, further questions, conclusions, recommendations for actions to take, contact details of relevant people / organisations etc)

General notes in no order:
1) Educate young people about theatre roles and opportunities in Wales (from a programmer who had not known such a role existed.)
2) Encourage young people to be involved in theatre work. Discussion about youth theatres and funding in rural areas (cuts).
3) Discussions about the benefits of theatre work which might not necessarily lead to someone working in the theatre but which would add to a community’s life as it would lead to them becoming invested in their community.
4) There is a perception that there is media disengagement in the arts generally – eg no programme about arts in Wales on TV. This leads to a perception that it is irrelevant to many people. Compare with sports coverage.
5) This is especially so in rural locations where tv / arts professionals seldom venture other than to live.
6) Create opportunities such as a national festival to showcase theatre / arts work which will include different voices.
7) The highest involvement in theatre in Wales is amateur – YFC, WI, Panto, am-dram theatre groups. Their audiences are packed. How does NTW engage with them? Look to those existing community voices and engage with them. Ask them about the best venues - which might not be theatres. Take theatre into those groups and into their venues. Hold performances during the day when more people might want to attend.
8) Get professional theatre makers working with community groups.
9) There was comment about how community arts are being promoted by government as ‘cures’ for various social problems – inclusion, isolation, mental and physical health, rural isolation etc but that the funding for this is not following the rhetoric.
10) Put playwrights into communities to create a play about what is relevant to them. Produce really good quality work. Aim high. Show a community to itself on stage. Show that their community and their voice is important. Then take that local voice to other communities. Especially take rural voices to cities to allow rural cultures to be a part of Welsh national identity.
Bring city based plays into rural communities to inform them but allow time and work to prepare that community. Involve key community interest groups so that people who would not normally go to a professional production would have an investment in the being in the audience. Eg a play with deaf members will have someone who communicated with deaf families and community interest groups in the area.
There is a much smaller rural audience, getting ever smaller as access to theatre is no longer seen as normal (due to funding cuts in small theatres, venues, youth groups, schools etc) so that community engagement work becomes more important. No point in producing work that isn’t seen.
11) Much of the discussion came back to funding and restoring funding to rural locations.
12) Rural ticket prices and rural poverty and domestic budget priorities were discussed.
13) Ask Tom Jones or someone famous and rich to sponsor random local venues. (It was said so I am putting it in)
14) Create a show about non engagement in rural culture …make it entertaining … about a rural person who wants to work in a theatre but doesn’t want to move to a town. Tour it.
15) Spend lots of money on PR.
16) Promote NTW resources (unspecified,) to community groups.

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Rhai syniadau ynghylch cofnodi eich sesiwn

Beth yw teitl eich sesiwn?

Lleisiau gwledig a chyfranogiad gwledig yng Ngwlad y Theatr

Beth yw enw'r person a alwodd y sesiwn?

Catherine Allan

Pwy ddaeth i'r sesiwn? (Gallwch basio'r darn hwn o bapur o gwmpas a gofyn i bobl ysgrifennu eu henwau arno.)
Roedd 5 o bobl yn bresennol

Crynodeb o'r drafodaeth: (Nodiadau, syniadau, cwestiynau, casgliadau, argymhellion ar gyfer camau i'w cymryd, manylion cyswllt pobl/sefydliadau perthnasol ac ati)

Nodiadau cyffredinol heb fod mewn trefn:
1) Addysgu pobl ifanc am rolau a chyfleoedd theatr yng Nghymru (gan raglennydd nad oedd yn gwybod bod y fath rôl yn bodoli.)
2) Annog pobl ifanc i gymryd rhan mewn gwaith theatr. Trafodaeth am theatrau ieuenctid a chyllid mewn ardaloedd gwledig (toriadau).
3) Trafodaethau am fanteision gwaith theatr na fyddai o reidrwydd yn arwain at waith i rywun yn y theatr ond a fyddai'n ychwanegu at fywyd cymuned gan y byddai'n arwain at gymryd rhan yn eu cymuned.
4) Ceir canfyddiad nad yw'r cyfryngau'n ennyn diddordeb yn y celfyddydau'n gyffredinol - e.e. nid oes rhaglen am y celfyddydau yng Nghymru ar y teledu. Mae hyn yn arwain at ganfyddiad eu bod yn amherthnasol i lawer o bobl. Cymharer â'r sylw a roddir i chwaraeon.
5) Mae hyn yn arbennig o wir mewn ardaloedd gwledig lle mae gweithiwr proffesiynol teledu / y celfyddydau'n mynd yn anaml heblaw i fyw yno.
6) Creu cyfleoedd fel gŵyl genedlaethol i arddangos gwaith theatr / celfyddydau a fydd yn cynnwys lleisiau gwahanol.
7) Mae'r cyfranogiad uchaf yng Nghymru'n amatur - Clybiau Ffermwyr Ifainc, Sefydliad y Merched, Panto, grwpiau theatr drama amatur. Mae eu perfformiadau dan eu sang. Sut mae NTW yn rhyngweithio â nhw? Edrych ar y lleisiau lleol hynny sydd eisoes yn bodoli ac ennyn eu diddordeb. Gofyn iddynt am y lleoliadau gorau - ddim theatrau o bosib. Mynd â theatr i mewn i'r grwpiau hynny ac i mewn i'w lleoliadau. Cynnal perfformiadau yn ystod y dydd pan fydd yn bosib y bydd mwy o bobl eisiau dod.
8) Annog crewyr theatr proffesiynol i weithio gyda grwpiau cymunedol.
9) Cafwyd sylw am sut mae celfyddydau cymunedol yn cael eu hyrwyddo gan y llywodraeth fel 'atebion' i broblemau cymdeithasol amrywiol - cynhwysiad, unigedd, iechyd meddyliol a chorfforol, unigedd gwledig etc ond nad yw'r cyllid ar eu cyfer yn dilyn y rhethreg.
10) Rhoi dramodwyr mewn cymunedau i greu drama am yr hyn sy'n berthnasol iddynt. Cynhyrchu gwaith o safon uchel iawn. Anelu'n uchel. Dangos cymuned i'w hun ar y llwyfan. Dangos bod y gymuned a'u llais yn bwysig. Wedyn mynd â'r llais lleol hwnnw i gymunedau eraill. Yn benodol, mynd â lleisiau gwledig i ddinasoedd i alluogi diwylliannau gwledig i fod yn rhan o hunaniaeth Gymreig genedlaethol.
Dod â dramâu am ddinasoedd i gymunedau gwledig i'w hysbysu ond gan roi amser a gwneud gwaith i baratoi'r gymuned honno. Cynnwys grwpiau buddiant cymunedol allweddol fel y byddai gan bobl na fyddent fel arfer yn mynd i gynhyrchiad proffesiynol fuddsoddiad mewn bod yn y gynulleidfa. E.e. bydd gan ddrama gydag aelodau byddar rywun sydd wedi cyfathrebu â theuluoedd byddar a grwpiau buddiant cymunedol yn yr ardal.
Mae'r gynulleidfa wledig yn llawer llai, ac yn mynd yn llai byth gan na ystyrir mynediad i theatr fel rhywbeth normal bellach (oherwydd toriadau cyllid mewn theatrau, lleoliadau bychain, grwpiau ieuenctid, ysgolion etc) fel bod gwaith ennyn diddordeb y gymuned yn mynd yn bwysicach. Does dim pwynt creu gwaith nad yw'n cael ei weld.
11) Daeth llawer o'r drafodaeth yn ôl i gyllid ac adfer cyllid i leoliadau gwledig.
12) Trafodwyd prisiau tocynnau gwledig a thlodi gwledig a blaenoriaethau cyllideb domestig.
13) Gofyn i Tom Jones neu rywun enwog a chyfoethog i noddi lleoliadau gwledig amrywiol. (Cafodd hynny ei ddweud felly rwy'n ei roi i mewn)
14) Creu sioe am ddiffyg cyfranogiad mewn diwylliant gwledig ...gwneud e'n ddifyr ...am rywun gwledig sydd eisiau gweithio mewn theatr nad yw eisiau symud i dref. Mynd â'r sioe ar daith.
15) Gwario llawer o arian ar gysylltiadau cyhoeddus.
16) Hyrwyddo adnoddau NTW (heb eu hadnabod), i grwpiau cymunedol.

DS - Cyhoeddir yr adroddiad hwn ar wefan NTW (gan gynnwys unrhyw gyfeiriadau e-bost a manylion cyswllt yr ydych yn eu cynnwys ynddo). Os hoffech chi i NTW drosglwyddo unrhyw gwestiynau y cânt am yr adroddiad hwn, nodwch eich cyfeiriad e-bost yma (ni fydd eich cyfeiriad yn cael ei gyhoeddi na'i ddefnyddio at unrhyw ddiben arall).