Cyn i ymarferion ddechrau ar gyfer Y Fenyw Mewn Du yn yr Hydref, gofynnon ni cwpl o gwestiynau i’r actor Tom Blumberg am straeon ysbryd, ei ofnau a’i fywyd newydd yn Toronto.

Pam ddylai cynulleidfaoedd ddod i weld Y Fenyw Mewn Du?

Os ydych chi’n hoffi arswyd ac yn mwynhau cael dipyn o fraw (fel fi),  mae’r stori yma’n wych, ac yn llawn eiliadau iasol pur. Ond y prif reswm yw bod prinder straeon arswyd ac ysbryd yn y Gymraeg – wedyn mae hyn yn teimlo fel rhywbeth gwahanol, ac yn gyfle eitha’ unigryw….yn enwedig dros gyfnod Calan Gaeaf!

Ai hon yw’r stori ysbryd gyntaf i chi actio/cyfarwyddo/addasu? Beth sy’n ei gwneud yn arbennig/wahanol?

Ie. ‘Dw i wrth fy modd gyda straeon ysbryd ac felly ‘dw i wedi gweld lot ohonyn nhw, ac mae’n hynod o gyffrous i fod ar yr ochr arall, yn perfformio un am unwaith. Be sy’n ei wneud yn arbennig dw i’n meddwl yw bod y stori’n cael ei pherfformio yn Gymraeg, mae rhywbeth barddonol am yr iaith Gymraeg sy’n gwneud y stori hyd yn oed yn fwy effeithiol yn fy marn i – mae’r delweddau yn fyw ac yn effeithiol iawn.

Rydych wedi symud i Ganada yn ddiweddar, beth ysgogodd y mudo yma, a beth wnaeth i chi gytuno i ddychwelyd i Gymru ar gyfer YFMD?

Do ! Ar ôl 2 flynedd o aros yn yr unfan dros y pandemig, o’dd hi’n teimlo fel amser am antur ! ‘Dw i wastad wedi bod eisiau byw dramor, ac mae Canada yn wlad mor brydferth roedd o’n teimlo fel y lle delfrydol – yn enwedig gyda rhai cyfleoedd actio ar gael yno hefyd, yn golygu gallwn i ddod o hyd i waith yno. Dw i wrth fy modd yno hyd yma. Roedd YFMD ar y gweill cyn i mi allu cadarnhau fy fisa,  ond mae wastad wedi bod yn freuddwyd i fi chwarae’r rhan ers i mi fynd i weld y ddrama yn Saesneg yn y West End pan o’n i’n ysgol ddrama. Mae’n fraint cael chwarae rhan yn ‘premiere y byd’ o’r stori yn y Gymraeg,  felly ‘doedd dim rhaid i fi feddwl ddwywaith am ddychwelyd o Ganada i fod yn rhan o’r cynhyrchiad gyda chwmni sydd wedi ‘nghefnogi i ers blynyddoedd lawer, cwmni sydd yn agos iawn at fy nghalon – a gyda thîm delfrydol o artistiad a chriw cynhyrchu.  Dw i wedi siomi braidd y byddai’n colli fy nhymor Calan Gaeaf cyntaf yng Ngogledd America, achos dwi’n gwybod ei fod yn gallu bod yn eitha’ gwyllt yno ac maen nhw’n mynd i gymaint o ymdrech – ond mi fyddai’n perfformio’n fyw mewn stori ysbryd ar lwyfan, wedyn mae’n fargen digon teg dw i’n meddwl.

Beth sy’n gwneud i chi grynu?

Yr eiliadau mwyaf brawychus i fi mewn unrhyw straeon arswyd yw’r awgrymiadau bach yna o arswyd – fel pan gewch chi gip ar rywbeth sy’n gwneud i chi gwestiynu a wnaethoch chi ei weld mewn gwirionedd, neu ai’ch meddwl oedd yn chwarae triciau arnoch chi, yn dychmygu pethau. Yr eiliadau bach hynny o ddirgelwch, cipolwg o ffigwr tu ôl i chi mewn drych, siapiau rhyfedd yn y cysgodion – pan mae’r dychymyg yn rasio yn wyllt … dyna’r eiliadau mwyaf cyffrous dw i’n meddwl.

Pam fod gwneud theatr yn Gymraeg yn bwysig i chi?

Mae theatr Gymraeg yn hollbwysig :  mae’n hybu’r defnydd o’n hiaith fendigedig o fewn profiad hwyliog a difyr. Mae’n cynnig cyfle hefyd i ddysgwyr gael ymdrwytho yn y Gymraeg y tu allan i’r ystafell ddosbarth, sydd yn allweddol dw i’n meddwl. Dw i hefyd yn meddwl bod y math yma o straeon ysbryd yn cael eu perfformio mor anaml yn y Gymraeg, mae’n grêt gallu rhoi’r cyfle i Gymry Cymraeg brofi stori ysbryd fyw yn ein hiaith hyfryd ein hunain – a dw i ddim yn siwr iawn pam, ond mae’n teimlo’n fwy real yn y Gymraeg !

Oes gennych chi unrhyw straeon ysbryd eich hun yr hoffech chi eu rhannu?

Ddwlen i allu neud hynny ! Dw i wrth fy modd gyda straeon ysbryd, a chlywed profiadau pobl eraill o’r oruwchnaturiol, ond dydw i byth wedi cael profiad ysbrydion fy hun ! Ond dwi’n un o’r bobl od yna fyddai’n falch iawn o gael y fath profiad – mae’n rhywbeth cyfareddol dw i’n meddwl, yn hytrach nag yn frawychus. Mae’r byd go iawn yn llawer mwy brawychus i mi – mae’n gysur i mi rhywsut meddwl bod yna eneidiau o’r gorffennol yn symud yn ein plith … cyn belled bod nhw ddim yn dod ag unrhyw felltithion erchyll fel mae’r fenyw mewn du.

Mae’r tîm a oedd yn gyfrifol am Shirley Valentine y llynedd yn troi o chwerthin i iasau yn yr hydref gyda premiere y byd o Y Fenyw Mewn Du, cyfieithiad Cymraeg newydd o’r ddrama ysgubol o’r West End, The Woman In Black.

Mi fydd siaradwyr a dysgwyr Cymraeg wrth eu bodd i glywed y bydd cynhyrchiad arall at ddant pawb gan y Consortiwm Cymraeg yn cael ei lwyfannu ar draws de Cymru yn yr hydref eleni. Wedi cyfareddu cynulleidfaoedd yn 2022 gyda dogn reit dda o chwerthin, eleni mae’r tîm yn gobeithio clywed mwy o sgrechian na chwerthin gan gynulleidfaoedd wrth gyflwyno llwyfaniad newydd sbon danlli o gynhyrchiad sydd wedi bod yn arswydo cynulleidfaoedd yn Llundain ers 30 o flynyddoedd.

Dywed Geinor Styles :

“Rwy’ wrth fy modd yn cael fy nychryn. Ers i mi fod yn ifanc iawn, rydw i wastad wedi caru straeon ysbrydion a bwganod. Pan ddarllenais i The Woman in Black gan Susan Hill fe ddychrynodd fi gymaint roedd yn rhaid i mi osod y llyfr gyda’r  clawr yn  wynebu am i lawr, fel ‘mod i byth yn ei gweld hi – Y Fenyw. Weles i addasiad llwyfan Stephen Mallatrat yn y nawdegau cynnar. Roedd yr addasiad o’r stori nid yn unig yn glyfar iawn, ond mi lwyddodd i f’arswydo, ynghyd â phawb arall o’m cwmpas yn y theatr.

Mae’r storio syml yn y sioe yn dyrchafu nerth theatr a’r gair llafar. Mae’r atgof wedi aros gyda fi, a dyma un o fy hoff ddramâu. Blynyddoedd wedyn, yn dilyn sesiwn adborth gyda chynulleidfaoedd cynhyrchiad y Consortiwm o Shirley Valentine, awgrymodd dysgwyr Cymraeg i ni fod gweld stori neu ddrama gyfarwydd wedi codi eu hyder i fynychu theatr yn y Gymraeg. Hefyd, dywedodd y canolfannau mai straeon arswyd sydd yn gwerthu orau.”

Mae Y Fenyw Mewn Du yn adrodd hanes Arthur Kipps, cyfreithiwr sydd wedi cyrraedd i roi trefn gyfreithiol ar faterion Mrs Alice Drablow. Tra’n gweithio ar ben ei hun ar ei hystâd anghysbell, mae’n tystio aflonyddiad hunllefus ac yn syrthio ar drugaredd melltith y fenyw mewn du.  Wrth geisio rhyddhau ei hun o’r dioddefaint yma a bwrw allan yr ysbryd am unwaith ac am byth, mae’n cyflogi actor i’w helpu i adrodd ei sori, ac wele, mae’r llwyfan wedi ei gosod ar gyfer un o straeon arswyd mwyaf bythwyrdd y theatr.   

Wedi ei haddasu gan Stephen Malatratt o nofel gothig 1983 Dame Susan Hill,  The Woman In Black yw un o’r dramâu mwyaf hirhoedlog ar y West End, ac mae wedi uno cynulleidfaoedd mewn ofn ers 30 o flynyddoedd. A nawr, dyma’r cyfle i gynulleidfaoedd Cymreig gwato y tu ôl i’w rhaglenni. Mae Y Fenyw Mewn Du wedi ei chyfieithu yn arbennig ar gyfer  Y Consortiwm Cymraeg gan yr ysgrifennwr ac actor Gwawr Loader. Eglurodd Gwawr bwysigrwydd y cynhyrchiad iddi hi:

“Roeddwn wrth fy modd pan ofynnodd Geinor i mi ymuno â thîm Y Fenyw Mewn Du. Mae cael y cyfle i gyflwyno addasiad newydd o glasur y West End i siaradwyr a dysgwyr Cymraeg y cymoedd yn eu hiaith ei hunain, gyda naws Gymreig, yn gymaint o bleser. Gyda chostau yn codi drwyddi draw, mae’n hanfodol bod cynulleidfaoedd yn gallu mynychu theatr o’r safon uchaf yn eu trefi a’u pentrefi, ac mae Y Consortiwm Cymraeg yn rhagori ar gyflwyno gwaith i’r gymuned.”

Mae Y Consortiwm Cymraeg yn falch iawn i gyhoeddi mai Jonathan Nefydd (Pobol Y Cwm, The Way) a Tom Blumberg (Theatr na nÓg, Arad Goch) fydd yn chwarae yr Actor a Kipps.

Wedi ei gyfarwyddo gan Geinor Styles, cyfarwyddwr artistig Theatr na nÓg, mi fydd Y Fenyw Mewn Du yn cynnwys cerddoriaeth gan y cyfansoddwr Barnaby Southgate. Cynllunnir y cynhyrchiad gan Kitty Callister, y sain gan Ian Barnard, a goleuo a’r cynllun taflunio gan Andy Pike.  Y cyfarwyddwr cynorthwyol fydd Llinos Daniel ac mi fydd y storïwr Owen Staton yn cynnal gweithdai adrodd straeon arswyd ym mhob lleoliad i gyd fynd â’r daith.

Sefydlwyd Y Consortiwm Cymraeg gan y cwmni theatr arobryn Theatr na nÓg, Ymddiriedolaeth Ddiwylliannol Awen, Theatr Soar a Neuadd Les Ystradgynlais, i gyflwyno theatr hygyrch o’r safon uchaf yn yr iaith Gymraeg.  Mae’r Consortiwm hefyd yn bwriadu cyflwyno rhaglen o gyfranogiadau fydd yn galluogi cymunedau i wella eu sgiliau iaith a hefyd i ymwneud â chelfyddydau a diwylliant ar eu stepen drws. Daeth aelodau’r consortiwm at ei gilydd er mwyn ailgynnau egni a gwerth y canolfannau perfformio i gymunedau ar draws cymoedd De Cymru. Roedd cynlluniau’r Consortiwm eisoes ar y gweill cyn dyfodiad y pandemig Covid, ond wrth i’r canolfannau diwylliannol gau eu drysau, sylweddolodd aelodau’r Consortiwm bod yr angen am y fath ganolfannau hyd yn oed yn fwy difrifol – i sicrhau dyfodol yr iaith Gymraeg yn y cymoedd ac i i gynnal eu cymunedau bywiog tu hwnt i Bandemig Covid.  Llwyddodd y cynhyrchiad cyntaf, Shirley Valentine gan Willy Russell, cyfieithwyd gan Manon Eames a pherfformiwyd gan Shelley Rees-Owen, BBC Radio Cymru, i wirioni yn ogystal â chynulleidfaoedd y gwanwyn diwethaf.   

Mi fydd Y Fenyw Mewn Du yn agor ym Mhafiliwn Porthcawl nos Iau Hydref 26ain ac yn parhau yno tan nos Sadwrn 28ain cyn teithio i Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil (2-4ydd Tachwedd, Theatr Borough Y Fenni (9-11eg Tachwedd) cyn dod i ben yn y Welfare, Ystradgynlais (16-18fed Tachwedd). Mi fydd tocynnau ar werth o ddydd Gwener Mai 26ain a cheir manylion llawn ar wefannau’r canolfannau, neu ar theatr-nanog.co.uk.

The team behind last year’s Shirley Valentine switches from laughs to chills this autumn with the world premiere of Y Fenyw Mewn Du, a new Welsh language translation of West End hit The Woman In Black.

Welsh speakers and learners will be pleased to hear there’s another crowd-pleaser from Y Consortiwm Cymraeg on stages across South Wales this autumn. Having delighted post-pandemic theatregoers in 2022 with a much-needed dose of laughter, this year the team is hoping for more screams than smiles from audiences as it presents a fresh new staging of a production that has been terrifying audiences in London for a full 30 years.

Director Geinor Styles explains:

“I love being scared. Since I was very young, I have always loved ghost stories. When I read Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black it scared me so much I had to have the book cover facing downwards so that I never saw her – The Woman.

I saw the Stephen Mallatrat adaptation for the stage in the early nineties. It was not only a very clever adaptation of the story but also terrified me and those who sat with me watching it in the theatre.

The simplicity of the storytelling in the show elevates the power of theatre and the spoken word. That memory has stayed with me and it remains one of my favourite plays. Years later, after a feedback session with audiences following the Consortiwm production of Shirley Valentine, Welsh learners suggested that a known story or play helped with their confidence in attending Welsh language theatre. Venues also said that their biggest sellers were thrillers.”

The Woman in Black tells the story of Arthur Kipps, a solicitor sent to settle the affairs of Mrs Alice Drablow. While working alone on her secluded estate he finds himself the subject of a terrifying haunting and at the mercy of the curse of the woman in black. In an attempt to rid himself of this misery and exorcise the ghost once and for all, he engages an actor to help him tell his tale, and thus the stage is set for one of theatre’s most enduring thrillers.

Adapted by Stephen Malatratt from the 1983 gothic novel by Dame Susan Hill, The Woman In Black is one of the longest-running West End plays ever, having united audiences in fear for 30 years. And now it’s the turn of Welsh audiences to hide behind their programmes. Y Fenyw Mewn Du has been especially translated for Y Consortiwm Cymraeg by writer and actor Gwawr Loader. She told us why she feels this production is important:

“I was thrilled when Geinor asked me to be a part of the team of Y Fenyw Mewn Du. Having the opportunity to present a new adaptation of a West End classic to the Welsh-speakers and learners of the valleys, in their own language and with a Welsh spin is such a pleasure. With costs rising across the board it’s vital that audiences have access to theatre of the highest standard in their towns and villages and Y Consortiwm Cymraeg excels at taking work to communities.”

Y Consortiwm Cymraeg are delighted to announce that Jonathan Nefydd (Pobol Y Cwm, The Way) and Tom Blumberg (Theatr na nÓg, Arad Goch) will play the Actor and Kipps.

Directed by Geinor Styles, artistic director of Theatr na nÓg, Y Fenyw Mewn Du will feature music by composer Barnaby Southgate. The production is designed by Kitty Callister with sound design by Ian Barnard, and lighting and projection design from Andy Pike. Llinos Daniel will assistant direct and storyteller Owen Staton will be running ghost story-telling workshops in each location to accompany the tour.

Y Consortiwm Cymraeg was established by the award-winning Theatr na nÓg, Awen Cultural Trust, Theatr Soar and The Welfare Ystradgynlais to present high-quality accessible Welsh language theatre. Y Consortiwm Cymraeg also aims to produce a programme of participation for communities to improve their language skills and also engage in arts and culture on their doorstep. The four organisations joined forces to rekindle the vitality and value of live theatre venues to communities across the South Wales valleys. Y Consortiwm’s wheels were already in motion pre the COVID pandemic, but as cultural centres locked down, they realised that the need for these creative hubs was even greater – to help safeguard the future of the Welsh language in the valleys, and to support thriving communities beyond the Covid Pandemic. Their first production, Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine, translated by Manon Eames and performed by BBC Radio Cymru’s Shelley Rees-Owen delighted critics and audiences alike last spring.

Richard Hughes, Chief Executive of Awen Cultural Trust said:

“Awen is thrilled to host the 2023 Consortiwm Cymraeg production of Y Fenyw Mewn Du this autumn and to bring this chilling tale to Welsh-speaking audiences in Porthcawl and beyond. Last year’s Consortiwm production of Shirley Valentine was extremely well received and I have no doubt people will be eager to see this haunting translation of the West End classic at their local theatre”

Y Fenyw Mewn Du premieres at Porthcawl Pavillion on Thursday 26^th October, where it runs until Saturday 28^th before touring to Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil (2-4^th November), The Borough Theatre Abergavenny (9-11^th November), ending in Ystradgynlais at The Welfare (16-18^th November). Tickets will be on sale from Friday 26^th May and full details can be found on venue websites or at theatr-nanog.co.uk.

We last interviewed Welsh Playwright and Artistic Director of Chippy Lane Productions Ltd, Rebecca Jade Hammond, in September 2022 just prior to her play Right Where We Left Us being performed at Chapter Arts Centre. We caught up with Rebecca again during rehearsals of Mad Margot which is one of four plays, forming RWCMD New 23 Season.

Hi Rebecca, great to catch up again, it’s been 8 months since we last spoke, with the cultural sector finding a way through the impact of Covid how has your professional career been impacted by this difficult period?

Lovely to speak with you again. To answer your question, I think most writers still feel a sense of ‘world on pause’. It seems that emerging writers making traction pre-pandemic are now picking up the pieces and having to go again at a slower pace. I have always written but it wasn’t until 2019 that I started to take it seriously and since then I have seen steady (if not fast enough) progress. I often feel frustrated that I didn’t take the plunge and start younger, but then I check in with myself and remember that you reap what you sow regardless of age. You have to keep going, apply for everything, have those coffees (with no agenda), meet people, network, write, write, write and get better. At some point something has to happen. I always say: “you have to keep going, you’re too far in to go back now” – I believe this 100%.

Mad Margot is described as a new play that “charts epic events in young bodies, caught between childhood and adulthood in Bute Park, Cardiff.” Can you tell us more about this work?

I originally had this idea in 2020 attending the National Theatre Writers Group. I banked it, knowing that a writer at my point would never be given the opportunity until I was profiled.I let it percolate, wrote bits of it – but kept it for future possibilities. It wasn’t until my play RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US was on in September 2022 that I was approached by Sherman Theatre and RWCMD with the offer of a commission. The brief was for it to be with ten actors and thread in Welsh translations with the support of Branwen Davies. Of course I accepted and over the last year we have worked hard to bring it to fruition. 

MAD MARGOT is a piece about the disintigration of mental health in young women (specifically Margot’s) in the midst of teenage pregnancy. At a time when she should be protected, safe and supported she is alone and trying hard not to drown. Charting the murky world youngsters occupy between childhood and adulthood in Bute Park, MAD MARGOT explores mob-mentality, power-structured relationships and sexuality in relation to the system of patriarchy. Personally it is a nod to my youth growing up as a young Cardiffian in North Cardiff. Always out, not wanting to go home and building an urban family of friends. In fact, several of the characters are based on real people I grew up with including myself.

I have realised as a writer I am obsessed with the rhythm and timbre of dialogue and ensuring it’s as authentic as possible. This piece is incredibly wordy and hard to speak without speaking fast, breathing between punctuation and of course, in a Cardiff accent. It’s exhausting for the actors but rewarding. It’s also incredible to see how they’ve committed to the material. They’ve taken it and run. We are sharing the responsibility to serve this story.

The play is at once epic and historical in its approach yet hyperlocal in its gaze, taking place a stone’s throw from RWCMD in Bute Park. How have you combined these elements in your work?

I have left these ideas and concepts with Llew (Designer) and Jac (Director) both Cardiffians and Welsh speakers. Being deeply aware of the confines of NEW and the play being in Rep the only thing I asked for was it to feel like a vast space with leaf’s. I left everything else up to them to put their stamp and vision on the piece. I am a firm believer in collaboration – it’s the ultimate form of making art. No one can really do it alone and so I have left them to figure out the world in that way. Without giving too much away there are artistic nods to Cardiff, Bute Park and my youth. Also, this piece is a loose reimagining of MEDEA and so, it was important that the words, the performances and the story sing out loud without too much fuss and spectacle. Peter Brook once said “all you need is bodies in space to be engaging” and I like to think we will deliver this in the final production.

The production uses a range of pop culture references and contemporary slang, how did you approach these elements and have you had any feedback from young people? Were you worried about getting any of this wrong?

I mean, I don’t think I’m old yet. I am in my 30’s so I don’t think I had to dig that deep to connect to the material. However, I am a different gen to that of 16+ in 2023 and so I researched a lot about young people in Cardiff. I also worked with the students to ensure the characters sat authentically in their bodies and that the words felt realistic to them. It is amazing how much ‘being young’ is still exactly the same as when I was a teenager. The rules, politics, banter, bullying, dynamics and struggles are all as was. There’s something comforting but also deeply worrying that not much changed.

With regards to other elements, music is always a big part of my writing process and the worlds I build in plays. I have always wanted to integrate rap music into one of my stories and this seemed like the perfect opportunity working on a young persons piece. We actually collaborated with another student Israel J. Fredericks (El Guapo) on creating a rap section for one of the characters who wants to be the next ArrDee / Central Cee. Israel wrote a rap and together we found a beat based on a detailed brief I gave him on the character. This process was enlightening and supportive. Giving our piece another opportunity to utilise the talented skill sets of the students. We are also utilising the ballet experience of one of the actors, singing and Welsh speaking. Continuously having a dialogue and making them part of the conversation. It’s been an organic / openly creative journey for us all getting to this point. 

Mad Margot is one of four new plays which will premier at RWCMD at the end of May before transferring to The Yard Theatre, London in early June. The NEW season from RWCMD “showcases its commitment to empowering the next generation of actors, collaborating with the UK’s best writers and directors, and bringing new voices and diverse stories to the stage” Why is this work to support emerging actors and the UK’s best writers and directors important to you?

NEW is an important part of the college’s history and as a writer a gift to be able to explore work that has big casts, epic themes and enables you to experiment with form. It’s a tricky task, but I have seen so many NEW pieces over the years I knew exactly what should be done. Shout-out to Daf James’ FOR ALL I AM in 2016, which in my opinion is the benchmark for when the brief marries up perfectly. From the story, to the characters, to utilising the students and the execution of performance – it is a masterpiece. I am aiming for that… wish me luck.

MAD MARGOT is also significant because it’s the first time NEW has had a bilingual piece in English and Welsh and has several Welsh students in one piece. Platforming RWCMD commitment to Welsh talent and celebrating the Welsh language. For the student/actors, it is the last show they perform before going into the industry. It is an important marker for them leaving education and going into the professional world. I think it’s essential that these pieces are modern, edgy and use all the tools in their box. Make them proud of their work and a piece that they have had a hand in creating. I hope I have given them something they will always remember as a challenge and opportunity to excel but also put THE DIFF on the map.

The play is Directed by Jac Ifan Moore and has Welsh Language Adaptations and Dramaturgy by Branwen Davies. When we discussed this, you said you aimed to reflect contemporary Cardiff in its use of “Wenglish” by young people. How have rehearsals reflected this aim and do you think you have been successful?

What’s wonderful is that we have a mix of fluent-speakers, those learning and those with no Welsh experience at all. Everyone is supportive and encouraging to those who don’t speak the language and the rehearsal room is naturally moving from Welsh to English as it does in the play. Both our SM, DSM and Designer also speak Welsh too so that aids for the language being readily used. I am also learning, so it’s been wonderful to be part of a space where I can brush up on my Welsh.

From a writing perspective Branwen Davies and I have a lovely working relationship where she was very sensitive to my words still translating in Welsh in a Cardiff-style way. I think she’s captured it perfectly and I have been honoured to have her guidance and also my words turned into Cymraeg. Bi-lingual pieces are still rare even in Wales and I am a firm believer that there should be more and that in future work I will work more within that medium. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable process.

And finally what culture have you been consuming recently that you would recommend our readers to catch up on?

I have favoured listening to music whilst walking and running this year. Also, as a form of mindfulness and to distract me from my forever racing head. It helps me write and figure out story plots, characters and possibilities.

I am listening to a lot of R&B and rap like; Central Cee, RKAYY (Cardiff Rapper), GoGo Morrow, SZA, Doja Cat, Jaish, Drake, El Guapo, Giggs, Jay Z, Little Sims, Mabel, Lauryn Hill, The Carters, Dr Dre, Eminem, Nicki Minaji, ArrDee, Aitch, 9lokknine and my Queen Beyoncé!

In our latest Playwright interview, the Director of Get the Chance, Guy O’Donnell meets Playwright Vic Mills, they discuss his career to date, his latest play ‘Sanctuary: The Secrets of the Gunter Mansion’ and his thoughts on career support for Playwrights in Wales.

So, what got you interested in the arts?

I came from a non-conformist chapel background, where both of my parents were public speakers, writers, teachers, preachers – so performance of the spoken word was part of what we lived and breathed from infant hood. Music too was central to life.  Both my parents were avid readers and we grew up in a home without a television so I read a huge amount – many of the classics before I was eleven.

Why do you write?

That’s probably changed  great deal over the years – from poetry as a teenager and young adult to writing for theatre from the time I was about 20.  I write because I enjoy the process and each stage of sharing and developing a script is incredibly exciting – the isolation in the first part of the process and then the development of a script with a team is nerve-wracking and exhilarating.  Then, right through to the first performance the piece continues to develop and is still changing and hopefully improving until it’s last performance.  The chemistry with my director, Neil Maidman, and recently with the Contemporancient Team of poet Dr Kevin Mills, composer Stephen Preston and our actors is hugely exciting.

Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas come from?

Research around a specific subject – like The Chartists, mental asylums in Wales, Dr Richard Price, ‘The Gunter Mansion’ in Abergavenny  – is the starting point – finding where the theatre is in a story, what might be relevant, challenging, inspiring, for contemporary audiences.  Then, like most playwrights, I build scenes around conflict.  I also search for empathy with every character I develop – they all have to have something of me in them – good, bad and appalling.

I have written theatre with a social and political drive, often linked to an aspect of Welsh history in the last twenty years and that continues to be my focus.

Whilst I usually produce what might be called ‘naturalist dialogue’ as central to a piece, the work itself is not usually naturalistic overall.  My great inspiration is Brecht and so music, poetry, ‘chorus’, multiple playing, non-linear structure, are all key tools in creating something meant to evoke intellectual challenge rather than pure entertainment.

Can you describe your writing day? Do you have a process or a minimum word count?

I usually spend a year or so reading around a subject and then write a first draft of a play obsessively and very quickly – maybe within 10 days.  I don’t keep any record of how much time I spend at it during those days – but writing comes easily when it comes at all and it usual flies out when it’s ready to.  It gets huge amounts of patient re-working for months afterwards, but the arc is there.

Do you have a specific place that you work from?

I have a study and a MacBook Air.  I write notes in proper notebooks with a fountain pen.  I like fountain pens a lot.  I really like fountain pens.  Once I start writing the script – its straight on the MacBook though.

Your latest play ‘Sanctuary: The Secrets of the Gunter Mansion’ plays at The Borough Theatre, Abergavenny at 7.30pm on Wednesday 21st June.

“This new play with music tells how, for more than 400 years, Abergavenny has provided sanctuary for those in danger – here the horrors and joys of their secret stories are told in thrilling theatre and music.”

Can you tell us more about the background to this production and your hopes for its production?

This started with reading an historical text about two leaders of the Jesuits being caught in a priest hole in Worcestershire in 1605 and exploring the idea of people being hunted, tortured and killed for their faith but also willing to do the same things to other people, with only marginally different faith.  This seemed incredibly relevant to life for people in many parts of the world today so worth exploring.  We have worked with ‘The Plas Gunter Mansion’ in Abergavenny, where these priests probably hid in the months prior to be caught – we have linked that with the story of Syrian refugee woman in Abergavenny today – she is not an historical figure but is based on stories of real Syrian refugees in Wales.

We’ve worked with Syrian musicians and our composer to bring the cultures together in music and explore the idea of sanctuary in Abergavenny and in Wales across the ages.  It’s a play about the Welsh nation being made up of people from around the world and about the importance of tolerance.  But there’s a lot of difficult stuff in the play about people’s willingness to suffer for their beliefs and to make others suffer who do not share them.

Kevin, my brother, an academic and poet, has produced wonderful verse for the piece and has worked with Stephen Preston, our musician/composer to create stunning songs alongside our Syrian musicians.  We’ve worked with our close collaborator, film maker Chris Lloyd to deliver a multi-media piece, where film and visual imagery plays a huge part.  Our director and dramaturg, Neil Maidman, is someone I have worked with for more than 25 years so we shape a piece together, understanding each others strengths pretty intuitively by now.

We hope that through exploring our shared history, we will learn more about ourselves and those with whom we share our communal lives and spaces.

This will be performed during National Refugee Week and all performances will be free for refugees.

Sanctuary – Cast, Director, Writer, and Lyricist

What role do you think Theatres and Playwrights have in telling the narratives of the citizens of their respective nations?

You can tell from my previous answer that this is a central tenet of all I do as a writer and what this theatre company, Contemporancient Theatre, is all about.  Heb Hanes – Heb Hunaniaeth is our motto, and that is at the heart of what we do.

There are a range of organisations supporting Wales based writers. I wonder if you feel the current support network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not, what would help?

I worked as a drama teacher, English teacher and Deputy Headteacher until I was able to retire at 55, and work full time in theatre.  I was able to write and get plays produced throughout that time and have had plays of mine produced and performed all around the world.  I have never made any money to speak of through that.  If a play of mine is performed I get about £50 per performance in royalties.

I spend a huge amount of time applying for funding – far more that I do actually writing or developing scripts.  If I had to rely on what I earned from theatre to live, I couldn’t.  I ensure that freelance actors, musicians, crew etc are paid union rates and I try to find some money in the budget for writing and script development.  I don’t know how anyone writing for theatre could make a living just by writing, unless they were hugely successful.

You are a member of the Get The Chance team yourself and have reviewed a range of productions. Why are you a member of our team of volunteer critics and what value does this opportunity have to you?

I watch as much live theatre as I can, and I usually have very strong opinions about what I experience.  Part of the joy of any art is the discussion it evokes – Get The Chance gives people an opportunity to formulate and articulate ideas about performance arts so it’s a vehicle for them and publicity for the event that have attended.  What’s not to like about that?

If you were able to fund an area of the arts what would this be and why?

One of my many causes is ‘working class people in arts’ and theatre specifically, of course. 

The tradition of great working class actors, playwrights etc that fuelled British theatre has been choked off.  I would love to see bursaries or grants for theatre practitioners of working class background to support their work, and organisations like ACW creating funding areas for projects delivered by practitioners from the working class. 

What currently inspires you about the arts in the Wales?

The extent to which good work continues to get put on despite the odds. 

What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?

I saw Rosie Sheehy in Alls Well That Ends Well at the RSC Stratford last year.  Didn’t know her, or of her, at the time.  Stunning, stunning performance – by a kid from down the road.  Blistering and inspiring.  I love actors who can really speak verse – get verse.  Wonderful physical and vocal performance.  I love the fact that she was there and blew everyone else off the stage and that she’s a Welsh kid from an ordinary background.

Hi Chris, great to meet you, can you give our readers some background information on yourself please?

Shwmae! I am a writer. I was born in Abergavenny, raised in Ebbw Vale, and then Cwmbrân, and now living in Bridgend with my fiancé. I had a Welsh language education in Pontypool (and now I predominately identify as a Welsh language theatre maker). I studied my BA in Drama at Aberystwyth University, and my MA in International Dramaturgy at the University of Amsterdam. I’ve been writing for theatre for about 10 years now, having had many fantastic opportunities to exercise and explore new work. I’ve been fortunate to work with Theatr Bara Caws, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Theatr Iolo, Theatrau Sir Gar, National Theatre Wales, Dutch National Opera, Ensemble Modern, Cwmni Theatr Frân Wen and Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch. I’ve also worked in a pharmacy, as a teaching assistant and a drama club facilitator. It’s all relative!

So, what got you interested in the arts?

I have my parents to thank for that. Neither of them work in the arts, but they regularly took my sister and I to the theatre from a very young age. The stating point was likely seeing ‘Budgie the Little Helicopter’ at the New Theatre, Cardiff. They also took us to Kids Week in London (a brilliant initiative) during the summer, all the way up until we were 16. They always encouraged broad-mindedness in any art form we watched. We went to all sorts of theatre across the country, as well as the cinema, museums, art galleries, as well as the weekly movie nights we would have at home.

Why do you write?

I see the world in a very creative way. Ideas come to me all the time from all corners of life. Human behaviour and experience is theatrical. I have too many ideas. Writing is a method in which to make sense of things. News bulletins and anecdotes and shared-experiences and reading historical documents translate into creative artforms that I visualise. To me, everything has creative potential. I can’t always deal with things ‘just’ as they are, or as matter of fact. I like to imagine and interpret all the time, and ask – ‘why are things like that?’

Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas come from?

Anywhere. And new ideas usually catch you off-guard! There’s been many a situation where I have had to say: ‘Stop a minute, I have to write this down!’. From there, it’s usually many weeks of toying, thinking, contemplating, researching. If the idea disappears after 6 weeks, then I can’t love it that much to begin immediately. I don’t always start with ‘something to say’. That usually comes later. If I have an idea, and later on it begins to resonate with my own personal opinions, experiences or perspective on things (or challenges them) – and the idea sits with me long enough (I get bored quite easily too) – then I know I may have something. I also thrive on collaboration. I like to work with a director very early on to really uncover a play.

Can you describe your writing day? Do you have a process or a minimum word count?

I personally don’t think there’s such a thing as a writing day because, every time I sit down to ‘write’, I usually scroll on Twitter or stare blankly somewhere. You have to let the ideas come to you. Sometimes they come in chronologically, order sometimes in a random order. The ‘process’ is trusting that it is a process that requires time. I also think it’s healthy to have a different approach and process with each new play. Let the work dictate to you what it needs. I recently completed the first draft of a new play entirely by hand in a notebook because I wanted to try not writing any of it at home and to make the process more mobile. Now I have to find time to type it up . . .

This spring you have two new Welsh Language productions on tour, Cariad yn Oes y Gin produced by Theatr Bara Caws which is described as “A dark comedy about the experiences of a young, bohemian and rebellious couple as they seek a new, adventurous life.” And Golygfeydd o’r Pla Du, a Theatrau Sir Gâr Production, supported by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru which is described as “A mischievous, black (death) comedy about crisis and corruption, packed with scandal, songs, singing goats and horse sh*t. Welcome to the Black Death – there’s nothing funnier.”

There is clearly a theme of dark comedy in your work! What inspired both productions and what are your ambitions for the tours?

‘Cariad yn Oes y Gin’ was inspired by asking how something so destructive, like gin, was discovered for the first time. I was interested in how, in 1736, it affected people on a societal level, and how a bridge once build between the lower and upper classes was suddenly eradicated because of gentrification. I also wanted to see it through the lens of a young, care-free (and rather naive couple) who get a big slice of reality when paving their own way through life.

I’ve thought a lot about the nature of love and relationships over the past couple of years, and how one must adapt and, sometimes, compromise in a true relationship, whilst also holding on to their very true selves. Gin, a new and destructive drink in society, becomes a symbol of freedom and power for this young, rabble-rousing couple.

‘Golygfeydd o’r Pla Du’ began life as wanting to be popcorn-theatre for Welsh language audiences in the vain of some of my heroes: Mel Brooks, Monty Python and The League of Gentleman. It’s written for 4 actors sharing around 35 characters. It’s fast, it’s polymathic and outrageous. Of course, like all theatre work, it quickly evolved into something more than just a satirical comedy, and I began to see how crisis, such as a pandemic, brings out the true nature of people. It seems there are many out there who benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the play aims to make an acknowledgment of that through satire.

Both productions take place in an historical context. Do you think the plays period and themes will resonate with contemporary audiences?

I think so. I find it easier to contemplate what is going around us in the present through a historical lens. There’s a sense that enough time has settled for us to learn from history and to see things exactly as they are through the ‘then’. The ‘Gin Craze’ saw many people’s freedoms being curbed, not just on the basis that the drink was doing so much harm to people, but the working classes were entirely to blame for the increase in violence. You’d be surprised at how much corruption and scandal became evident as a result of the Black Death. People began to see the cracks in their leadership and in the feudal system. The ‘Peasant’s Revolt’ came shortly after that. It wasn’t all ‘Partygate’ or how much of public funding was spent on a private jet flight of 30 minutes, but the gesture of abuses of power was very much the same. Through history, we see lessons that have never been learnt.

There are a range of organisations supporting Wales based writers. I wonder if you feel the current support network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not, what would help?

Yes, it certainly feels healthy. I was very fortunate to be invited to a few of those schemes myself (particularly the Sherman Theatre’s schemes in 2016 – 2018 curated by Philip and Christine Carne, Brad Birch, Gethin Evans and David Mercatali). My worry is that there still aren’t schemes to commit to writers long-term – to take risks. Theatr Bara Caws, Theatrau Sir Gar, Theatr Iolo, Blackwood Miners Institute . . . they’ve all taken a risk on me by following through. It takes time, but I don’t know a single aspiring/emerging writer who wouldn’t want to take that time if it meant the end-goal was getting their work seen and discussed by a paying audience.

Is it sustainable being a writer? No, not really. But I recommend training and taking work in other aspects of the arts, if possible: box office, outreach, education, administration, technical . . . whatever. It all feeds into your understanding of the working mechanism that makes up an arts organisation and gives you a greater appreciation of it. However, never work for free.

If you were able to fund an area of the arts what would this be and why?

Access. It’s a financial barrier for many companies, and the costs are increasing for everything. A ‘Dream Scheme’ would be to see core arts organisations given additional resources and funding to ensure that all aspects of access can be addressed: in-house software for captioning, cheaper/free hire of captioning software (Theatr Gen’s access app Sibrwd is super-easy, for example)

More funding to ensure BSL interpreters/Audio describers are given more performances and more preparation time, access costs being subsidies by larger funding bodies (but not necessarily included in core production budgets) and that wide-spread training is free, accessible and continuous.

What currently inspires you about the arts in Wales?

An identity that has shifted from that of coal miners and choirs and drowned villages to telling the real, contemporary stories of the diverse people of Wales. Also, our awakened sense of nationhood sat in the context of the British Empire. I’ve seen a lot of Welsh language work in the past few years that touches on this in an exciting way. To put all that into context, I went to see ‘The Corn is Green’ by Emlyn Williams at the National Theatre last year. Without going on about it, there’s a reason why that play ISN’T being performed in Wales and HASN’T for a very long time.

What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?

Oh, I went to see Damien Chazelle’s new film ‘Babylon’ recently!

In it, I saw two of my favourite films slammed together in an orgiastic, unapologetic party: ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ meeting ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. It actually made me think a little about ‘Cariad yn Oes y Gin’ (I love it when that happens – you’re nervous about an idea you’ve thought of, and then see someone else execute it in a different context, making you confident that your idea will work!). For all the drug-fuelled, addicted splendour that ‘Wolf’ and ‘Babylon’ brought, the party has to die down eventually, because people get hurt. That’s what we see in Dylan and Nansi’s journey in ‘Gin’.

Thanks for your time

Croeso, wir!