Cardiff is seeing many fine eateries and places to be seen over the past few years. What recently caught my eye was the Coppa Club in their first flutter into Wales. It was all very exciting, a part of the timeless David Morgan building would be brought back to life.
I know the space well, my brother worked at the Moss Bros which was the past proprietor. Arriving to the club you could detect the faint whiff of new furnishings and new renovation smell (this was their tenth day of trading), though I’m sure that will go with time. I had little time to take in the space downstairs, which appears to just be for drinks and nibbles, the soft, autumnal colour scheme and cosy seats looked promising.
It’s wonderful to see the old glass dome upstairs still be in the space, this is where the Gatsby like bar now resides. I was served a delectably smooth espresso martini, I rarely fall into vodka though I’m thrilled I did here. A perfect way to be welcomed in, I cant recall which vodka was offered though I did clock Grey Goose and amongst others. A grip with the bar is that the mountains like stools are extremely heavy and only swivel a certain amount if degrees. The layout of the bar is a clever use below the dome, though the golden, mushroom lamps block a large amount of space in the bar’s surface. I should also point out this is not a club per se, no membership required.
A highly amusing moment came when a customer asked me where the toilets were, I had chosen to dress up this night. A barman passed remark how smart I had come, which as always nice. I do remain a bit disheartened when people don’t dress up at a restaurant. The music was a little to dance heavy for dinner, though volume levels were graceful. Sat in the corner with a view of The Hayes, a slight sight of scaffolding couldn’t be helped as it was next door. Quite simply lit, the dining area we frequented felt right in mood, the seats comfy and the table standard for two. The folded paper art work had me intrigued, stylish if uninspired, the patterned prints were fairly more alluring.
The squid to start was a fine thing. Cooked well, tender and with a fitting sauce, the food was off to a great start. As my main, this might be the best steak I’ve ever had. Dry aged for 30 days, I couldn’t believe my luck. Cooked to perfection as medium rare, some fries were crunchy and a side salad was heavy on dressing, though a fine garnish. The Béarnaise sauce is not quite my flavour, but that’s on me. I should have done a classic peppercorn sauce. I’ll regret that thoroughly. My plus one had the yellow fin tuna, trying some it was pink on the middle as it should be, tender and juicy, some potatoes and olives added depth to the plate.
All desserts were veggie, but no chance for a vegan this time from what I could see. I was recommended the sticky toffee pudding, which I wouldn’t usually pick. It was the honeycomb crumbs which finished this pudding, the rest was finely balanced. Wine choices of red and rosé added colour to the meat and fish choices, I was thrilled to have a cappuccino with skimmed milk, something which not every place has.
The staff need a massive shoutout, as some of the friendliest and alert I’ve encountered in the dining world. Some personal stories thanks to my plus one opening up, lead to insights and advice. We even got some holidays tips and recommendations. We were looked after so much and the staff are really selling the place. It’s one of their strongest assets.
One question remained after I had left: where exactly was the kitchen in the club? I saw neither chefs nor kitchen setting. There was little chance of it being upstairs and I recall the ground not as not being huge either. Having said this, this was a wonderful night, filled with joy and generosity. The Coppa Club is becoming one of the places to go in Cardiff. We are going back for a birthday soon, I’d imagine.
The Coppa Club, The Cardiff Townhouse, is now open for reservations and drop ins.
This Spring, Penarth Pier Pavilion is working in collaboration with RWCMD on a new RWCMD-in-Residence programme. The Residency will involve music workshops and performances for all ages and audiences!
Morning Mini Music Sessions
Come along and experience joyful, high quality music sessions for under-5s and their parents/guardian.
Children will enjoy joining in with songs, rhymes, dances, and games led by inspiring professional musicians with live music.
Learn lots of fun ways to engage musically with your little one which you can do at home. Watch your child flourish developmentally and socially through these expertly designed sessions.
Age guidance: Children under 5 and their parent/guardian.
Tickets are limited: 20 children per session. You can find out more and book tickets here
Venue: Penarth Pier Pavilion
Event: Morning Mini Music Sessions
Date: Wednesday 15th February 2023
Timings: First session: 9.30am to 10.15am. There is a second session from 10:45 – 11:30 am
Tickets: £5.95 per child (booking fee applies) per session – children to be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Around a year ago it was announced that Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland would be relocating to the historical Cardiff Castle (due to COVID concerns) and so I and a few friends thought that we would walk through the city center dressed as Santa and his usual companions. Apart from the excited faces of children running up to tell us they have been good this year, the actual event was extremely disappointing! The skating was frequently closed and reopened due to transmission rates and the majority of stalls were closed with those that were open were mostly selling the same thing. Therefore when it was announced that a festive festival would be landing in Cardiff Castle, I was concerned it was going to be a repeat of the lackluster event. However, I could not have been more wrong! This year the Castle has been given a festive make-over with most fantastical pop-up theatre, luminous decorations, and a plethora of stalls for everyone to enjoy.
This production marks the second show we have seen from the Castle’s Spiegeltent festival the first of which being Santa’s Wish where I talked about for me Christmas is all about the child-like wonder that floods over you as Santa bellows his iconic catchphrase. As we get older the magic of Christmas starts to fade away and we our perspectives begin to change. Sometimes Christmas is not about that warm fuzzy feeling in your belly, sometimes it is about purposefully finding your way onto Santa’s naughty list and being your own “Ho, Ho, Ho!”
This brand-new, mature cabaret event is unique in the fact that it was hosted mostly by different arrangements of three separate cast members. We were introduced to the fabulous Velma Celli (who is west-end star Ian Stroughair behind all the name-up) who is all of my cabaret dreams come to life on stage! I am absolutely in love with the sparkly outfit they wore at the beginning of the performances which acted as a disco ball by reflecting the stage lights beautifully. They also helped to drive the pace of the show with hilarious interactions with the audience (including stealing my sequin Santa hat and handing to the people next to me) and delivering exciting introductions for many of the acts. On top of all this Velma also performed an excellent rendition of the hit song “Let Me Entertain You” which introduced the host to the audience as the almost master of ceremonies. We are also introduced to ‘the Magician’ Alex Phelps who has somewhat of a storied history with the previous host. He also helps to introduce the final host and mystery guest of the evening Ana played by Vikki Bebb after randomly selecting her from the audience and hypnotising her to be the star of the show. I do think that the inclusion of selecting her from the audience was convoluted and was very clearly an intentional plant that took away from the rest of the very live and at times highly dangerous acts to follow. I have to admit that there was an underlying storyline to the show about the re-discovery of a mythical yet fictional Castell Annwn but I missed many of the plot points as these details were shared of overwhelming audience reactions.
The first act to officially grace the stage was the fire Fox Angie Sylvia who delivered a mesmerising burlesque/fire swallowing number which ended with her setting the remnants of her outfit of fire while still on her body! The sensuality of stripping combined with the danger of fire breathing made for a totally fascinating act that had me in the edge of my seat throughout! One of the acts that had the biggest reaction of the night was Brett Rosengreen who helped to showcase male burlesque which is something I have not seen a lot of before! It can only benefit the art form if more people are aware that burlesque is for anyone and so it was fantastic to see these performers a part of the line-up! If this performance by Brett is anything to go by then I cannot wait to see more male burlesque dancers in the very near future! His cowboy-infused number was so dramatic and sensual with just a splash of humour as he poured what appeared Jack Daniels over himself and the stage which just added to the sensuality of his number. The pairing of Yann LeBlanc and Sophie Northmore (under the duo of hand-to-hand) delivered an amazing, gravity-defying balancing act where the latter would contort and maintain the most insane positions as the former supported and functioned as the much need muscle. This performance was not only elegant and beautiful but also let the audience wondered how it was all possible which is the sign of an incredible circus act. I have to say that the silk routine by the flying man Joe Kelly was one of the best aerial routines I have ever seen! The way that Joe can rapidly wrap himself into the silks to twist, flip and dangle in the most precious positions was incredible to watch and also had me on the edge of my seat throughout. There were very few pauses between positions (which is usually a concern of mine during aerial numbers) which made the entire act extremely smooth and fluid for the audience.
Overall, Castellana is one of the sexiest shows this Christmas and (although we cannot make guarantees) may be the reason you end up on Santa’s naughty list this year! It is a wonderfully vibrant yet sensual show that is clearly intended for a more mature audience (due to the nudity and sexual references throughout) but this is absolutely a show to catch on your next girls/guy’s night as there is something for everyone! I would rate this production 4.5 stars out of 5!
Irlen Awareness Week is a worldwide week to increase awareness of Irlen Syndrome and to educate the public about Irlen Syndrome, this year it is the 18 to 22 October, 2021 so please join us this year. This years event will take place online due to Covid 19.
It’s a very special week for people with Irlen Syndrome and their families
Here are my plans, I have written a blog series about all things about Irlen syndrome, and I have got the Red House in Merthyr, lit up in Purple again this year and shared information about Irlen Syndrome on my own blog too.
Comedy has come a long way in Cardiff, especially in a city that is as heckle-heavy as Cardiff. It’s always been heavy heckle: there’s a certain je ne sais quoi in the air around the Taff and the Docks. Cardiff can make or break you as a comedian and/or your mental health.
Local Butetown resident, Leroy Brito (well known for his work on Tourist Trap and BBC Sesh) programmed a stellar line up at the Weston Studio of rising stars from across the United Kingdom including Morgan Rees, Priya Hall, and Yuriko Kotani.
The copy from the WMC read “comedian Leroy Brito curates this stand up comedy night featuring some of the funniest comedians on the circuit”- and they’re not wrong.
Morgan Rees
The evening opened with Cardiff boy Morgan Rees, with Brito compering throughout the evening. Rees is exceptionally funny, and may well become the next big thing in the comedy scene from Wales. Weaving in strands of his personal life with quotidien observations on the minutiae of the day to day life, I look forward to seeing more of Rees’ work in the future.
Priya Hall
Priya Hall knows her audience, and she knows her audience well. She memorably brings to life anecdotes of her family, the miner’s strikes, her (legendary) Nan. Priya is hilarious, and warmingly witty, and, like Morgan, is another up and coming comedian from South Wales. Brito’s gone out of his way to curate some of the best new talent from Wales on the Weston Stage, and it’s appreciated.
Yuriko Kotani
Yuriko Kotani is an England-based comedian, and called ‘one to watch by Time Out’. Kotani’s comedy is an absolute joy to behold, laying bare the intimacies of her experiences, and quotidien observations on the minutiae of day to day life. Kotani will be around for quite some time, and her career will continue to reach new heights with her groundbreaking comedy.
Brito’s work as a producer and a programmer is impressive, and amongst some of the best work seen at the WMC, both in terms of programming, and in terms of the talent on stage. Comedy in Wales has been predominantly on Zoom: but it’s coming back with a vengeance.
After 1 year of ups and downs in our industry, I cannot tell you how excited I was about tonight.
The brief period that we returned to Theatre near the end of last year felt like part of me returned but to be shut down again was hard for everyone. Suddenly, we are working our ways back and gosh, doesn’t it feel good.
What better way to celebrate our return than with The Producers (No, Not That One) at the Pleasance Theatre. With all proceeds going to the #TheatreArtistsFund, we were entertained with a cabaret style show full of talent, of fun and of joy while supporting those who have had a really difficult year.
While many, bar a couple of the performers, were new to me, we all laughed, we all felt comfortable and in tune with one another and it felt like a family enjoying a common love. To be back in a fringe venue felt like a homecoming amongst friends.
The Producers was as it says on the tin: A culmination of some of London’s finest Theatre Producers showcasing what else they can do. Often, we are all known in this industry as jack of all trades: giving our hand to a number of different elements (myself included) and often this is from starting with our love of the Theatre, perhaps to be performers and finding that our passion and talent in also in many other elements.
We were treated to wall shaking singing, some hilarious comedy, a circus routine, wonderful piano and a Host full of love and laughter. Every single person was full of talent and showcased that everyone from in the background to the forefront are full of talent and skills.
I could not imagine more of a perfect show to come back to, with our World returning somewhat back to how it was , than to bring some of the backbone of our industry and celebrate their talent as Producers but as performers.
This year for International Women’s Day (IWD), The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre in Newport take their International Women’s Day celebrations online with a programme of events taking place on social media throughout the day on Monday 8th March.
As the theatre is unable to open due to government guidelines, The Riverfront have taken the decision to still celebrate International Women’s Day in these challenging times and showcase a range of wonderful activities that can be joined and enjoyed from home. The theme for IWD 2021 is Choose to Challenge, as a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.
Community Arts Development Officer and International Women’s Day co-ordinator Sally-Anne Evans comments ‘It’s fantastic to be working on International Women’s Day again this year as it is always a great opportunity to come together and celebrate. This year we want to highlight the amazing creativity in our communities, and we are sharing our event virtually with some amazing activities both on the day and throughout the following week.
We are focussing on our female artists, musicians and makers to share their work, as well as offering links to activities and workshops run by other groups and partners. A lot has happened in a year, but it feels good to be able to provide a platform for people to share and celebrate together. More than ever it feels like we need it.’
Throughout the day there will be a range of activities taking place from fitness to writing, crafts to music, dance to reflection. There will be the opportunity to dance along to the IWD 2020 Zumba routine choreographed by Newport Live instructor Mandy Knight and her Thursday morning FitSteps class, and there will be a live low intensity Functional Flow fitness class hosted by Newport Live instructor Erin.
Performance piece ‘Tripping Through Newport’s Underbelly’ which was devised and performed by Marega Palser will also be showcased. This BOSCH Observation piece is a journey through underpasses, subways and some of Newport’s in between zones that people move through rather than stay in. Spaces that are home for some, dumping grounds for others.
Digital events hosted by IWD partners will be showcased including a Therapeutic writing workshop, an IWD pub quiz and an informative talk and interactive singalong on the hymn ‘The March of the Women.’ The Riverfront also encourages you to take some time and think about what you Choose to Challenge this year, whether that’s calling out gender bias or inequity, celebrate women’s achievements or making a change in your own life to help create an inclusive world. Share how you #ChooseToChallenge on social media.
The Riverfront’s International Women’s Day celebrations will end at 7pm with a pre-recorded bilingual musical set featuring opera director and creative producer Rhian Hutchings performing alongside multi-instrumentalist and singer Stacey Blythe.
On Saturday 13th March The Riverfront is partnering with the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival to support the WOW Film Festival Women’s Film Club event Kotatsu Shorts: Women Make Animation. This free event will screen a hand-picked selection of animated shorts made by up-and-coming female animators working in Japan that are suitable for all ages. The ticket for this event will also include access to a live creative workshop on Zoom with Japanese animator and illustrator Chie Arai showing you how to draw a girl in a kimono.
In the weeks following International Women’s Day the Riverfront will also be showcasing inspirational female artists, organisations and groups within our creative communities across social media, including an exclusive performance from Aleighcia Scott. If you would like to be featured contact sally-anne.evans@newportlive.co.uk sharing your work and let us know why IWD is important to you and what you would #ChooseToChallenge.
To keep up to date with The Riverfront’s program of events for International Women’s Day follow them on social media, Facebook.com/ TheRiverfront or visit newportlive.co.uk/IWD.
In response to the lockdown triggered by COVID-19, many arts organisations have taken their work online, sharing content for audiences to view for free. However, creating participatory engagement online is much more challenging and, as a sector used to being face to face with people in their practice, it’s clear that the current restrictions change the nature of participatory arts based activity substantially.
Following a vital conversation on social media led by Guy O’Donnell, Learning and Participation Producer, National Dance Company Wales which opened a discussion on how we can deliver participatory arts effectively, a range of partners are collaborating to lead Zoom discussions for the sector where we can talk about the impact of the lockdown on our work and work creatively together to think beyond the lockdown.
In partnership with ArtWorks Cymru a series of free Zoom meetings have been set up to discuss and share current working practices in participatory delivery.
Capturing the Learning
These Zoom meetings will explore how we capture the learning from organisations and artists who are currently delivering projects. We’ll explore what methods are working well, what are we learning through this experience, and how we are adapting our working practices.
Kelly Barr, Arts and Creativity Programme Manger Age Cymru hosted the first Zoom participation meeting. The meetings are free to attend but numbers are limited. Kelly gives an overview of the work Age Cymru has created to meet the challenges and the companies solutions to support the public and her service users in the current climate.
Hi can you tell me a little about yourself and your organisation?
Hi, I’m Kelly Barr, and I am the Arts and Creativity Programme Manager at Age Cymru, who are the national charity for older people in Wales. I have been working on participatory arts projects with all sorts of organisations for 6 years, including NDCWales, Earthfall and the Sherman.
The two main arts projects here at Age Cymru are Gwanwyn Festival, an annual celebration of creative ageing which happens in May each year, and cARTrefu, the largest arts in care homes project in Europe.
https://youtu.be/-f1xokBGgF0
We also run other projects throughout the year that might try to tackle isolation and loneliness (like our Gwanwyn Clubs), stereotypes of ageing or representation of older people.
Your organisation is hosting one of the free Participatory Arts – Capturing the Learning / Beyond the Lockdown meetings. Why do you agree to support these events?
I am in a very fortunate position to still be working at this time, and I felt like I had a responsibility to support conversations within the participatory sector. I saw many people reacting wonderfully quickly and adapting their practice, but I also recognised that that isn’t always an option, particularly with the groups of people that I work with. I have always believed that we have much to learn from each other so it was an ideal opportunity to do my bit to support some good practice sharing.
What challenges has lockdown present to the delivery of your service?
Gwanwyn Festival has often been about bringing people together, many of whom are in the high-risk category at the moment, so we made the decision fairly swiftly to postpone the festival.
We had a duty of care to protect the people that might attend the festival events, and those that are running them.The creative ageing sector is very supportive so I have been lucky enough to have regular chats with colleagues across the UK and Ireland (Gwanwyn Festival was inspired by Bealtaine Festival), so that we can support each other to think about how festivals like ours might work moving forwards.
We also knew early on that it was going to be difficult to continue to deliver the cARTrefu project, as care homes were starting to close their doors in early March. We’re lucky to have supportive funders who we will be able to work closely with as things progress. We have multiple scenario plans but are very much being led by what care homes want and need right now.
What issues have your service users/participants faced?
I’m really proud to be part of Age Cymru, as they have been able to adapt really quickly during the pandemic to ensure that older people in Wales are supported. We run an Information and Advice line, which received a 200% increase in calls at the start of the pandemic; people needed advice on whether they should be self-isolating or shielding, where they could get support with food shopping and collecting prescriptions. People have also struggled to access their money, and needed support to find new ways to stay in touch with family members. I’m pleased to say that we have been able to help, in partnership with our local Age Cymru partners, Age Connects and other voluntary services across Wales.
What systems did you put in place to ensure delivery?
Many of us are well-used to working from home, but it’s been really important to find moments to connect with colleagues. Many of us are spending most of our day making calls to older people through our Check In and Chat service, so it’s not always easy to have online ‘meetings’ as often as we used to have physical meetings. So we’ve set up Whatsapp groups, we send voice-notes, have catch-up phone calls, send pet pictures (in my case, plants!) as well as whole team Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings. It’s ever changing and adapting!
With my specific work, it’s about being available to our partners and being flexible and open about the realities. We’ve been taking time as a team to think further ahead, and problem solve, and take any opportunities we can. We’re also keen to use Gwanwyn and cARTrefu Facebook, Gwanwyn Twitter and cARTrefu Instagram to promote creative opportunities for older people as far as we can.
Did you have any particular challenges or success that you would like to share?
Back in April, I, like many people who are in a position to, wanted to offer out informal chats to anyone interested in running creative ageing projects, or having to adapt current projects. I had no expectations of what would come from this, only that it felt like the right thing to do, but it’s introduced me to new practitioners and individuals, which has helped to build up my understanding of what’s happening in Wales. Many people I might have struggled to physically meet pre-lockdown, due to being based in Cardiff, I have been able to connect with over the phone. I hope to continue to offer this out and to meet more people – digitally!
What are your plans for future delivery?
We’re exploring a range of options at the moment, but we’ll be working closely with our Gwanwyn Festival event organisers to look at how this might be possible. There may be ways to replicate events online, or using social distance rules. I have no doubt that our event organisers are already coming up with innovative and interesting ways to continue to connect to people and I’m looking forward to working together to adapt and learn!
With cARTrefu, we are ensuring that we are listening to care homes, and being led by their needs right now. We have developed a fortnightly e-newsletter that gives care homes low-resource activities to try, and links to lots of online performances and activities from Age Cymru (like Tai Chi classes, now on our website) and other organisations.
I’m aware that we’re now regularly speaking to people that are more isolated, some of whom who aren’t connected to the internet, so a lot of my thinking has been about how to stay connected to them and to provide interactive creative opportunities that are offline.
I’d like to highlight Age Cymru’s Friend in Need service that has launched this week, and direct anyone to it if they’ve been supporting someone who is self-isolating or shielding through lockdown. There’s lots of useful guides and resources, as well as details of our new Befriending scheme – Friend in Need
A range of organisations have worked to continue delivery of their art form during lockdown are there any that you would like to mention that you found either professionally or personally useful?
I’d love to highlight the wonderful speakers from our first Participatory Arts Capturing the Learning Event:
And I’d love to shout out to all of the cARTrefu artists whose work has suddenly come to a grinding halt with us, but have been helping us to provide creative activities for care homes remotely.
Thanks for your time Kelly
The meeting notes from Participatory Arts, Capturing the Learning – Older Peoples Zoom Meeting that Kelly hosted hosted on Thursday 28 May, can be found at the link
Many Welsh or Wales based arts graduates are finding this current period especially difficult. Their usual opportunities to meet agents, prepare for final year exhibitions or productions may take place later in the year or sadly not at all. To raise awareness of the diverse talent graduating this year GTC is offering any Welsh or Wales based graduate the opportunity to be showcased on our website. If you are interested, please do get in touch.
Hi Anna great to meet you, can you give our readers some background information on yourself please?
I have a background in Support Work, Drum Circle Facilitation and Therapeutic Work with the Touch Trust in Cardiff Bay, supporting participants who have a variety of needs to explore the Arts during sensory sessions. I am now going on to develop my business called ‘Young at HeArt’; supporting people of all ages and stages to explore the Arts in intuitive and creative ways. You can find out more about me at my website. Facebook or Instagram.
As part of my graduate, online art exhibition for the final year of my Creative and Therapeutic Arts Degree Course, I will be hosting an ‘Online Parade,’ based on the old folklore tale of Pontypridd’s River Taff. The ‘Online Parade’ will take place on May the 16th (2020) (arriving for 1:45pm) starting at 2pm.
https://youtu.be/5ci5kbhwPUs
So what got you interested in the arts?
I always enjoyed art in school. In fact, I went to a Steiner School from 14-18 years old. My education at the Steiner School in Edinburgh encouraged me to pursue art as my passion as everything we learned was taught in an arty and holistic way.
Can you tell us about your creative process?
During my last three years at University, I have discovered that Community is my ‘Art’; my Arts practice revolves around the participants that I work with and their needs. I enjoy exploring the Arts in an intuitive sense, supporting my participants to shape our Arts sessions together in ways which suit them and their creative process.
As a young Welsh artist graduating during a very difficult period what investment and support do you think is required to enable your career to develop and prosper?
Interestingly, I’m actually from Scotland in Edinburgh, although I studied my course in South Wales. At the moment my biggest question is “Where would I like to live next?” In a sense, the world feels like my oyster. I’m happy to go where the work leads me at this point. If someone was to offer me a Community Arts job, working with participants of all ages and stages in a holistic environment, I would be very happy with that!
A range of arts organisation and individuals are now working online or finding new ways to reach out to audiences. Have you seen any particularly good examples of this way of working?
At the moment I am working on an online Arts project with Artis Community, exploring the mask making along the theme of ‘Your Inner Warrior.’ At the end of this project, once I have made a series of videos detailing how to make and what you can do with your ‘Warrior Mask,’ I will facilitate a ‘Masquerade Hour’ on Zoom. I’m really looking forward to this!
I’ve also really enjoyed engaging with some of my drummer friends online. For example my friend Jane Bentley, Doctor of Music, has been working with ‘Luminate’ to show people at home how they can turn their living rooms into an orchestra made out of every day household items.
https://vimeo.com/410233020
If you were able to fund an area of the arts in Wales what would this be and why?
I think I would fund more intergenerational projects; encouraging older adults and children to explore the Arts together and teach each other their own artistic skills. I am very passionate about working with intergenerational groups, as I think mixing the age groups can really encourage participants to try out new artistic mediums and most importantly, build positive friendships with each other.
What excites you about the arts in Wales?
There seems to be so much going on in the South Wales creative scene! Through my University course I have connected with many amazing Arts professionals who are doing some very exciting and valuable work in hospitals, schools and communities. There seems to be lots of creative opportunities popping up all the time which is wonderful.
https://youtu.be/NFAV6PdZx_Y
What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
Over the last year I have been working on a project called ‘The Heartbeat Project’ with Studio Response at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport; supporting children in hospital to create musical and artistic responses to their heartbeats which they heard through a stethoscope. While my participants played their responses to their heartbeats on djembe drums, bells, chimes and other percussion instruments, I recorded the them on my phone and then we listened back to the recorded sounds and painted what we heard onto a sheet of paper. I am currently in the process of also making a soundscape out of the sounds which I explored with each group of participants. This soundscape will be played in the Multifaith room in the new Grange Hospital in Cwmbran once it has been fully built.
Adding to the ‘Death at the Fringe’ sector this year, Fine
Mess Theatre bring us a death celebration.
When a young woman finds herself dying, all she wants to do
is celebrate her life and go out with a bang. Not so much an unusual tale in
today’s modern age, funeral parties before the death of someone is becoming
increasingly popular – However, Fine Mess Theatre take this subject on with
great intent and a refreshing approach.
The combination of scripted performance and audience interaction
is equally measured. We are invited as guests; we are not made to feel like the
audience but part of a really exclusive group of friends – given party hats and
sweets, asked for our suggestions and addressed by names, (on a name tag we
write at the beginning, but somehow the performers never make it seem as if
they are reading them) we feel a part of this woman’s life. We feel the
emotions and we feel the love.
The script is perfectly natural. Perfectly rehearsed, it
does not feel scripted and if we were not at the fringe, it would be hard to
guess that this is indeed a play; the performers interact and project their
lines as if it was real life. The only theatrical break is when we are involved
in the party and so there is a dramatic turn to the in depth and naturalistic
scenes on stage.
And while partly heart breaking, partly realistic, there is
some comedy to it. And these parts are not dramatised. Again, this is part of
the script, naturally approached and so beautifully humorous, as one would find
in a normal conversation among friends.
A Wake in Progress is true to life, deeply thought out and well executed. While a funeral is not something to find joyous, this celebration is worth the attendance.
Creating opportunities for a diverse range of people to experience and respond to sport, arts, culture and live events. / Lleisiau amrywiol o Gymru yn ymateb i'r celfyddydau a digwyddiadau byw
(4 / 5)
(4.5 / 5)
(5 / 5)
