Thanks to @mark.rees @swwmedia.co.uk for supporting Elin with the printing of the review below in the South Wales Evening Post.

Wales Millennium Centre Uncovered In One Hour
Review of Wales Millennium Centre Tour – Cardiff Bay – Cardiff
Katie Treharne
08/07/2013
 On the hottest day of year yet, it’s no wonder the tour guide of Wales’ multicultural Millennium Centre was proud as he showed us around the building.  Fitted with large vents and a layer of ice that melts to cool the building when a warm draft of air hits, it’s a pleasant escape from the 27°C heat outside.  But that’s not the only reason you’d want to visit the centre.  Carefully designed to resemble a ship, the aesthetics of the building are a feast to behold.  From pillars that look like trees – “Wales is growing into a new country!” – to door handles in the shape of musical instruments, to the stairs that set the shape of a ship, there’s always something around the corner to surprise visitors.

The Wales Millennium Centre was designed intricately by three architects, Jonathan Adams, Tim Green and Keith Vince, whose brief at the outset of the project was to design a building that expresses ‘Welshness’ as recognisable as that of its Australian counterpart, the Sydney Opera House.  From the particular use of slate from Welsh quarries, which is encased in a coloured layer to look like the different stone layers seen in Welsh sea cliffs, to the Celtic lettering on the front of the building, it is evident that every nook and cranny of the Wales Millennium Centre has been designed that way for a reason.  The face of Wales Millennium Centre, known for its inscription, “IN THESE STONES HORIZONS SING” was interestingly chosen as they believed the stones would be literally singing with the music from inside.  This in-depth design of the building, which caters not only for the comfort of the visitors but also radiates Welsh spirit, is just another way the building interests and entertains anyone that visits Cardiff Bay.

Since its opening in November 2004, the large steel building has prided itself on its open door policy.  Informal spaces in the lobby are free to be hired out to school groups and performers, and their range of disabled facilities (lifts, automatic doors, and parking) make the centre easily accessible to all.  However, the most welcoming thing of all has to be the centre’s bilingualism.  A surprising approximate of over 60% of the staff can speak both English and Welsh and not a single sign is written in one language.  Even the website is available in Welsh and English!  One thing’s to be sure, you can always speak to someone without worrying you’re saying something wrong.

Another proud point of the Wales Millennium Centre is its theatres.  The main theatre, The Donald Gordon Theatre, holds up to 1896 people, ensuring as many people as possible get to see the full wonder of the shows.  Not only that, but the seats at the very back of the theatre are only an astounding 40m away from the stage, the same distance as if they were hovering from the sky towers above.  This, coupled with the holes underneath seats and specialised drapes, which absorb sound to create the best atmosphere possible for the show, give the audience a spectacular experience they will find hard to forget.  Smaller, but not less important, is The Weston Studio, which seats 250 people and is home to more small-scale productions, meetings or private dances, proving the centre’s claim that they are the host of a wide range of entertainment.

Although there is little to find at fault with a venue that has so obviously pulled out all the stops to please everyone, the food and drinks in the building are very costly.  A small tub of 100ml ice cream costs a whopping £2.50 compared to the £1.00 tub you can buy in the Sainsbury’s opposite the centre.  Although it is acceptable to take your own food and drink into the theatres, the trouble is inconvenient, and traditionally purchasing food at the venue is supposed to be one of the fun parts of the day.
To sum the Wales Millennium Centre up simply, I would have to say it’s an inviting, aesthetically pleasing venue with lots of high quality shows to pull people of all kinds into Cardiff Bay.  In the future, I’ll be seeing the performance of Wicked, which I’m certain the centre will ensure is as pleasurable an experience as possible.  Granted, the overpriced food and drink are a downer, but that’s only one thing to balance out the bounty of advantages the centre holds.

Preview – To Live, To Love, To Be
Company 5
Sherman Cymru, Theatre 2
17-20^th April
 
Once a month, every month, a sinister band comes together to summon the spirits of years gone by. Last month they entered dangerous territory by summoning the spirit of Adolf Hitler. This month they have gone for an ‘easier’ option – William Shakespeare. But will their investigations into the Bard’s background be as safe as they think?
 
The Play
To Live, To Love, To Be is a newly commissioned play by award-winning dramatist D.J. Britton, who also penned Sherman Cymru’s take on Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. The unusual script aims to explore why Shakespeare wrote what he did and what influences inspired his imagination. Around the 6 metre revolving table debate is sparked between Shakespeare’s Welsh grandmother, his father – Mayor of Stratford, travelling players, Ariel from The Tempest and other characters from his plays.
 
The Company
Company 5 consists of 13 members between the ages of 18 and 61, some with no previous theatre experience at all! In a chat with Director Phil MacKenzie he stressed the importance of the company’s open door policy, “there are no auditions, all that’s needed is commitment.” The result is an incredible mixture of people from all kinds of backgrounds; one is a professional actor, others are drama students, some just have a passion for theatre. For those new to treading the boards, what a way to make their theatrical debut!
Phil says that even in the week before the show he is not completely sure what the finished production will be. “If you think of the process as a hill – we are nearly at the top of it now. By next week we will be at the top of the hill and the momentum will just carry us through.”
Despite being unsure what to expect as the audience comes in Phil’s passion for the project is characteristically infectious. Staging such as experimental and unusual production with a group such as Company 5 could be a huge risk if the actors were not completely on board with the idea, but whilst watching them rehearse it was clear that every person on that stage is committed to putting on a high quality performance that will begin to bridge the gap between amateur and professional theatre.
 
The Rehearsal
In Sherman Cymru’s Theatre 2 it seems that every company finds a new way to use the adaptable space. Company 5 have decided to take the idea of performing in the round to the next level. The huge revolving séance table takes up most of the stage meaning that the audience are placed above the action on the balcony looking down on what Phil calls “the mysterious world of the afterlife.”
The set is incredible and it’s hard to believe that this isn’t a professional production with a large budget. The attention to detail is astonishing and extends to the lighting, costume and even the smell in the room.
One of the most impressive parts of the production is, without a doubt, the music, which has been specially created by Welsh composer John Rea. He has constructed atmospheric soundscapes to accompany the action that Phil grandly calls “sonic provocations”. They certainly live up to their name adding a dark tension to the room. As if this wasn’t already a hard enough job John had the extra challenge of creating the sound only from music that has been composed in response to Shakespeare’s work. The final result is perfect for the mysterious and somewhat sinister production.
Although this was a rehearsal in which details were constantly changing with actors having to redo sections over and over there were still some eye-catching performances. There is a clear ensemble approach and it is obvious that the company have done a lot of work on movement and text meaning that they are free to experiment and produce something new and exciting.
 
 
This is sure to be yet another daring and innovative production from Sherman Cymru’s Company 5. By the time the audiences are coming in this is sure to be a polished and exciting production. If you are a Shakespeare buff, a new writing fan or are just looking for something a bit different get your tickets now!
 
 
 
To Live, To Love, To Be will be at Sherman Cymru, Cardiff from 17-20 April, 8pm. Tickets : £8 / £6 conc / £4 under 25s.
Tickets and info: 029 2064 6900                              www.shermancymru.co.uk
 
The project has been supported by RSC Open Stages and The Paul Hamlyn Foundation both of which stress the importance of high quality experiences and the importance of maximising the potential of everyone.
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation: www.phf.org.uk
Royal Shakespeare Company: www.rsc.org.uk
 
To Live, To Love, To Be
Company 5
Sherman Cymru, Theatre 2
17^th April 2013
Being in the audience of To Live, To Love, To Be was like being  a witness to some occult religious ceremony; the atmosphere was heavy with expectation and a sinister sense of danger never left the room. Sitting on the balcony looking down at the huge revolving table as incense filled the room was the beginning of our initiation to the mystical world of Shakespeare’s mind.
Around the table various figures from Shakespeare’s past and fantastical imagination debate the source of the Bard’s genius. His school teacher believes that education is the key, a travelling player says that they inspired Shakespeare as a young man, Ariel from The Tempest argues that he has the heart of a fairy and Macbeth claims that the famous poet adapted stories from history to suit his own means.
For a community group to be able to perform a specially commissioned script, with such high production values is incredible. Every element of the design was better than some professional companies. The lighting design by Ceri James was breathtaking; it had the power the change the space from the dark passages of Macbeth’s castle to the sunny Stratford of Shakespeare’s youth, whilst always maintaining a sense of the supernatural.
An investigation into Shakespeare’s past and motivation is always going to be very intellectual and the wordplay was at times beautiful but the atmosphere was so engulfing and mysterious that some of the very down to earth humour was lost among the incense and grandeur. This lack of humour made the production, although visually impressive, very dry and academic at points.
Considering that this is such a challenging text and the company run an open door policy, whereby anyone can get involved with no auditions, the standard of acting was very, very high. Some of the younger members are also involved with the Sherman’s Youth Theatre and they are undoubtedly getting an excellent introduction to the world of theatre. Certain performances showed real professional potential – Eifion Ap Cadno (Shakespeare), Andreas Constantinou (Macbeth) and Giorgia Marchetta (Lady Macbeth) to name a few.  Among all this talent the stand out performance of the event came from the highly talented Nerys Jones as William Shakespeare’s Welsh grandmother who argues passionately (and convincingly) that his talent comes from his Celtic blood.
A really interesting production that is an absolute master class in building tension and atmosphere. It will be fascinating to see where the company goes from here, they have set themselves a very high standard to maintain.
Chelsey Gillard

First young critics’ awards for Welsh theatre

Great article written by Polly March for the BBC Wales Arts Blog !
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/first-young-critics-awards-for-welsh-theatre
 
 

Coriolan/us review