Newyddion i’w croesawu yw cyhoeddiad diweddaraf Llywodraeth Cymru o ran dechrau codi cyfyngiadau cadw pellter cymdeithasol i sector y celfyddydau perfformio, ond mae adroddiad newydd gan Creu Cymru yn dogfennu cyflwr argyfyngus y diwydiant a achoswyd gan y cyfyngiadau Covid yn enwedig dros gyfnod y Nadolig sydd fel arfer mor brysur.

Mae Creu Cymru, gynghrair sector y celfyddydau perfformio yng Nghymru sy’n cefnogi ac yn cysylltu pobl, cynulleidfaoedd a chymunedau, wedi amcangyfrif mai cyfanswm y refeniw a gollwyd gan ei haelodau, sy’n cynrychioli bron holl theatrau, canolfannau celfyddydau a chwmnïau cynhyrchu’r genedl a reolir yn broffesiynol, yw £8-10 miliwn ers i Gymru fynd yn ôl i Lefel Rybudd 2 ar 26 Rhagfyr. Canlyniad gorfod dychwelyd i’r rheol o 6 gydag uchafswm o 200 yn y gynulleidfa oedd i’r rhan fwyaf o theatrau yng Nghymru ganslo perfformiadau neu gau’n gyfan gwbl gan nad oedd yn ariannol gynhaliol i barhau.

Mae Creu Cymru wedi bod yn lobïo Llywodraeth Cymru a Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru ar ran ei aelodau am gymorth ariannol pellach ac i ailystyried yr angen am gadw pellter cymdeithasol mewn theatrau. Mae wedi bod yn eirioli dros y sector theatrau ers cyn i’r cyfyngiadau diweddar yma gael eu rhoi yn eu lle, gan gynnwys cyflwyno’r achos i Bwyllgor Diwylliant, Cyfathrebu, y Gymraeg, Chwaraeon a Chysylltiadau Rhyngwladol y Senedd fel rhan o’i ymholiad undydd i’r celfyddydau a’r diwydiannau creadigol. Tynnwyd sylw at bwysigrwydd derbyn cyllid yn gyflym yn dilyn unrhyw gyhoeddiadau ariannu.

Yn ôl Louise Miles-Payne, Cyfarwyddwr Creu Cymru, “Rydym yn cydnabod ymateb cyflym a chadarnhaol Llywodraeth Cymru i’n lobïo parhaus ers diwedd 2021 am gefnogaeth ariannol i sector y celfyddydau yng Nghymru. Roedden ni’n hynod falch o weld y Prif Weinidog yn cyhoeddi dyddiad terfyn posibl ar gyfer y cyfyngiadau ar theatrau a sectorau adloniant eraill heddiw. Ochr yn

ochr â’r newyddion ynghynt yr wythnos yma am Gronfa Adferiad Diwylliannol bellach o 15.4 miliwn, bydd hyn yn mynd ymhell i helpu sector y mae’r cyfyngiadau wedi effeithio arno’n enfawr.

Mae tymor y Nadolig yn gyfnod hollbwysig yn y calendar theatrig; mae’n denu incwm sydd ei ddirfawr angen ac yn dod â theuluoedd ynghyd. Ein hamcangyfrif oedd cyfanswm colledion o tua 8-10 miliwn i theatrau yng Nghymru yn y rownd ddiweddaraf yma o gyfyngiadau. Rydym yn ddiolchgar am yr ymgynghoriad y gallen ni ei gael â Gweinidogion a swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru sydd wedi gwrando ar ein pryderon a’n cwestiynau.

Ar ran ein haelodau, rydym wedi pwysleisio’r angen am amser digonol i gynlluniau gael eu rhoi yn eu lle. Mae’r newyddion heddiw’n golygu bod y miloedd o gynhyrchwyr, actorion, cerddorion, canolfannau a staff cynorthwyol ar draws y diwydiant sydd wedi bod yn trafod yn bryderus a ddylent ailddechrau sesiynau ymarfer a’r marchnata cysylltiedig â chynyrchiadau sydd yn yr arfaeth ar gyfer mis Chwefror ymlaen, yn gallu symud rhagddynt gyda mwy o sicrwydd.”

Mae adroddiad Creu Cymru i Lywodraeth Cymru ar statws y sector yn nodi bod o leiaf 19 o theatrau’n gorfod canslo eu cynyrchiadau i’r Nadolig a pherfformiadau ar y gweill ym mis Ionawr.  

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd wedi cyhoeddi taliad brys o £1000 ar gyfer gweithwyr llawrydd sy’n gweithio yn y sector a fydd ar gael drwy awdurdodau lleol o’r wythnos nesaf, gyda’r manylion llawn yn cael eu cyhoeddi 17 Ionawr. Fe ymddengys y bydd lleoliadau perfformio a chanolfannau celfyddydau ac amgueddfeydd diwylliannol yn debygol o fodloni’r meini prawf ar gyfer y gronfa £15.4m gan eu bod yn gallu dangos yn haws y golled incwm a gafwyd. Fodd bynnag, hyd yn hyn, nid yw’n eglur sut y bydd cwmnïau cynhyrchu’n cael eu cefnogi os na all prosiectau arfaethedig fynd yn eu blaenau neu pa fathau o yswiriant a allai fod ar gael os bydd gwaith sydd wedi’i gomisiynu’n cael ei ganslo.

The latest Welsh Government announcement to begin lifting social distancing restrictions is welcome news for the performing arts sector, but a new report by Creu Cymru documents the crisis-status of the industry caused by the Covid restrictions particulary over the typically busy Christmas period.

Creu Cymru, Wales’ Performing arts sector alliance that champions and connects people, audiences and communities, has estimated that the total loss of income for its members, who represent virtually all the nation’s professionally run theatres, arts centres and producing companies, is between £8-10 million since Wales re-entered Alert Level 2 on the 26th December. Having to return to the rule of 6 with a maximum capacity of 200 resulted in most theatres in Wales cancelling performances or closing completely as it was not financially viable to operate.

Creu Cymru has been lobbying Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales on behalf of its members for further funding support and to reconsider the need for social distancing in theatres.  It has been advocating for the theatre sector since before these recent restrictions were put into place, including presenting the case before the Senedds Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee as part of its one-day inquiry into arts and the creative industries.

The importance of getting funds turned around quickly following any funding announcements was highlighted Louise Miles-Payne, Director, Creu Cymru said “We recognise the swift and positive response by the Welsh Government to our continued lobbying since the end of 2021 for financial support for the Welsh arts sector. We were extremely pleased to see the First Minister announce a potential end date to the restrictions on theatres and other entertainment sectors today.  Alongside the news earlier this week of a further 15.4 million Cultural Recovery Fund, this will go a long way to help a sector hugely affected by restrictions. The Christmas season is an incredibly important part of the theatrical calendar, it brings in much needed income and brings families together.  We

estimated total losses of around 8-10 million for theatres in Wales in this latest round of restrictions.  We are grateful for the consultation we’ve been able to have with Welsh Government Ministers and Officials who have listened to our concerns and questions.

On behalf of our members, we have stressed the need for sufficient time for plans to be put into place. Today’s news means that the thousands of producers, actors, musicians, venues and supporting staff across the industry who have been anxiously debating whether to begin

rehearsals and the subsequent marketing of productions planned from February onwards, can now proceed with greater assurances.”.

Creu Cymru’s report for the Welsh Government on the status of the sector documents that at least 19 theatres had to cancel their Christmas productions and performances scheduled in January..

The Welsh Government also has announced a £1000 emergency payment for freelancers working in the sector which will be made available through local authorities from next week with full details announced on January 17. Venues and cultural arts centres and museums look likely to meet the eligibility criteria for the £15.4m fund as they can more easily demonstrate the loss of income they have suffered. However, it is as yet unclear how producing companies will be supported if planned projects cannot go ahead or what insurances could be available if cancellations come after the work has been commissioned.

What’s in a text? The novel, the written word – what’s it made of? The paper, the binding, the ink? Or something more elusive and ethereal? The four plays comprising the Sherman Theatre’s ‘Radical Reinventions’ series explored this question in earnest. Referencing everything from Goethe to Grindr, these plays used a handful of props and lashings of creativity to examine (in thirty minutes or less) why we continue to tell these stories hundreds, or even thousands, of years later.

Two of the plays, The Love Thief and Tilting at Windmills, I have already enthused about. I happened to see the final night of performances of Hamlet is a F&£$boi and The Messenger, which allowed me to reflect on how and why these four plays affected me so deeply.

Hamlet is a F&£$boi is written and performed by Winners’ Lowri Jenkins and directed by Mared Swain, based on the works of William Shakespeare among others. Essentially Fleabag meets My Fair Lady (only with the roles reversed), the play follows the lovelorn Evie (Jenkins), who would very much like to take a match to tinder and burn the whole thing to the ground. Fed up with the foibles of flesh and blood boyfriends, she turns to fiction to find her own personal Mr Darcy. Jenkins is daring and dynamic, and the play itself a whirlwind of venom and melancholy that savagely skewers the modern dating scene.

I wonder how Jenkins would have dealt with three of Shakespeare’s heavyweights – like Romeo and Macbeth, for example – instead of teaming Hamlet with Paris (from Homer’s The Iliad) and John Proctor (from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible) – though it would be hard to improve on such a funny and powerful play. It’s genuinely hilarious to watch Jenkins convey the waning swooniness of her literary crushes (and to watch her mimic the puffed-up bravado of the titular heartthrob), not to mention how genuinely affecting it is to watch her explore the reasons why we return to books and when we should put them down.

The Messenger is written and performed by Sherman Associate Artist Seiriol Davies (How to Win Against History) and directed by the Sherman’s Artistic Director Joe Murphy. Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, The Messenger is a musical epic in miniature, charting the changeable fortunes of its titular emissary, trainee priest Giovanni (real name: Shane), as he is tasked with a holy mission that might just determine the fate of the fisticuffs between the Montys and the Cap-Caps.

The Catholic Church urges Shane/Giovanni not to climb every mountain, definitely not to ford every stream, and to avoid rainbows like the plague (though after the last two years, I think we’re going to have to seriously rethink that idiom) – and he does just that, with a lot of singing, rhyming and sexy dance fighting along the way. I have genuinely never been more entertained; Davies is a one-man West Side Story, blazing through each number with brio and spiriting the audience away on a breathlessly anarchic adventure.

So, other than the obvious, why have the Sherman Theatre’s ‘Radical Reinventions’ continued to occupy my mind? It’s because they’re not only rollicking good stories, but that they speak to why we continue to tell stories at all: because they give us permission to hope, to dream, to love, and to live vividly and boldly and bravely. They’re not only smashing the text, they’re remaking it for a new, better world. Fiction, like life, has its limits – but as long as there are barriers and binaries alike, the Sherman Theatre and its exceptional talent will continue to break through them.

All four of the Radical Reinventions have been a joy; together, they are a triumph.

Hamlet is a F&£$boi is now available to stream on demand anytime until 24^th December and you can see The Messenger’s Seiriol Davies as The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol at the Sherman until 31^st December. (Tilting at Windmills is also available to stream on demand anytime until 24^th December – here’s why you should).

Black Box Events, set up by Denbigh born Mark Hughes, specialise in unique events and entertainment across North Wales. Since its creation in 2019, the company have provided a variety of successful events across a number of different venues in the region. Mark initially started hosting murder mystery events back in 2017 as fundraisers for varying causes and enjoyed it so much he decided to turn it into a part time job! All Black Box’s actors either have professional training or a wealth of experience in performing and this was certainly made clear throughout their latest production Murder Under the Mistletoe at Theatr Clwyd.

On entering the Clwyd Room at the venue, we are greeted with what looks like an office party set up; lots of tables boasting beautiful festive centrepieces, a makeshift bar (with a free glass of wine included on entry…I like this office party already!) and Christmas tunes playing through the speakers. There is even an office Santa making his rounds. The only giveaway that this is not your average office party is a notebook and pen atop the table for scribbling down clues and musings, and a QR code (how modern!) which, when scanned, takes us to a set of character profiles, giving us an insight into the characters we will be meeting this evening. And before we know it, those characters are in the room, chatting, not only amongst themselves but to us, transporting us to their office party and making us included in their company. That company being TechQ. The company director, Jackie, has seemingly thrown us all this party to celebrate such a successful year. Although we already start to get a glimpse that something is not quite right as the characters begin to bicker, throw looks at each other and, as is somewhat expected from a murder mystery evening, one goes and pops their clogs. And it just happens that Inspector Beckett is attending the party and so begins the fun! The inspector duly lines up the culprits ‘on stage’ and we start to learn a bit more about them. After this, it is our turn to interrogate and so ensues a hilarious back and forth between the inspector, the audience, and the characters, all of whom are portrayed brilliantly throughout and, even more impressively, the company improvise most of the piece. As the audience interaction heightens it is wonderful to look around the room and see audience members get so involved: writing in their notebooks, chatting to their friends and family about who they think’s ‘dunnit’ and even turning to guests on other tables and comparing clues! Towards the end, the audience must put on their ‘Sherlock’ heads and decide who they think did it! There is even a prize for the correct guess!

Despite it being ‘murder most horrid,’ this truly was a festive evening; we were even treated to a few Christmas numbers by the boss’ PA as well as her son! All music, sound, props etc. were organised by the cast super slickly and each character had their own clear aesthetic and personality; often stereotyped but not too over the top. There was plenty of dark drama from Jackie and her family, perfectly balanced by some wonderful comedy moments from Jackie’s PA, Josie…and Edward’s wig! The action was not without excitement but there were also a few interludes where the characters left the ‘stage’ and the audience were able to take toilet breaks, purchase another drink and/or discuss the goings on at TechQ! The company even stayed behind at the end of the performance to talk to the audience and take photos with them-a lovely gesture.

Black Box can cater for a wide variety of events including weddings, parties, corporate or even nights in with friends! They can hire out singing waiters, flash mob choirs and even a cinema screen/projector; bringing the magic of the movies into your home (something which went down a storm over lockdown!) And in 2022, Black Box will be hosting their murder mysteries all over North Wales so make sure to keep an eye on their social media channels for ticket info!

You can find them on Facebook and Instagram (just search for Black Box Events North Wales), or you can give Mark a call on 07748 747209 to start organising your personalised event!

Theatr Clwyd, Mold

December 11^th, 2021

Writer: Mark Hughes

Director: Mark Hughes

Cast:

Inspector Beckett: Mike Teeson

Jackie Guzzel: Karen Campbell

Sophie Guzzel: Sei Watkins

Ben Guzzel: Mark Hughes

Edward Bamford: Shea Farron

Donna Jarvis: Norma Davies

Josie Davies: Sarah Leanne Davies