Actors and students from Trinity Saint David on tour with new play

10.01.2012

Over the coming weeks, professional actors will be working alongside Welsh-medium graduating students from the School of Performing Arts at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David on a production and short tour of Torri Gair – Elan Closs Stephens’ Welsh-language adaptation of Translations a stage play by Brian Friel.

The production will visit Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil on Thursday, February 9th at 7:30pm.

Written in 1980 - the play without doubt resonates of the political and social conflicts witnessed and experienced in Northern Ireland during those troubled times. However, it also contains some timeless themes relating to language, communication and identity, as well as highlighting questions relating to cultural imperialism and the transience of memory.

Joining the cast of 3rd year Welsh-medium students of the School of Performing Arts will be seasoned actors Huw Emlyn and Ioan Hefin – both familiar faces to stage and screen audiences in Wales. The decision to combine professional actors with the students is completely intentional according to lecturer and production director Iestyn Llwyd.

“The students should benefit greatly from working alongside such experienced actors on the production: able to follow and share good professional practice and advice; aiming towards attaining professional standards in their work, and also to raise their own personal expectations in terms of their input and commitment to their rehearsal processes and their ultimate performances.”

Actor Ioan Hefin states:

“I’m a strong believer of experiential learning, and commend any School, College or University that venture beyond their ‘safe’ boundaries. The acting world is stacked of unexpected opportunities, and I hope that the students will benefit from sharing the rehearsal space. As an actor, and as a person, I personally regard the educational process as a lifelong process.”

As well as attempting to bridge the gap between University work and the professional workplace, an added challenge for the cast will be to perform the play in both languages, as the intention is to present some performances of the play in the original English as well as the performances in Welsh. This may also prove interesting for the cast to gage the different audiences’ reaction to the play in both languages.

Iestyn Llwyd continues:

“Being mindful of the difficult challenges currently facing the Arts and creative industries in general, all of the Welsh-medium courses offered within the School aim to nurture and equip our graduates with a broad variety of skills in order to face the challenges of finding, creating and sustaining employment opportunities either within the creative and media industry or indeed beyond. I would hope however that presenting the students with this challenge to perform in both languages might help them - as well as others - to appreciate and realise their potential and enhanced employability as bi-lingual professional performers.”

Tour details:

Halliwell Theatre, University Campus Carmarthen
Sunday, February 5th at 7:30pm (*S)
Monday, February 6th at 7:30pm (C)
+ Matinee for Schools (t.b.c.) (C)

Ticketline: 0845 226 3510

Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil
Thursday, February 9th am 7:30pm (C)
+ Matinee for Schools (t.b.c.) (C)

Ticket Reservations: 01685 722176

Llanofer Hall Arts Centre, Cardiff
Friday, February 10th at 7:30pm (C)
Saturday, February 11th at 3:00pm (C), 7:30pm (*S)

Ticket Reservations: 029 20 63 1144

(*S) = performance in English

Further Information

Iestyn Llwyd
Production Director
The School of Performing Arts (TSD):
i.llwyd@ydds.ac.uk
01267 676640

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