Sherman Cymru stages Llanast!

Welsh-lingual plays are not common in literary circles, but the Sherman Cymru Theatre is showing its support of Welsh arts this week as it stages Bara Caws’s Llanast!

The newly renovated Sherman Cymru façade

The original, French play Le Dieu de Carnage, depicts the fortunes of two sets of parents that have concerns over their respective sons, and was recently given the Hollywood treatment, starring Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster.

“I am a great believer that plays should be available in any country’s mother tongue,” says artistic director Betsan Llwyd. “If a play is presented in your first language evocations of words and phrases can resonate more deeply.

“It’s a fantastically crafted piece of work, and I’m very proud that Bara Caws has translated and produced the first Welsh language production.”

Betsan Llywd on Llanast!

Betsan Llywd, Artistic Director

“I was initially approached by Gareth Miles, an experienced author and dramatist, asking me to watch Roman Polanski’s ‘Carnage’ as he thought it would be an interesting piece for Bara Caws. After watching the film, and then reading Christopher Hampton’s English translation of ‘Le Dieu du Carnage’ we decided to go ahead with the project.

“I hope we’ve made it intrisically Welsh, as this is important to us as a company, that is, it truly reads like a slice of the Welsh middle classes. As for the presentation of the piece, we will be performing in Theatr 2 at the Sherman, and at Bara Caws’s headquarters in Caernarfon – 2 very different spaces – one a newly-refurbished studio, and the other a very raw space usually used for rehearsing. Because of the configuration of the seating it will be extremely intimate – particularly in Caernarfon – so the audience will feel that they are actually in the room with the characters, which in turn will hopefully enable them – well some of them at least! – to see themselves reflected on stage!

“I am a great believer that plays should be available in any country’s mother tongue. If a play is presented in your first language evocations of words and phrases can resonate deep within your DNA – to a greater depth than if watching a play in a second or third language. That’s not to say that one can’t ‘understand’ what’s happening, it’s just that the ‘understanding’ can be more profound – it’s true for me in any case! It is also important to present the great plays of the world in Welsh as a great deal of the Welsh speaking audience rely on their local theatres for provision, that is, not a great many of them travel far afield to go to the theatre and so could miss out on some great entertainment. ‘Le Dieu du Carnage’, for instance, has won a great many awards globally, has been translated to umpteen languages, and has been a mainstay of the European education curriculum for a decade. It’s a fantatically crafted piece of work, and I’m very proud that Bara Caws were given permission to go ahead to translate and produce the first Welsh language production.”

Bara Caws Theatre specialises in Welsh-language productions:

Bara Caws Theatre (Welsh)

The Sherman Cymru Theatre is hosting the production:

Sherman Cymru Theatre (English & Welsh)

Ticket Office: 029 2064 6900