Wales Feed

Sarah Siddons, 18th century acting star

2011-07-05T09:05:49+00:00

BBC Wales History blogger Phil Carradice has written a great piece about one of the most successful actors of the 18th century, Sarah Siddons.

Siddons was born in Brecon on this day in 1755. Phil explains:

"Sarah Siddons was the most renowned actress of 18th century Britain. Her performances at Drury Lane and Covent Garden - particularly her portrayal of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth - were so powerful that audiences swooned and often had to be helped out of the theatre in various stages of distress...

"Siddons was the most famous actress of her day, at a time when the job of actress was at last beginning to become respectable. She held soirées or receptions where the rich and famous - men such as the Duke of Wellington, Edmund Burke and Samuel Johnson - regularly attended."

Read the article in full, and browse some of Phil's previous blog posts on figures from the world of Welsh art and culture:

In pictures: Emlyn Williams blue plaque

2011-04-28T10:17:54+00:00

Yesterday I wrote about the planned unveiling of a new commemorative plaque to remember the Welsh actor and playwright Emlyn Williams.

The plaque was organised by the Marchmont Association, a community group in Bloomsbury, London as part of their independent commemorative plaques scheme.

Chair of the Marchmont Association, Ricci de Freitas, has been in touch since and has sent me a few pictures of the grand unveiling, which was carried out by Griff Rhys Jones in the company of the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Jonathan Simpson.

See the pictures below, all courtesy of The Marchmont Association, and visit their website - www.marchmontassociation.org.uk - for further details.

The blue plaque commemorating Emlyn Williams at 60 Marchmont Street

Griff Rhys Jones at the plaque unveiling

Ricci de Freitas - Chair of the Marchmont Association, Griff Rhys Jones and the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Jonathan Simpson

Blue plaque honours Welsh icon Emlyn Williams

2011-04-27T15:04:01+00:00

A blue plaque is to be unveiled by a small London community group that will honour one of the brightest stars of Welsh film and stage, Emlyn Williams.

Williams was a talented actor, playwright and director, famed for being the first to give then fledging actor and fellow Welshman Richard Burton his theatre break in The Druid's Rest in 1944 and also his big screen break in The Last Days Of Dolwyn in 1949.

Emlyn Williams

Now the Marchmont Association are commemorating the actor with a blue plaque, to be unveiled at 5pm today, 27 April, by Griff Rhys Jones at 60 Marchmont Street, London WC1 - Williams' former residence.

Jones will unveil the plaque alongside the Mayor of Camden, Cllr Jonathan Simpson and MP Frank Dobson, together with representatives of various organisations and institutions with which Emlyn Williams was associated.

The Marchmont Association's independent commemorative plaque scheme was set up in 2009, with other plaques installed on the Bloomsbury street including those honouring actor Kenneth Williams, and literary couple Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley.

Read more about Emlyn Williams in an article on the BBC Wales Arts website by film critic and historian Dave Berry: Top 10 Welsh film performances: Emlyn Williams in The Stars Look Down (1939).

Gwanwyn arts festival celebrates fifth year

2011-04-27T11:18:49+00:00

A Wales-wide arts festival for the over 50s is set to celebrate its fifth birthday next month.

The Gwanwyn festival, held across Wales throughout May, is run by the charity Age Cymru. The month-long festival offers a range of artistic and creative activities for over 50s to try their hand at - from painting, dancing and music to storytelling, photography and more - and celebrates renewal, growth and creativity in older age.

Festival coordinator Philip Thomas said: "The Gwanwyn festival is proud to be the shop window for artistic and creative older people in Wales and I really hope that we have inspired and are continuing to inspire [people] to get involved in the arts.

"We've got a packed programme this year with activities organised everywhere from the local village hall to the Wales Millennium Centre and all points in between, but the main thing I am looking forward to is our partnership with the Cardiff Comedy Festival. We are on a mission to find the funniest over 50s in Wales and I hope to spend the summer chuckling."

A tea dance at a previous Gwanwyn event. Photo: Gavin Dando

For more information on Gwanwyn and to see how you could get involved, visit www.gwanwyn.org.uk.

Word on the Street project for Blaenau Ffestiniog

2011-04-19T14:54:11+00:00

A regeneration initiative in Blaenau Ffestiniog aims to bring the words, thoughts and poetry of the town's people together in a new street art project.

Poet and author Dewi Prysor has been appointed to lead the project and to organise workshops in the local schools with other artists and poets.

Ideas from residents from the area will also be accepted and the composed words, which will hopefully stretch for a quarter of a kilometre, will be inscribed in slate by artist Howard Bowcott and then installed in two of Blaenau's streets.

Gai Toms and Dewi Prysor with pupils during a workshop in Ysgol y Moelwyn

Prysor said: "I hope that we'll receive all sorts of ideas, some about Blaenau as it is today and how it used to be. They could be short statements, or local sayings that reflect the area's history. Some could relate to specific shops and who knows, perhaps we could fit them outside of those particular shops in town.

"Street art is to be seen in towns and cities across Europe and this is an excellent opportunity for residents to give their unique stamp on work that will be seen in the town for years and generations to come."

Richard Thomas, a member of the Blaenau Ymlaen regeneration group who are developing the project in partnership with Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Assembly, said: "the aim of the project is to celebrate the area's rich history and culture, and this particular project is a great opportunity to do this."

To contribute to the scheme, or for more information, contact blaenauymlaen@gwynedd.gov.uk and find out more about the Blaenau Ffestiniog regeneration project on the Gwynedd Council website.

Grants announced for Welsh libraries and museums

2011-03-28T14:41:57+00:00

Libraries, museums and archives across Wales are set to benefit from a £2.8 million Welsh Assembly Government grants package, which was announced today by Minister for Heritage Alun Ffred Jones.

Nine public libraries will share £1,470,172 in capital grants for modernisation work, while a further £858,075 in revenue funding has been allocated to develop the work of libraries in Wales, including grants to 17 library projects ranging from developing literacy, information skills, partnership working, online services and encouraging more people to visit libraries.

Museums in north Wales which will receive grants include Buckley Library - set to receive a grant of £300,00 towards modernisation - while Wrexham County Library service will benefit from £165,000 to lead on an all-Wales programme to promote and increase usage of libraries.

Read more about the north Wales grants on the Daily Post website, and for more information on the funding announcement, see the Welsh Assembly Government website.

Dylan's Cwmdonkin Park receives lottery grant

2010-12-20T14:30:30+00:00

Cwmdonkin Park in Swansea, the childhood park of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, is to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £820,000 in order to return the park to its former Victorian glory.

The park, once described by Thomas as 'a world within the world of the sea town', opened in 1874. Located within the Ffynone Conservation Area, it forms part of the Dylan Thomas trail and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Cwmdonkin Park in Swansea

The grant will help to restore the park's Victorian character, including the bowls pavilion, cockleshell path and water garden.

Volunteering opportunities will be created, with volunteers helping to run guided walks, poetry and writing sessions as well as contributing to conservation and gardening work.

The park is nearby Thomas' birthplace, 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, in the Uplands area of Swansea.

Learn more about Dylan Thomas' Wales on the BBC Wales Arts site and find out more about the other Welsh parks to have benefited from grants on the Heritage Lottery Fund website.

Arts Council of Wales 'relief' amid cuts

2010-12-16T10:09:55+00:00

As reported on the BBC Wales News website this morning, the Arts Council of Wales says it is 'relieved' it can increase funds to many of the 71 organisations it supports despite government cuts.

Its budget has been trimmed by four percent and it must save 12% running costs but it will spend an extra £3.6m on its portfolio.

Among the recipients of the biggest increases in funding are National Theatre Wales, Welsh National Opera and Ruthin Craft Centre. Funding will also increase to many community arts groups, and one-off grants will be given to 13 organisations for specific projects.

Five groups will receive less money, but five others have been awarded fixed funding for the first time. Read more on the story on BBC Wales News online.

The year in Welsh arts and culture

2010-12-13T15:00:57+00:00

It's been an action packed year on the arts and cultural scene in Wales, so here's a brief reminder of the past year's events.

January
2010 began on a sad note as January witnessed the death of celebrated film historian and critic Dave Berry.

Dave had completed a series of brilliant articles on Welsh film for the BBC Wales Arts website just months before he died, so we were fortunate to be able to bring you just a small slice of his encyclopaedic knowledge - and love - of film and cinema in these articles.

Dave Berry. Photo © Media Wales

February
On a brighter note, University of Glamorgan lecturer Philip Gross won the TS Eliot Prize for poetry with his collection The Water Table, which was inspired by the Bristol Channel. It was to be the first of two major literary wins for the poet in 2010.

March
Young Welsh actors Aneurin Barnard and Iwan Rheon both collected one of the highest honours in the theatrical world as they each scooped a prestigious Oliver Award for their roles in Spring Awakening, the stage adaptation of Frank Wedekind's controversial play.

Aneurin Barnard and Iwan Rheon with their Laurence Olivier Awards © Charlie Hopkinson

March also saw the first production by the newly formed National Theatre Wales, following their announcement in November 2009 of their ambitious programme of 12 productions in 12 months. A Good Night Out In The Valleys was staged in various locations in the south Wales valleys, and starred Sharon Morgan, Boyd Clack and Siwan Morris.

April
April was a good month for Welsh comedy as the line-up for the inaugural Machynlleth Comedy Festival was unveiled. Read what resident BBC Wales Music blogger Bethan Elfyn made of the festival.

The longlist of the annual Wales Book of the Year Award was unveiled by organisers Academi in April - browse a collection of photos from the announcement.

And also in April we launched a new interactive map on the BBC Wales Arts site, charting some of the locations in which Doctor Who has been filmed in the country. If you haven't seen it yet, take a look at the map.

May
May saw Israel-born artist Yael Bartana scoop the 2010 Artes Mundi prize, the biggest contemporary arts prize in the UK. Read more about Artes Mundi and take a look at the work of all eight of the shortlisted artists.

Artist Yael Bartana, winner of Artist Mundi 4

The Hay Festival also took place at the tail end of May and the beginning of June. Read Nicola Heywood Thomas' memories of the festival over the years.

June
The Wales Book of the Year winners were announced, with Philip Gross winning the English language prize for his poetry collection I Spy Pinhole Eye, and John Davies scooping the Welsh language prize for Cymru: Y 100 Lle i'w Gweld Cyn Marw. Browse a photo gallery from the awards ceremony.

Minister for Heritage Alun Ffred Jones and Philip Gross. Photo © Emyr Young / Academi

Elfyn Lewis was crowned Welsh Artist of the Year in June. The accolade was the second in a year for the artist from Porthmadog, who picked up the gold medal for fine art at the National Eisteddfod in July 2009.

And one of my favourite stories that we brought you in June was the unveiling of the sculpture at Point of Ayr lighthouse. The seven foot metal sculpture, named The Keeper, was installed at the Talacre lighthouse following many eerie sightings of a ghostly apparition patrolling the structure.

July
A host of bloggers kept us up to date with the latest news and views from the Maes as Ebbw Vale hosted the 2010 Eisteddfod. Contributors included BBC Wales' Dan Williams, Jason Mohammad and Eddie Butler, plus I gave you a sneak peek into the brilliant visual arts space that was created for this year's spectacular cultural event - Y Lle Celf.

The National Eisteddfod Pavillion in Ebbw Vale

Plus, Risen - the biopic of legendary Welsh boxer Howard Winstone - made its première at a three day boxing festival in Cardiff at the end of July.

August
The One Show sofa was graced with a new team in August with Welsh presenter Alex Jones getting her big break, having been a regular face on Welsh language shows for the previous decade.

The One Show presenter Alex Jones

We caught up with the new star, in which she told us about moving to London, her dream guests, and why it's never a good idea to go shopping in your pyjamas.

And also during August, rising Welsh comedian Elis James blogged for us from the Edinburgh Festival, in which he was performing his stand-up show Daytripper.

September
Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd returned to the big screen in September in The Kid, Nick Moran's adaptation of the best-selling novel by Kevin Lewis.

Browse a gallery of photos from the film.

October
National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke embarked on a reading tour of the country in the autumn, and she wrote a tour diary for the BBC Wales Arts website about her travels.

She visited Abergavenny, Skenfrith, Betws-y-Coed and Builth Wells before taking a detour to the Hay Festival in Kerala, India before returning to Wales and visiting Carmarthen, Aberystwyth and finally the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea.

Gillian Clarke. Photo: Poetry Live

Speaking of which, the annual Dylan Thomas Festival kicked off in October, with a whole host of Thomases being celebrated at this year's festival.

Giving the festival a literary twist, the lives and works of poets, writers and broadcasters who shared the surname with Dylan - such as RS Thomas, Edward Thomas, Gwyn Thomas, Wynford Vaughan Thomas and John Ormond Thomas - were all honoured at the festival.

And the winner of The Iris Prize - the Cardiff-based International Gay and Lesbian Short Film Prize - was unveiled as Magnus Mork from Norway for his film The Samaritan.

November
November marked the 20th anniversary of the death of Roald Dahl, one of the greatest children's writers ever to have hailed from Wales. Read our article on the great man.

December
The London 2012 Festival will form part of the finale of the Cultural Olympiad and to mark this the Royal Shakespeare Company will collaborate with National Theatre Wales. Read more about the planned production.

December also saw American poet Elyse Fenton scoop the 2010 Dylan Thomas Prize for her collection of 21st century war poetry, Clamor. And it was announced that Fingersmith by Pembrokeshire-born novelist Sarah Waters will be one of the 25 titles that will be handed out in a one million book give-away for World Book Night next March.

What are your memories of this year in Welsh arts and culture? If you want to have your say, on this or any other BBC blog, you will need to sign in to your BBC iD account. If you don't have a BBC iD account, you can register here - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of BBC sites and services using a single login.

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The art of culinary creation

2010-11-23T11:44:34+00:00

A bon vivant I'm not. As far as cooking is concerned, I'm the capital P in pathetic. If Elaine is out I withdraw to my limits, opening a tin of tomato soup, with a chunk of bread and cheese, or dabbling at a scrambled egg and with much of the egg left stuck to the frying pan.

This has all been pertinent this week, for cooking and indulging have both raised their heads.

Twice a year I take part in 'A men's meal'. Peter Hain, the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and his now retired political agent, Howard Davies, join me in treating our ladies. We go on rota for starters, main course and pudding and we gather in the home of whoever has his turn at the main dish.

I was on starters and I was guided by the advice of cooking guru Angela Grey. I went for stuffed field mushrooms with leeks, garlic, butter, cream cheese, goat's cheese, nuts, cranberries and parsley all thrown in at various stages, before or after the singe in the oven. It was a resounding success, may I add, although huge dollops of wine coloured the opinion I have no doubt.

There is a safeguard against stress too, in that, however lacking I am on this kind of artistic foody flair and creative and colourful adventure, Howard is worse. On each occasion we all feel that his wife made his course, but we can never prove it. He also has an innocent smile, one that would fox Interpol, which disarms us completely. His wife, also named Elaine, tutors him so well as to how he prepared the course that he sounds so convincing when he describes it.

I also spoke this week, on the programme, to Michael Winner, the renowned film director who is now a fearsome food critic for the Sunday Times. He was a joy to speak to, surprisingly full of common sense, about food preparation and presentation. He had no time for artistic designs on plates; saucy squiggles immediately irritated him.

He takes no prisoners in his write-ups and I don't know how he can be in a convivial photograph with restaurant or hotel owners and staff, and then lambast them in his report. I just take the coward's way out. When the waiter asks me if everything is all right, I usually reply: "Fine thank you," even it's not. I just don't go to the place again. Not the best policy at all, I suppose.

I've had my moments, mind. I remember, in my education days on a scholarship visit to America, being hosted at a dinner party by a sophisticated lady in New York. She'd once been married to a Welshman who, in her words, was good for only one thing. Whatever, I didn't press her as to what his Celtic prowess was.

In each individual cutlery arrangement on the table, there was a knife, fork,spoon and something that looked like a medical instrument. As it turned out, it was a scoop to get the marrow out of your lamb bone. It was a long night for me, I can tell you. Yuck!

I also recall something similar in a restaurant in the south of France. Elaine and I didn't recognise anything on the menu, but we took a stab at it. Panic took hold when the waiter took away my knife and fork and, yes, another medical instrument turned up. I didn't recognise the shellfish when they arrived. Not oysters, not mussels, not cockles even, but something new and sinister.

Elaine said: "Look, call the waiter, tell him you've made a mistake and change them, or you'll be up in the night." No, pride, cowardice and the need to avoid a fuss took over, so I ordered four pints of lager and a mountain of bread and I got into a rhythm of 'bread, shell fish, lager; bread, shell fish, lager; bread, shell fish, lager...' It worked a dream, and I wasn't up in the night.

It's funny, Elaine and I think we are of peasant stock: bread and potatoes, simple fayre. Mind you, 'simple' can be great. Some of the best meals I've had have been at various rugby clubs, organised by outside caterers out of tureens, £15 a head. Actually, the best beef I've ever tasted was from an outside caterer at a carvery in Bettws Rugby Club, Ammanford.

So there we go, I know my place...and it's usually fulsome.

Roy

Roy Noble is bringing his famous storytelling skills to a computer near you as part of the BBC First Click campaign - aimed at encouraging people to take their first steps to getting online. If you know somebody who needs help to get online, call the free BBC First Click advice line on 08000 150950.

Arts Council urged to use £1m unspent funding

2010-10-01T10:50:37+00:00

The Arts Council of Wales has been urged by arts groups to spend £1m of unspent funding that it is considering using as a safety net against future Welsh Assembly Government cuts.

The organisation has said it will decide how to spend the money, which stems from leftover funds from an arts scheme that ended earlier this year, in December.

But some Welsh arts groups have urged the Arts Council to spend the money. Wiard Sterk, director of Safle, Public Arts Wales, which is closing down within the next two weeks, said: "It's a bit of a surprise to learn that the council has £1m left.

"I would hate to think of that money being kept back to deal with cuts - that is a very regressive approach for the arts."

Read the full story by Darren Waters on the BBC Wales News website.

Welsh stars appeal to Jeremy Hunt on S4C cuts

2010-09-30T15:39:37+00:00

Welsh stars including Ioan Gruffudd, The One Show's Alex Jones and mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins have sent a letter to the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, opposing the possibility of government funding cuts at S4C.

Ioan Gruffudd

Since S4C was set up it has been directly funded by the government, and there are fears that the broadcaster may face cuts of 24% over the next four years when the government's comprehensive spending review is announced on 20 October.

A host of Welsh celebrities, which also includes former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones and Welsh actors Matthew Rhys, Nia Roberts, Daniel Evans and Mark Lewis Jones, have put their names behind the letter that stresses how important the broadcaster is, and how each of their "careers all began, or were given a substantial boost by, involvement in productions commissioned by S4C".

Read the stars' letter to Hunt on the Guardian website.

Welsh animation firm Calon to go into liquidation

2010-08-02T14:40:21+00:00

Cardiff-based animation firm Calon has announced plans to go into voluntary liquidation.

The company, which specialises in children's animation and has its current series Igam Ogam broadcasting on S4C and Five's Milkshake children's segment, has said the move was necessary after a hoped-for investment in the company's future did not materialise.

Calon have previously won BAFTAs for shows such as SuperTed, Under Milk Wood, Hilltop Hospital and Hana's Helpline.

Read more on the story on the BBC Wales News website.

People's Collection Wales website

2010-08-02T13:10:23+00:00

People's Collection Wales, a major new bilingual website for the people of Wales, has been launched today at the 2010 National Eisteddfod of Wales by Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones.

This groundbreaking project enables users to research, explore and share the cultural history of Wales.

The project has been funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and has been created with input from major bodies in Wales such as the National Museum Wales, the Welsh Museums Archives and Libraries association (CyMAL), and the National Library of Wales.

Read more about the project on the BBC Wales history blog, and visit the People's Collection Wales website.

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New Dylan Thomas walking trail in Laugharne

2010-07-08T12:20:54+00:00

A new walking trail is being developed in Laugharne so that Dylan Thomas fans can read and walk in the footsteps of the legendary Welsh poet.

The trail has been inspired by Thomas' A Poem In October, written on his 30th birthday, in which describes views from woodland paths in the Carmarthemshire town where he lived with wife Caitlin.

The Laugharne Corporation is behind the scheme and has secured a grant of £12,857 from the Developing Identity and Distinctiveness programme.

The project is set to involve panels of information in and around the town about Thomas' life and works while plaques will also be printed with verses of A Poem in October.

Listen to a clip on the BBC Wales News website as Radio Wales' Gilbert John tries the trail.

Laugharne is already a huge draw to admirers of the poet, the town being perhaps more associated with him than his birthplace Swansea.

It was the scene of the blossoming of his relationship with Caitlin, and the Boathouse in which the couple lived after it was purchased for them by one of Dylan's benefactors, Margaret Taylor, is now a major tourist attraction. Laugharne is also of course Dylan's final resting place.

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