Stand clear of the doors please... Gareth is about to depart

Siwd mae pawb? Iawn gobeithio. So this will be my last London-based blog. Don’t cry now. The next time I contemplate caressing the QWERTY I’ll be comfortably back in Cardiff. The last 14 weeks {or 98 days if you prefer} have whizzed by like a runaway tube train; stand clear of the doors please, Gareth is about to depart.

Seriously though… what an outstanding opportunity and thoroughly enjoyable experience this has been. I’ve had the chance to {almost} disappear for a while and immerse myself in a completely foreign culture and wander its remarkable landscape {I even learned the language – well you have to these days or you’re accused of all sorts}. I’ve tried to use my relatively limited time here to re-engage with the business side of the work that we do plus develop my understanding and get an overview of the finer detail needed to produce and to tour… I really hope I’ve made some kind of a mark here as well.

It’s been inspirational at times and it’s definitely left me feeling re-energised. The undoubted reason of my new found zest is this simple change of scene {26.8% of 2010 to be precise}. Up until my secondment I’d been at the Centre for just over 6 years {it’s without contest the longest place I have spent my working life}. Now this isn’t supposed to sound negative, I just want to offer some clarity about where I felt I was at earlier in the year. There was a part of me that felt like a failing remote control, you know what I mean? No? Sometimes there’s just no use in teasing the least zap of energy out of the batteries with a quick rub or a gentle roll of the fingers {I find a sharp blow works best}. Now and again you just need to slap in some new Duracell’s and toy with the red button to explore the exciting additional extras. I hope that’s cleared that up.

So I feel like I’m returning with oomph and with passion reignited. I just hope I can sustain the energy and enthusiasm of a Duracell bunny when I return; I’ll certainly be drumming the message home that I believe we have the potential to develop and create some truly outstanding Welsh work – whatever that work may be – and I really want help to make it happen. You might have gathered that I’m extremely thankful to both Sadler’s Wells and the Centre for making my secondment a reality and a pleasure; it’s not often that something like this occurs so I feel very fortunate {I really will miss everyone, the team here are fab}.

I feel that there are exciting times ahead. I’m especially looking forward to getting to work on this year’s Blysh festival. There isn’t much time to pull everything together but thankfully Louise, Rob and Simon have been on the case, diolch yn fawr bois. I’m also preparing to get back to grips with the development of our Welsh language work and what that might actually mean for 2011 and beyond, starting with and building on last year’s Calan Mai event which I loved. Any ideas? Let me know. See, we inadvertently produce quite a lot already; now I think it’s time to take the next step. Let’s throw those curtains wide.

By the way, my elbow is feeling much better, thank you for asking.
Well, anyway {from one elbow to another} as it’s looking like a beautiful day… I’ll leave you with this uplifting tune…

Diolch am ddarllen and I’ll see you all in ffresh very soon.
Hwyl a Nadolig Llawn i chi gyd x

“Are you ready to board sir?”

Two weeks today on Wednesday 22nd December, I would have worked my last day at Sadler’s Wells {sad face}. I’ll probably be strolling slowly towards Victoria Coach Station with my polka-dotted bindle bag slung over my shoulder waiting to board the splendid and luxurious coach (!) back home to Cardiff… Cue ‘The Lonely Man’ theme from The Incredible Hulk...

Gareth takes a step onto the coach. He pauses, looks over shoulder and give his best ‘I’m gonna miss you kid’ face.
Coach Driver: “Are you ready to board sir?”
Gareth’s reflects upon the last 4 months. His eyes well and a tear rolls down his cheek.
Coach Driver: “Sorry Sir, are you ready to leave?”
Gareth: “Yes driver. Yes… I’m ready”
Gareth boards and the coach departs. Coach takes 12 hours to reach Cardiff.

Well the journey only cost £4, what do you expect?

Yes my time here is almost at an end, I have contracts to complete and Christmas parties to attend and that’s it: wedi bennu. It is going to be strange not living in London, I’ve grown accustomed to its pace. I’ll miss the constant journeying - I've really have become fond of the routine. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to spend time in the Big City and have honestly loved the experience of working at Sadler’s Wells. You know how it is, you meet nice people and you have a giggle – what’s not to like? That said, I am really looking forward to being back in the Pod* come January 4th, although I have no doubt I’ll be coming back east in next to no time as there are so many things I want to come and see here. By the way I hope you’ve had a chance to see the Centre’s new programme, even I didn’t know Avenue Q was confirmed on its way to Cardiff! I can’t wait to see this again, it hilarious, rude and very naughty. Perfect.

With Christmas upon us the perpetual conveyor belt of productions has halted with only 3 offerings from now until the New Year; The Snowman, Bourgeois & Maurice and Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, which I saw last night. Now I'm a fan of his work, I think he's a bit of a genius. His last production to visit the Centre, Dorian Gray, was witty, sexy, dark, which are all very good things to be. Cinderella, although very watchable, for me feels too comfortable. The shoe fits neatly as a slipper should. Hmmm... it felt safe, much like Prokofiev’s score which it's nice but bit dull perhaps {and you can't do much about that}. The design {as always} is massive and magnificent and the character driven performances really pull you in. I don't know how I feel about it, it’s definitely not my favourite MB piece but I would recommend you see it {I'd love him to take on Romeo & Juliet, although I suspect it would become Romeo & Julian}. Here’s a clip, what do you think?

Oh yes, there is one more thing to tell you. I’ve fractured and chipped my elbow {proper sad face}. I slipped on ice outside the Co-op in Tulse Hill last Wednesday {there’s glamour for you now} much to the delight of Jamie who stood over me crying with laughter: “You looked like a teddy bear, legs apart and arms thrown in the air!"... So I’m Sad Sack the raggiest of dolls and to make matters worse, it was my Birthday. My elbow is now less a hinge and more a bracket and in dire need of lubrication, so I've been given arm exercises to perform by Dr Fracture Clinic, which are best done in private as they make me look as if I’m pretending to be a robot; a robot that can’t move its arm.

Siarad cyn hir. G

*The Pod is where I sit with Louise, Rob, Simon, Sarah and Tabi. Our Pod rules.

Matilda, a Musical

Hi
I just thought I'd update you on my weekend in Stratford to watch 'Matilda, A Musical' at the RSC. I've always been a massive fan of Roald Dahl, to me he is still the best children's writer of all time. The music and lyrics were written by Tim Minchin so the combination of Dahl and Minchin was too much to resist.
I was a little worried that it would be too much like a kids show but it is written in such a way, much like the Dahl books, that it appeals to both adults and children.
The cast were fantastic, especially as half of them are children. None of them were 'stage school brats' and Arianna Bertola, who played Matilda, held the show beautifully.

Bertie Carvel played Miss Truchbull and was truly terrifying. He had the perfect mix of revolting personality, beastly behaviour and overall creepiness.

The songs had Tim Minchin written all over them. They were funny, memorable and catchy.
The RSC did a great job on the production. Designed by Rob Howell, the set was beautiful with hidden school desks, coloured squares covering the ceiling and walls and really clever use of flats used as the library or fireplaces.
Overall I thought the production was fantastic, it made me smile and I would love to bring it to the Centre in the future (should it ever tour). Well worth a visit - it will playing at the Courtyard Theatre until the 30th January.

Guest Post - Introducing... STEVEN WILLIAMS (polite applause)

Hello There

Being a guest ‘blogger’ must be up there with my proudest achievements – along with passing my driving test 1^st time and finally cutting down on biscuits.

Its been a great couple of months in the land of Arts and Audience Development. I had the privilege of working on Criw Cymru 2010 – a really great group of youngsters. As well as sticking my oar into a few other incubator related projects – thanks Simon! I have had a great time here, and my brief legacy will be upheld by some great acts booked on the Glanfa Stage during March and April!

Who knows, in the word of a certain governor – I’ll be back.

On a side note – I will be running the Original Grim Challenge on the 5^th of December which is sure to be great fun. I have never been the greatest athlete in the world, so it’s likely that Christmas will be spent recuperating with chocolates and turkey sandwiches. I will be doing it all in aid of the glanfa stage at Wales Millennium Centre, so please feel free to sponsor me.  

www.justgiving.com/stevensgrimchallenge

Ps: Gareth is planning on climbing Everest next year to top me…no pressure.

Goodbye.

Dirty schnitzel...

So there was excess baggage to pay for, a delayed flight and lost luggage to deal with… a wonderful start to a fantastic five days at Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Austria don't you think? Ja? At least the venue was a little familiar, as a friend commented on my Facebook: In diesen Steinen singen Horizonte (diolch Owain).

So why the devil was I there? Well, Sadler's Wells were producing a contemporary dance mixed-bill under the billing Sadler's Wells Presents and I was acting as tour / company manager, ensuring that everyone and everything was at the right place at the right time, essentially looking after the team and sorting out any issues that cropped up {fortunately there were only a few}.

I haven’t acted in this capacity before as the Wales Millennium Centre’s not strictly speaking a producing or touring house. The aspiration has always been there and we have dabbled with small scale stuff previously {although we didn't inhale}. All in all it made us realise that we have the potential to become an eminent and hopefully respected producing house. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to replicate what Sadler’s Wells have achieved over the last few years {they have many productions on tour world wide}, and how awesome would it be to produce and tour our own Welsh productions world over? It's so exciting.

So there was a lot to be learnt, which is one of the reasons that I’m on my secondment to Sadler’s Wells: to get some experience and a greater understanding of large scale touring and to see it from the other side {and it was an eye opener}. There's much to consider, so many details that need to be put in place to pull a programme like this together, and to do it well.

So what of the programme? Truthfully, the performances were phenomenal, particularly the duet Faun {impressively danced by both Daisy and James} which captivated, enthralled and honestly brought tears to my eyes during their second rehearsal run. Daniel Proietto's performance, AfterLight Part 1, is simply beautiful. I can't imagine anyone else ever wanting to perform this piece as it would take a lot for anyone else to do it justice. To finish the programme, Hofesh Shechter's Uprising smacked the audience back into their seats after the interval - what a contrast and equally brilliant.

Having seen the reaction to the programme and been involved in its production I honestly believe it’s a winner and an intelligent (and prudent) way of presenting a mixed bill of contemporary dance - and I’m so on it... as soon as I get back to my desk at the Centre (sorry Steve).

The little time we had spare we spent discovering St. Pölten, which left us with just about as much spare time as St. Pölten is no London or Cardiff or Carmarthen in fact. An Abergevenny almost. The place has a very underground feel; cold, quiet, empty streets are dotted with the occasional restaurant, coffee shop and haberdashery with the constant faint sound of music mingling with the cold breeze... and hidden in the warmth behind {almost} secret doors are the bars and the inhabitants {still smoking inside which was very peculiar}.

We ate well... Thai, Greek, Indian and amazing pizza slices from what was pretty much an Austrian Greggs. Oh yes, we also had schnitzel burgers from the greasiest fast food outlet that left us stinking of fatty-lard-laden-food from midday to midnight. Dirty schnitzel.

It really was a great experience. I laughed hell of a lot, the whole team involved were wonderful and it was indeed a pleasure to have had the opportunity. So I feel a bit danced out so at the moment, which is why this weekend I’m coming back home to visit another favourite theatre, the Millennium Stadium. Seriously, I don’t know why I go, especially when the odds are so very amply stacked against us; watching Wales play it’s the most frustrating, tense and nerve-trapping experience… But I loves it I do!

Come on bois bach! Wales! Wales! Wales!

You can take the boy out of Swansea…

Wel mae’n ddydd Gwener bois and what a busy few weeks it’s been. I’m all danced out and I’ve had visitors galore {a massive diolch to Jamie, Rob, Aimee, Ema and Mr Mengo for popping over to say hello}.

I bumped into Darius James this morning (Artistic Director, Independent Ballet Wales) as they’re performing in the Lilian Baylis Studio tonight and tomorrow evening. They’re a wonderful company who produce some really innovative Welsh work; their current piece is based on the Llyn y Fan Fach legend which you can see in the Weston Studio on the 20th November. It’s fantastic to see a Welsh company performing at Sadler’s Wells; it fills me with a smiley sense of pride. Hyfryd.

I’ve managed to see some interesting performances recently, one by Tanztheater Wuppertal (Pina Bausch’s Company) and another this week by Ballet Rambert, both of which left me feeling slightly disappointed {I think I ‘bigged them up’ too much beforehand}. There were parts of both productions that excited and stimulated my senses but I really haven’t had that ‘wow’ feeling since Alvin Ailey. Which is one of the reasons I’m gutted that I won’t be able to see Random Dance’s new production Far next week {although luckily Simon, one of our Associate Producers, had already booked his tickets, so at least someone can comment on it}. It looks the business, or is that me ‘bigging it up’ too much again? Here's a taster.



The reason I’m going to miss it is because I’ll be working as Tour Manager for Sadler’s Wells Presents in St. Pölten, Austria. The production looks awesome; there are some truly brilliant performances here, just take a look. I would love to programme something similar at the Centre at some point; an exciting and eclectic mix of predominantly UK based companies and artists. What do you think?

And as for me, well I’ve settled into the London life surprisingly easily {touching many wooden things}, although I’m not getting out and about as much I hoped. I had dreams of spending time meandering around museums and galleries, walking wearing hat, scarf and mittens along the South Bank taking in the sights while sipping a cinnamon Starbucks… In reality I’ve made it Westfield and bought socks from H&M. Looser.

You like this one… My other ‘alf and I enjoyed a very funny meal at The Ivy recently {I know, who the heel do I think I am eh?}. We were out celebrating and discovered this nearby bar that served £3 cocktails. Now for that price I wasn’t expecting much but a few drinks later we realised the generosity of the bar staff. Wowsers! We had to order 2 baskets of bread just to help soak it up, if you know what I mean. Needless to say the rest of the night became a bit of a farce. There was so much balsamic vinegar splashed across the table cloth it looked like a chess board, although we cannily placed our glasses, napkins and cutlery to disguise the mess we’d made; it looked like we were playing battleships. I realised that my day to day agile use of a knife and fork was far less dexterous than usual as my fumbling Jack the Ripper hands slashed through a knob of butter only to see it fly across the dining room. OMG beetroot red. You can take the boy out of Swansea… So so embarrassed but giggles galore {Stick to Pizza Express Gareth}.

By the way, if you’re looking for somewhere mega-mega nice to eat in London, try The Palmerston in Dulwich. Ema and I went last week and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve had such an amazing meal, like ever.

Ok, well that's enough for now. I hope you're all well.

Penwythnos hapus iawn i chi.

"You're in the theatre, please don't swear..."

I'm not allowed to swear, am I? Am I? No?

Tame it Gareth; this is not the right place to blurt out a flurry of inappropriate words… but that’s exactly what I was doing {and most of the audience around me} last night as Phase T performed at the open dress rehearsal of the 2010 Breakin’ Convention Tour; such was the utter and sheer brilliance of their routine {I’m swearing profusely in my head whilst typing – breakin’ etiquette if you like: ca-ching!}. You just couldn't help it, they were astonishing and full of adventure, they were *inset swear word* glorious!

Cardiff, you’re in for such an awesome display at the Centre this weekend, just keep it zipped - no swearing. Here's are Phase T performing, nuff said…



So I really hope to see you at the Centre’s Breakin’ the Bay festival this weekend and if you want to see more of Phase T make sure to grab yourselves a ticket to the main event in the Donald Gordon Theatre, which will also include performances by the outstanding Sebastien & Raphael: This piece will surprise you; really innovative and quite beautiful. Local dance crews will complete the programme with Erruption, Etta Ermini Dance Theatre, Plague & Jukebox performing next to the international line up. It's going off!

Peace. I’m off to practice my head spins.

Spring 2011 and all

Morning
It's been really busy in the team recently. This week is proper exciting as we have our three new Incubator companies in starting to rehearse and devise this years performances (to be seen the Weston Studio on the 5th November). We also are busy gearing up for Breakin the Bay and Breakin Convention this weekend. Rob has worked really hard putting the weekend together and we now have a fantastic mix performances, workshops and dance offs. Let's hope the weather is ok for the outdoor graf demos. Our 20 Criw trainees arrive on Saturday for the week long residency Criw Cymru led by Curtis James. They will be spending the week honing their hip hop techniques and then showcasing what they've learnt on the evening of the 29th October.
At the same time as all of this we've been busy finalising the Spring Weston Studio programme and I'm really happy with it. It includes performances by Frisky and Mannish, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Elis James and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. It will go on sale on the 24th January but keep your eye for the next brochure for more juicy details.
All that and I've just seen the Kodo Drummers truck drive past my office window so they will currently be setting up for tonight's performance, I have a feeling all those drums will sound amazing in the Donald Gordon Theatre.
Bye for now,
Lou

Talent

Helo, sut mae pawb heddiw? Well I'm great thanks as I’ve spent this morning at vocal auditions for one of Sadler’s Wells in-house productions (no I wasn’t auditioning); it was a fab new experience which got me thinking.

Sadler’s Wells is much like the Centre in many ways (obviously) although there are some understandable differences. At the Centre you can often be queuing in the Green Room (our canteen) surrounded by opera singers warming their vocal chords: “Can I have chips with my aria please?” Here at Sadler’s Wells the environment is equally outwardly creative, although there’s far more stretching and sinew on show.

Being surrounded by stupendous singers or fantastically fit dancers is not good for your health; I feel tone deaf and mega fat, particularly the latter. I need to start eating tissue but they don’t make pie flavoured tissue so what’s the point. Truthfully though, I love it. What I’m trying to say is that working in this kind of environment, these enclosures of talent is completely stimulating and almost always mesmerising (even if I feel like the black sheep amongst the flock). Talent is attractive, it’s sexy. Fact.

I think that those of us who work in the industry can sometimes become quite blasé about it. I mean the Centre is an amazing building right? But it would be empty in every sense of the word without talented artists to fill it. There’s no agenda here, just my mumbled musings after I was fortunate enough to hear some truly wonderful voices sing proud today. So why not get out and watch something? Just look at the live performances on offer, not just at Wales Millennium Centre but Wales wide. From musicals to open-mic sessions, surely there’s something to suit every taste – its lush really isn’t it?!


So this week I’m going to try and get my fix and see Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Points of View (pic) and Peter Gill’s The Sleepers Den (as well as watch X Factor of course– it’s just so annoyingly addictive!) Diolch am ddarllen.

(By the way I have found somewhere to live. I'm in Tulse Hill, in case you were concerned)

Open Weekend

It's been a while since I've added anything on here so apologies for that.

I had two lovely weeks off and then came back to work to find Gareth working in London (thanks Gareth!). It's a great opportunity for him but I can't wait for him to return. On Monday we have Steven Williams joining us until Christmas. Steve has been at the Centre for quite a few years and is currently a team leader in the visitor services team. He's really into his music so I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to the Dan y Pared series.

Since my holiday I have been busy planning for the Open Weekend which takes place this Saturday and Sunday. There is so much going on it's hard to put it all down here. Loads of Glanfa and Angorfa Stage performances, walkabouts, workshops, tours, trails, exhibitions and displays. We have 14 costumes coming from Coleg Morgannwg. The students have made some fantastic reproductions of costumes from My Fair Lady, The King and I and Alice in Wonderland (to name a few). We will also have a make up artist doing theatrical make up - cuts, bruises etc - which should be fun. Hopefully the weather will hold out and it will be a fantastic weekend.

I shall be missing the Sunday as I'm off to London to see the 25th Anniversary performance of Les Miserables at the O2. I can't wait. I saw the original production in London and have seen is nine times since, including once at the Centre last Christmas. This version stars Matt Lucas, Nick Jonas, Alfie Boe and Lea Salonga plus members of the original cast. I will let you know what it's like next week.

Louise

Let's make some work

I used to make work. Theatre, dance, film, photo docs. I found it hard not to. My bedroom became the canvas and when i went to uni so did the kitchen and the corridors. I know i found it hard to find the 'right' place/space to do it in but what i did find was that wherever i ended up i would make it work for me. And i know that i am not the only one out there like this.

Wales Millennium Centre is running another year of the Incubator Project where artists with a strong welsh connection can take over our spaces and make them work for them.

Interested?

Wonderfully wading in the water...

Two blogs in two days? There must be something in the water. But I just had to tell you about Alvin Ailey which I saw at Sadler's Wells last night. OMG! They were outstanding... breathtaking even.

When I watch dance, waves of jealously begin to lap around me. I'm usually completely envious of the dancers' fit bodies (plus their technique and grace obviously). I feel like a proper fatty-boy-who-can't-breath-if-I-run-up-stairs, you get me? But with these, I was fixated by this amazing company. I was agog and aghast and utterly astonished at the brilliance of the dancers and the choreography - particularly the company's signature piece Revelations.

The most exciting thing about this company is that they're coming to Cardiff on the 12th and 13th October. Go and see them. I've been at quieter rock concerts - truthfully... and it's so accessible. Now I don't really like that word... so people who perhaps wouldn't consider going to see dance will really enjoy this, I'm sure of it.


On a very different note: Things the young and funky wear in London...

Skinny jeans (not with these thighs).
Non prescription glasses, any style.
The occasional non-season-specific hat.

I've got my wet-look leggings out ready. Hwyl.

Gareth don't live here any more...

OK, I think I've already established that I'm not very good at this blogging thing... Gareth, there's just no consistency. So sorry for not posting sooner, and it's a shame as once again there's a lot to get through.
Edinburgh happened and I really enjoyed this year 's experience, particularly working as an assessor for the Total Theatre Awards. Here are my top 3 shows...

Keepers {The Plasticine Men}
Bound (Bear Trap Theatre}
Sex Idiot {Bryony Kimmings}

The latter was an interesting one, it's not often an audience is asked to cut off their pubic hair in front each other and place it in a tea cup. One kind bloke's cup overfloweth with his generous gift. I wonder if Cardiff is ready for Bryony Kimmings?

So what else has happened? Oh yes, I'm no longer working at the Centre {ish}. I'm currently on secondment at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London... "London?" I hear you say... Yes, London. I'm currently writing this while on my lunch break overlooking the high-rises of Islington. This all came about rather quickly, really quickly actually. I've been at the Centre for over 6 years now so it's nice to be able to side-step over the Severn to see first hand how things are done elsewhere. Sadler's Wells' dance programme is exceptional, so of course I'm very eager to see the breadth of their offer, starting with Alvin Ailey tomorrow night. My time here will be spent as Artistic Contracts Manager and working on their in house productions, gaining as much producing experience as possible.

For the first three weeks I'll be living in Victoria Park Village {which is very nice}. During this time I'll need to find somewhere else to live until December 31st, which is when I return to Wales. So if you know anyone with an empty penthouse overlooking the Thames at a reasonable weekly rate, let me know.

This whole process has involved and will continue to involve much travel. Yey! My favourite thing! I love travelling as much as I love queuing. Queuing is lush! A particular favourite of mine is the Paddington posturing and jostling as everyone waits for the train to Swansea to be allocated it's departure gate. A huddle of suits and backpackers, young and old, with everyone preparing to fight for their seat; a Paddington Bare Knuckle fight if you will... While Swansea continues to 'Prepare', Twyford, Oxford and Maidenhead are allocated slots twice over. Then the screen flicks, the gate is allocated and the human tsunami rushes west. I nearly take-out an old lady, back off Grandma, yes I've booked my seat but I still need to ensure that it's me sat in it.

Other things I hate about travel...

The quiet carriage: So quiet you can hear people breathe, I hate it when they breathe. By the time I'm at Didcott Parkway I want to scream.
The tube: Sweaty poles, touched by sweaty people. i-pods and i-pads; things i-don't have.
Train Coach D: These days they promise 'TV Entertainment', although there was no screen to be seen when I whizzed passed last {ok I didn't exactly whizz, meandered maybe}.

Oh yes, and I've also been to my first Leadership Unleashed meeting, which was a peculiar affair, although I'm still really up for it. As far as I can tell we're a cohort of 82 from both cultural and commercial backgrounds and we will learn much from each other over the next 9 months. Some of the initial comments frustrated me slightly, with many of my cultural peers ripping the commercial sector apart. Commercial - Bad. Culture - Good, which obviously isn't the case. I hope the exercise is designed to shake that kind of thinking apart. We'll see...

Hwyl am y tro, or as they say in London... Um... Bye.

Digital Arts - Other people frustrate me with their brilliance...

Is anyone else getting excited about Onedotzero's Adventures in Motion Festival in November?  I am.

Because I get to work with so many highly skilled practitioners, I often get more than a little jealous of what they can achieve, especially when it comes to producing drawings, sketches, films, animations and photography.  It's something that I've tried to get involved with time and again, but am slowly starting to realise that it's just one of those things I'm never going to be good at.

Watching the content Onedotzero post on their website reignites those feelings; I just want to go home, grab a sketch pad and start scribbling away, or fire up my laptop, purchase Flash and start tweening. I also know deep down that 5 minutes later I'll give up, frustrated that my drawing skills are no better than a 5 year old's.

The show reel for this year's festival screenings just got me properly fired up, for all the right reasons - the content looks superb and I can't wait to see each of the pieces in all their glory, with people who know how to create work of this calibre and in these mediums.  Take a look and let me know what you think...


onedotzero_adventures in motion 2010 preview from onedotzero on Vimeo.

Maybe see you there?

Rob

Visual Arts at the Centre

Talking Pictures


Last night we officially opened photographer Cambridge Jones' new exhibition Talking Pictures. It's a collection of 31 images of Welsh celebrities, accompanied by an audio guide which allows you to hear each of the subjects talking about what inspired them to do what they do.

It's been a real pleasure to work with Cambridge. When I first met him to talk about the project he'd stopped at the Centre to photograph Bryn Terfel for the exhibition; we started talking about the logistics of hanging and curating the collection and he asked me if I'd be happy to hang it myself as it's part of the process that he doesn't really enjoy. I jumped at the chance.

I wanted to share the process I went through in hanging his work. The collection includes actors, comedians and musicians, all with Welsh DNA, so two options presented themselves straight away - I could hang the work in groups, depending on the subjects profession, or geographically, based on the area of Wales that they are most closely associated with.

Eventually, however, I chose a third option. Geography was quickly dismissed - there was no supporting information that would alert the viewer to this choice and adding something in would distract from the real subject, the person. When you hear Cambridge talk about his work he's quick to emphasise that fact that each of his subjects is just that, a person, and what interests him is capturing the person not the celebrity. Drawing attention back to the celebrity, achieved through their occupation, would also detract from Cambridge’s objective, so we ruled out hanging by profession.

When we started to unwrap the pieces, it soon became clear that there were a number of tonal and aesthetic themes within the collection that we could use to take people on a journey through the exhibition without detracting from each of the individuals involved. We used colour and space to group images together and were lucky to find images that provided transitions between the lighter and darker works, and those where the subject filled the frame and others where space around the person opened up.

The only time we struggled was with Anthony Hopkins; his is the only image where there is almost no space within the frame. We got around this by tracing a line through this section of the exhibition based on the subjects eye-line within the frame – I’d be interested to know if you see what I see when you look at the exhibition.

The inclusion of two landscape images provided a complimentary way to top and tail the collection (and resulted in a happy accident with the audio tracks that I’ll let you discover).

The visual arts form a major part of my role here at the Centre and recently we've been doing some really exciting things in this area. I wanted to share one other in particular with you.

project/ten

Carwyn Evans installing his
new piece in Ffresh Lounge

I met Cat, the pop-up gallery's founder and curator, when she was just starting out with the idea and it was great to talk to someone who not only had a genuine enthusiasm for supporting the up and coming talent that Wales has to offer, but also incorporated design ideals and aesthetics into her collection. Cat's eye for aesthetically interesting work is really evident in the work that she's chosen to exhibit in the Lounge for the first three months of our partnership.

For me, Carwyn Evans new installation that runs around the windows in the Lounge sums this up - I got to see his working drawing while he was installing the piece and he'd been in and worked out his angles and measurements as a designer would, to ensure that his piece both followed and echoed the undulations of Amber Hiscox line that traces it's way around the building.

The partnership between the Centre and project/ten seemed a really obvious thing to do - we live in a building that's recognised for its design worldwide and our remit includes supporting and promoting both established and emerging Welsh artists.

Let's hope that it's one that continues for some time. You can hear Cat talking about the exhibition yn Gymraeg here...http://www.ydydd.co.uk/clip/1509.

There’s plenty more exhibitions coming up at the Centre over the rest of the year. Keep an eye on our website for more information.

Rob

Pethau Bychain

Bore da!

I think Carl Morris’s idea of a day that celebrates Welsh language content on the web is a great one. Want to know more? Check this out if you can speak welsh http://pethaubychain.com/ and this if you can’t .

My Welsh is still fairly rudimentary. I know everything that I need to describe the weather in Wales (it’s either raining or it’s not), can ask for tea or coffee, beer or invite people to the airport. I can also tell you that your wife is hot (thanks Carwyn). I’m starting lessons later this month and I’m really excited about that; I’ve never learnt a language in its native country before, so the opportunity to practice on a daily basis will hopefully allow me to progress at a far greater speed than if I learnt it back at home.

Working at the Centre i’m exposed to the Welsh language on a daily basis which is fantastic – I’d love to be able to programme more Welsh language work but until I’m confident with the language, I’m going to need to rely on my colleagues expertise for just a little bit longer. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to engage now though. If there are any Welsh language musicians, or, particularly, digital artists, that you think I should know about leave me a comment. I’m a big fan of Colorama and Huw M right now!



Mwynhau!

Edinburgh

Just a quick blog on the Edinburgh Fringe, once I've digested all my notes I will put a more comprehensive run down up. Overall it was a great festival. The weather (for once) was really nice, warm most days, even hot at times and only one evening of rain. This is all very important for a good festival experience - there is nothing worse than being damp all day and then sitting in a stuffy little venue watching a show.
I saw 26 shows in total and only 2 of them were total pants, everything else was really good. Highlights for me include the wonderful Daniel Kitson 'It's always right now until later', Grin Iron 'Decky Does a Bronco', 'Smoke and Mirrors', Idiots of Ants and Celebrity Autobiography.
Lots of work to catch up on now and lots of shows to follow up for 2011.
Simon, Rob and Fiona are now up at the festival and to be honest I'm a little jealous - as nice as it is to be home the fringe is an amazing place to be and I do have withdrawals when I first come back. Bring on 2011.
Lou

This week I shall mostly be listening to...

Off to Edinburgh tomorrow so I thought I should pick up some new music before I go; Hopefully the following will keep me amused, but if there are albums that you think we should be listening to, let us know, doesn't matter what they are! So, here's what I bought:

Foxes in Fiction - Swung from the Branches



Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty



The Morning Benders - Big Echo



Will let you know what I think of these, and the shows I see over the next few days.

Hwyl!

I heart cirkus

Last night Cirkus Cirkor opened on the main stage. It was so impressive and totally reignited my passion for all things tricksy and showtime. Scandinavian cool oozed from the performers and the faded glamour of traditional circus was wonderfully nostalgic. Skinny jeans and top hat and tails sharing space on stage - Love it

Thankfully though, there was none of this (not to be tried at home)...



Tomorrow night is Inc'ling. We have invited 4 companies/artists into the rehearsal rooms and given them four days to play around with brand new ideas. Ideas that they would love to take further and develop into a full length show. I am so excited to see what a Chinese Pole, a washing machine soundtrack and garden canes will come to. Good luck to the Inc'ling groups for tomorrow at 8pm...

Breakin' the Bay

Breakin' the Bay - it's on...
Today's a really exciting day for me because I'm meeting with our four new curators for this year's Breakin' the Bay festival.  It's great that we have four knowledgeable, passionate and enthusiastic people on board to help cover off the four main strands of hip hop - dance, graffiti (we count it as hip hop), djing and mcing.  Keep an eye out for more information on the people we've got involved...

In preperation for this, I've been spending quite a lot of time reading Jeff Chang's Can't Stop Won't Stop. It's part research for the festival, part intrigue/interest; when I worked for a recording studio, the guy who taught me all I know kind of got hip hop and introduced me to people like Q-tip and a Tribe Called Quest. At the time I lived in a very quiet, very white-middle-class Somerset town - about as polar-opposite to hip hop as possible. I couldn't relate to the extreme violence depicted by people like Tupac and Biggie Smalls or N.W.A., Ice Cube and Public Enemy before them.


Reading Jeff's book has put Hip Hop into context for me - I now understand a bit more about where it came from in the beginning and the cultural, social and political forces acting on its protagonists. Perhaps most importantly, I understand Hip Hop, and particularly Rap, as a means for telling a story and for that I'm grateful.

I'd thoroughly recommend the book even if you have no interest in Hip Hop but want to understand how youth culture has grown and is (often mis) represented across the myriad platforms we have access to.  I'd also recommend watching two films - Style Wars and Wild Style (not for the kids - the language is a little coarse!) - here's a little clip from Wild Style with Hip Hop legends FAB 5 FREDDY, LEE, Ramellzee, Grandmaster Flash and the Rock Steady Crew:




If you ask nicely, I might even give you a loan of Jeff's book!

Rob

Useful Swedish

Hejsan (Hi)

Cirkus Cirkor are in the building and it's all really exciting.

I thought I'd give you some useful Swedish phrases - I'll be trying them out later with the company.

Jag heter Louise - My name is Louise
Jag pratar inte svenska - I don't speak Swedish
Ha en bra dag - Have a good day
Tack - Thank you
Ja - Yes
Nej - No
Snalla - Please

If you are available to come to the performance 'Inside Out' it's on at the Centre from Thursday 12th - Sunday 15th August. I'm not saying it in a hard sell type way - it's just a fantastic performance and I want everyone to see it.

Oh what a L'atmsophere!

Bonjour mes amis! After 4 days in the midst of thousands celebrating all things Celtic, Fiona and I returned from the Festival Interceltique Lorient yesterday. Now I've been told to Blog 'short and often', but oh there's so much to tell...

Day 1: Flight to Paris - delayed, which wasn't a great start as we only had about an hour to make our connecting flight, from another Paris airport. Even our taxi driver looked concerned but managed to get us there, only for us to discover that we were to be delayed again. Eventually we reached Lorient at 10pm and grabbed a taxi to the hotel, a journey which was again a little disconcerting, particularly the manoeuvre through the the level crossing barriers regardless of the flashing warning lights (fair play he did look both ways). We decided to walk into Lorient to savour the mood and ended up in the town's square, we sat listening to Breton Rock whilst eating our Moules Frites. We instantly got the feeling the weekend would be a noisy one (and that frites would also become a regular feature ).

Day 2: Our first morning and I asked if I could borrow an iron as we'd been invited to a reception later that day and I wanted to look presentable. I was taken to the basement of the hotel and left me to my own devices, which was kind of the hotel lady who also shouted at both me and Fiona for not using trays at breakfast. Before making our way into the festival hub, I threw away my socks from the previous day, it had to be done (I felt sorry for the bin men truth be told). We meandered through the craft stalls and performance areas, visiting each Celtic nation's tents. Much to our disappointment we discovered that there was no Welsh tent at the festival. Yes there were some wonderful Welsh performers dotted throughout the programme but no designated area for the Welsh to meet and greet, to promote and and perform, it was such a shame.

We did see some great performances, one in particular from a Galician dance company, Nova Galega de Danza which we both agreed was fantastic. A simple fusion of contemporary and traditional Galician dance. One worth following up.


Day 3: An early start (one for the Touche Eclat). We were invited to the Stadium (home of FC Lorient) to watch the Grande Parade des Nations Celtes; 75 groups parading and performing in front of thousands of spectators. We waved, clapped and felt particularly proud of the Welsh contingent walking by. If bagpipes and penny whistles aren't your thing, this wouldn't have sat well with you, they were everywhere, really... Everywhere. Great fun. We ended the night and our time at Lorient listening to true Welsh ambassadors Mabon. Talented, charismatic and amazing live. Da iawn wir.

Day 4: Today was a travel day, but a nice one all the same. Our flights dictated we were to spend most of the day in Paris, a city I've never been to before. What an incredible place (incredibly expensive too). Fiona was my tour guide for the day. We began at Notre Dame and Pont des Arts, than on to the Louvre and Centre Pompidou. It was a glorious day but with luggage in tow, a sweaty one too.

Leaving Paris and making our way through airport security I became increasingly worried about having to remove my shoes again, concerned for the welfare of the security staff. After 4 days of endlessly walking, removing my shoes could quite easily have caused an international incident and would have given a whole new meaning to the term shoe bomber.

This already feels too long and I haven't even told you about Bar L'atmosphere (ironic) and my unstoppable desire to say Gracias instead of Merci at every given opportunity (Fiona's Del Boy French was equally as funny). Au revoir!

Edinburgh Fringe Festival Highlights

Gareth and I are off to Edinburgh on Friday so I thought I'd come up with my top six favourite fringe shows from the last 6 years. This was harder than I thought as there are actually lots of highlights, not just this six, so these are the six that stood out the most.

1. Fuerzabruta (2007)
2. 7 Fingers 'Traces' (2007)
3. The Penny Dreadfuls 'The Never Man' (2009)
4. Les Enfants Terribles 'The Terrible Infants' (2008)
5. Dodgy Clutch 'Elephant' (2005)
6. Spymonkey 'Cooped' (2006)

I welcome any top tips for this year so let me know.

Louise

Personal gain and self promotion...

Prynhawn da i chi, siwd mae pawb? OK, here goes: Blog #1.

I still can't quite believe that the Centre's allowing me to contribute to this new blog... do they not realise that I will use it solely for personal gain and self promotion?

Where to begin? At least I've plenty to talk about over the next few weeks, starting with my trip to Brittany with Fiona {our Artistic Director} to the Festival Interceltique Lorient tomorrow. It's my first time at the festival which I'm really excited about, people seem to love it there although this weekend's weather isn't looking too special, gutted... Tres triste.

Then I'm off to Edinburgh which will feel slightly different this year compared to previous visits to the Fringe Festival as I'll be working as a Total Theatre Award assessor {which I'm a little nervous about}, but more about that nearer the time.

Oh and one last thing, I found out yesterday that I've been accepted onto the Cultural Leadership Programme's Leadership Unleashed 2010 programme. This means I will now "become part of a unique leadership development network spanning the cultural sector, creative industries and commerce". OK, I'm not entirely sure what this will involve yet either, but I'm sure it'll be interesting finding out.

How was that? OK?
Iawn, hwyl am y tro. Gareth

First post

Hello all
This is my first post, how exciting. I have nothing major to say, I just wanted to start using this blog. In the next few weeks I'll be telling you all about my visit to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and all the shows and projects I've been looking at recently.
Cirkus Cirkor arrive a week today and I can't wait. I first met the company in Montreal (at a performing arts conference). They treated me to Swedish biscuits and Gluhwein so I was already won over! I then went to see them in London last October. Their performance 'Inside Out' is definitely up there in my top five favourite performances of all time.
I've been having panics that they won't be as good as I remembered and everyone in the office will wonder what I've been going on about for the past few months but I'm sure they will be.
Lou

Hello From the Team

Just a quick hello from Rob on behalf of the Programming and Producing team.  We'll be posting more about our trips to shows, festivals and other events, as well as giving you an insight into how we go about curating the programme across Wales Millennium Centre's different venues.

For now, here's a great bit of animation that I picked up on Vimeo today.  It sounds best if you listen through your headphones.


SURFACE TRAILER from Silo1 on Vimeo.


See you all soon!

Rob