Monday 13 September 2010

Pypedau PowWow Puppets!

Y TREN PYPEDAU GYNTAF YN Y BYD!

THE FIRST PUPPETRY TRAIN IN THE WORLD!

Cyfle i'r teulu fwynhau diwrnod hanesyddol wrth brofi'r TREN PYPEDAU GYNTAF YN Y BYD. Tocynnau tren am y dydd- £2 - i'w prynu ar y tren ar y diwrnod. Bydd sioeau pypedau yn y gorsafoedd tren ac ar y tren ei hun, ac mewn nifer o theatrau gwahanol. Darllenwch y datganiad i'r wasg i ddarganfod mwy:

If you are travelling by train between Machynlleth and Pwllheli on Saturday 18 September you might be surprised by some strange sights on your journey. Look out for Chaz the charming and rather shy metallic mute, Lejo’s witty manipulation of a pair of wooden eyes, a puppet show from Germany where an audience of one dons a pair of headphones and watches the events unfold in a shoe box on their lap. Also making surprise appearances on the train will be Wales’ own popular Cwmni Cortyn with his string puppets in a box and a chance to peer down a ‘belescope’ into a belly button to see the drama unfold inside a huge tummy. On the platforms you will be met by the knight Sir Lupin and his downtrodden serfs and Atom, Chaz’s older and much taller brother who will be meeting and greeting the passengers on the platforms, as well as making a visit to Harlech castle and riding the donkeys on Barmouth beach!

The First Puppet Train in the World was the brain child of Festival Director Clare Williams who delights in surprising first time audiences in unusual settings.

‘The idea was planted in my head last year whilst travelling in South America’, said Clare . ‘On the train from Acquacaliente to Cusco the travellers were entertained by the railway staff to a fashion show- the carriage aisles becoming makeshift catwalks. It was a bizarre and hugely entertaining journey’

It struck her that this could be a brilliant way of attracting a new audience to puppetry- the scale of the puppets being perfectly suited to confined spaces. She had previously developed a very happy working relationship with Arriva Trains Wales who had generously laid on the carnival train for Carnifal Cambria which travelled the length of the Cambrian coast with revellers stopping en route to parade and perform to local townsfolk.

‘We really enjoy our association with Theatr Harlech’, said Gerwyn Jones of Cambrian Railways Partnership. ‘and have reaped rich rewards from our association with them- scooping the prestigious Arts and Business Community Award in 2010’

Besides the shananigans on the trains and platforms the Puppet Train will be stopping at 4 theatres en route where audiences can disembark and see some of Europe’s greatest puppetry shows- a beautiful and moving Journey of Turtle at the Tabernacle in Machynlleth at 10 o’clock in the morning, a fabulously colourful flourescent space adventure from Scotland in the Dragon Theatre, Barmouth at 12.30, the extraordinarily witty Hands Up! from the Netherlands at Theatr Harlech at 3pm and a shadow puppet play of Peter and the Wolf with the Prokoviev score at Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli at 5.30pm

Peter and the Wolf


Hands Up!


The Festival starts on Friday 17 September when local school children can have a sneak preview of some of the shows at Theatr Harlech and in the evening members of the public are invited to meet all the puppets and their handlers at a PowWow where they can learn about the making, the operation and the manipulation of puppets.

To book for the PowWow (£7.50) or for school shows (£2.50) on Friday 17 September telephone Theatr Harlech 01766 780667

To book theatre tickets contact venues directly. Journey of Turtle (10am Tabernacle, Machynlleth 01654 703355) Oscar’s Amazing Space Adventures (12.30pm Theatr Ddraig, Barmouth 01341 281697) Hands Up! (3pm Theatr Harlech 01766 780667) Peter and the Wolf (5.30pm Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli 01758 704088 ) All tickets £5

Journey of Turtle

Oscar's Amazing Space Adventures

To book train tickets for special price of £2 give proof of purchase of any puppet show from participating venues.



Atom & Chaz

Sir Lupin will also be doing a walkabout at stations and in Harlech, Barmouth and Pwllheli.


No comments: