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.

Cwmni Cortyn - Pypedau yn y Bocs

Atom & Chaz

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

Llythyr i'r Gynulleidfa / Audience Letter

Annwyl Gyfaill

Mae’n siŵr gen i eich bod wedi clywed na fydd Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru yn parhau i ariannu Theatr Harlech. Afraid dweud eich bod chi, fel ninnau, yn poeni am ddyfodol ein theatr annwyl.

Wrth reswm rydyn ni’n siomedig na lwyddodd y Cyngor Celfyddydau i ganfod yr arian i gefnogi’n cynllun, ond rhaid cofio ein bod mewn cyfnod o ansicrwydd ariannol. 'Rydym yn gwbl ymroddedig i barhau i gynnal digwyddiadau yn y theatr ac mi fyddwn yn rhoi gwybod i chi o'r hyn sy'n digwydd.

OND…. dros y tair blynedd ddiwethaf rydyn ni wedi bod yn mynd â digwyddidau’r theatr allan i’r gymuned ac rydyn ni ar ben ein digon bod y Cyngor Celfyddydau’n cydnabod hynny - “rydych wedi dangos nad yw digwyddiadau celfyddydol o’r radd orau yn dibynnu’n llwyr ar adeilad y theatr, ” medden nhw.

Mae Bwrdd a Staff Theatr Harlech wedi bod yn prysur baratoi a HEDDIW rydym yn lansio cynllun gwaith newydd o’r enw CYTSER. Y bwriad ydi mynd â’r celfyddydau o’r adeilad ac i’r gymuned. Dros y chwe mis nesaf byddwn yn cydweithio gyda Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru a Chyngor Gwynedd ar y cynlluniau yma gan ddatblygu theatr gymunedol, corau cymunedol, grwpiau dawns, gweithdai ffilm ac animeiddio a pherfformiadau gan berfformwyr o fri. Bydd y rhain ar gael nid yn unig yn Harlech ond ym Mhorthmadog, Blaenau a Dolgellau hefyd.

Mae cynllun CYTSER wedi ei ddatblygu gan Jacqui Banks, y Gyfarwyddwraig dros dro, a Clare Williams, cyn Cyfarwyddwraig y Theatr. Disgrifiodd Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru y cynllun fel “menter gyffrous ac arloesol a ddylai fynd â gwaith rhagorol y Theatr allan i’r cymunedau cyfagos.”

Yn yr adeilad, tu allan i’r adeilad, yn y Castell neu ar drên i Abermaw – does dim celfyddyd yng Ngwynedd hebddoch chi. Byddwn yn cysylltu gyda’r diweddaraf.

Rydym yn gobeithio gweld chi yn rai o'n digwyddiadau Haf!

Yn gywir

Tîm Harlech

Dear Friend

You will probably have heard that last week Arts Council Wales decided not to continue funding Theatr Harlech as it has in the past and you – like us – will doubtless be concerned about the future of our lovely theatre.

Naturally we were disappointed that the Arts Council couldn’t find the money to support the programme but these are difficult times. We are committed to keeping events in the theatre and we will keep you informed about what is happening.

BUT ... over the last three years we have been reaching out to a broader community and were absolutely thrilled that the Arts Council recognised this saying “you have demonstrated that high quality arts activity is not solely dependent on a theatre building”.

The Board and staff of Theatr Harlech have been preparing and TODAY we are launching a new programme of work called CONSTELLATION which aims to take the arts out of the building and into the community. Working with Arts Council Wales and Cyngor Gwynedd over the next six months these plans will be developed to include community theatre, community choirs and dance groups, film and animation workshops and professional performances not just in Harlech but also in Porthmadog, Blaenau and Dolgellau.

The CONSTELLATION programme has been developed by Jacqui Banks Interim Director and Clare Williams previously Director of the Theatre. CONSTELLATION was described by Arts Council Wales as “an exciting and compelling initiative that should take the venue’s excellent work out into nearby communities”.

In the building, out of the building, in the Castle or on a train to Barmouth there is no arts in Gwynedd without you and we will keep you informed.

We hope to see you at some of our Summer events!

Yours

Team Harlech

Theatr Plant

Yn ddiweddar, bu Theatr Plant yn gweithio ar stori hudol 'Where the Wild Things are', mae'r grwp yn cyfarfod bob dydd Mawrth rhwng 4-6pm. Dyma ychydig luniau o'u gwaith arbennig.

Recently, Theatr Plant worked on the magical story of 'Where the Wild Things are', the group meets every Tuesday between 4 and 6pm. Here are a few photos of their fantastic work.

Reggae yng Nghastell Harlech

Roedd noson reggae Theatr Harlech yn lwyddiant mawr iawn, pawb wedi mwynhau gwrando ar 'DJ'io Dewi ac ar gerddoriaeth rhythmig y band reggae T&Latouche o fewn muriau ysblennydd Castell Harlech. Roedd yr haul yn tywynu a phawb mewn hwyliau da! Dyma ychydig o luniau o'r noson anhygoel. (Lluniau gan Rhys M Roberts).

Theatr Harlech's reggae night at Castell Harlech was a massive success! The sun was shining, the DJ was booming, and everyone enjoyed T&Latouche's soulful set, filled with original songs and reggae favourites. Here are some pictures from the night. (Pictures by Rhys M Roberts).