Eisteddfod Calan Mai a great success The first May Day Eisteddfod to be held at Morlan was a great success. The hall was filling up quickly before the Eisteddfod started at 5 o’clock and stayed full to the brim all night with everyone thoroughly enjoying the wide range of competitions – from the singing competition for primary age children to the biscuit eating competition, from the sketch to the instrumental ensemble, ending with the closely-fought choir competition. The audience’s enjoyment and appreciation did not waiver at all during the night such was the level of local talent that appeared on the stage. The talent shown in the homework competitions was just as impressive. Click here to see the all results. Many thanks to: ♦ Clive Williams, Deian Creunant and Gwenallt Llwyd Ifan for compering the evening
♦ Lona Phillips, the accompanist
♦ the adjuciators – stage and homework - Dewi and Rhiannon Pws Morris, Magwen Pughe, Geraint Thomas, Catherine Young, Anwen Davies, Geraint and Eirian Evans, David Greaney, Bleddyn Huws, Harry and Medi James, Ruth Jên)
♦ all the sponsors
♦ the Eisteddfod Committee and Officers, led by Dana Edwards for all their work.
Onwards and upwards now towards May Day 2014! |
ANNUAL LECTURE 2013 Morlan has once again managed to entice a prestigious speaker to deliver its Annual Lecture. Elan Closs Stephens – Welsh educator and civil servant and the Wales representative on the BBC Trust – is that speaker, and she will deliver her lecture on Thursday evening, 9 May. The Annual Lecture is one of a range of events that Morlan organises and hosts throughout the year. These include a youth club, art exhibitions, concerts, literary evenings and festivals, social events and debates. The events we organise touch upon a wide range of topics – social, political, religious and cultural. This variety of topics is reflected in our choice of the speakers for the Annual Lecture. Since 2010, when we organised our first Lecture to mark the centre’s fifth anniversary, we have managed to ensure very distinguished speakers and this year is no exception. We look forward to welcoming Elan Closs Stephens to Morlan to deliver our fourth Annual Lecture especially as she will be discussing such a current topic. Born in Talysarn in the Nantlle Valley Gwynedd, she was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle and Somerville College, Oxford. She is currently Emeritus Professor of Communications and Creative Industries at Aberystwyth University’s Department of Theatre Film and Television Studies. Through her role at the University, Elan has educated generations of today’s broadcasting and theatre talent. She has also been a leading light in Welsh broadcasting policy as a member of the Welsh Broadcasting Council and as Chair of S4C. Over the years she has gained a wealth of experience on numerous public bodies and, in 2001, was awarded a CBE for services to broadcasting and the Welsh Language. She is also the National Trustee for Wales with the BBC Trust and High Sheriff of Dyfed. The title of her lecture is “2020: Diwylliant Darlledu (2020: The Culture of Broadcasting)” which will deal with several issues relating to broadcasting, especially in light of the Leveson Enquiry and recent developments in the BBC. She will touch upon such issues as independence or separateness in broadcasting, how to ensure accountability, etc. The title plays with the idea of twenty twenty vision, giving an insight into the current situation but also considering how the culture of broadcasting will develop over the next seven years. There will be much to discuss therefore. Elan will deliver her lecture in Welsh but translation facilities will be available. The evening – which starts at 7.30 – will be chaired by Dr Rhodri Llwyd Morgan. Admission is £5 (pay at the door). |
DAFYDD IWAN AND SILENT AUCTION A fund-raising event for Morlan7.30, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 
Morlan's Programme Committee is well used to organising entertaining and interesting evenings, and this event with Dafydd Iwan was no exception. Whilst Dafydd Iwan is familiar with performing on stages across Wales and beyond, the warm and intimate atmosphere of this event meant that he could talk more directly to the audience and share the inspiration and the stories behind some of his songs. We had the happy and the sad, the protest songs and the satire, and everyone who was present thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Another element to the evening was the Silent Auction - a chance for people to bid on a variety of items including a lesson on how to make eclairs, a weekend in Tresaith, prints by famous artists, legal work, a poetry commission and a bundle of interesting books. Morlan has developed into a busy and important centre in Aberystwyth but running such a place is costly and the profit from this event will be re-invested in developing Morlan's work. The Auction was opened before the event itself, giving those who were unable to attend a chance to bid and to support the centre. Over £1000 was raised which will go a long way in assisting Morlan continue with its work. We are very grateful to Dafydd Iwan for supporting the event, to all the people who kindly donated an item for the Auction and to everyone who supported the event in whichever way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
MORLAN COMPANY PRESENT ONE OF KATE ROBERTS' PLAYS 21-22 October 2013  In October, there was a rare opportunity to see a performance of one of Kate Roberts' plays at Morlan, namely Y Canpunt (The Hundred Pounds) – a comedy from the Swansea Valley.
Kate Roberts is one of Wales' greatest novelists but not many know about the short plays and sketches that she wrote. Such were their success that many were published, although several are out of print by now. Kate Roberts worked with small groups of women similar to the groups of women that wrote suffragette plays together in England at the start of the twentieth century. Kate Roberts contributed to several plays and sketches performed by amateur drama groups. Y Canpunt was first performed in 1916 and then published by the Welsh Outlook Press in Newtown in 1923. In this edition, Margaret Price, Kate Roberts and Betty Eynon Davies are listed as authors of the play. It is a one-act play with five characters: Mrs Davies, a rich widow; Adelina, her daughter; Jim Davies, her nephew; Mari Myfanwy, Jim's girlfriend; and Sam Price, owner of a coal mine. Jim wants to create a good impression on his aunt in the hope that she will give him a hundred pounds which will allow him to marry Mari. In fact, this hundred pounds was promised to him by his uncle when hi was dying, but his aunt is very reluctant to fulfil this promise, arguing that his future wife isn't suitable.  Mari cannot stand the aunt's snobbishness and suspects that Mrs Davies wants Jim to marry Adelina, whilst Jim thinks his aunt would prefer Sam Price as a son-in-law ... and so the story develops ... The play is performed by Morlan Company – an amateur company that meet at Morlan and put on various presentations and productions as part of Morlan's programme of events. It was performed on two nights with a discussion on the work of Kate Roberts with Francesca Rhydderch and Katie Gramich on the Sunday night.  According to Geraint Evans, Director of Morlan Company: “This is a light-hearted play and is a typical example of plays that were written for amateur companies that were prolific in the working class communities at the start of the twentieth century. Although it does appear to be in complete contrast to most of Kate Roberts' work, there are some similarities – woman's place in society and the trend to turn to the English language to appear more refined and genteel."  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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