Staging new work – in a yurt

Jan 11 2008 by Steffan Rhys, Western Mail

She has penned episodes for some of the country’s most popular programmes, including Doctor Who, but Steffan Rhys finds that writer Helen Raynor is excited about a gathering in an intimate Cardiff bar

SPORTING a black eye and crutches after falling off her bike, and struggling under the effects of a cold, Helen Raynor is nevertheless in an expectant mood.

Freed from the stylistic restrictions and rigid process of writing episodes for flagship programmes Doctor Who and Torchwood, the Swansea-born writer will be spending the next few days writing a 10-minute play to be performed by three actors for the third Dirty Protest.

The evening – which takes place in front of around 120 people in a Mongolian yurt in the Milgi bar in Cardiff – aims to give established writers an inspiring challenge: to take their work to the masses.

It also aims to harness burgeoning talent through its regular Pop Your Cherry slot. The other writers featured this month are: Tracy Harris, Othniel Smith, Eifion Rees and Joel Horwood.

In a sense, it takes Raynor back to her roots – she worked in theatre for eight years before crossing over into television.

“Theatre is often a freer place to work and, from a practical point of view, it’s easier to get your stuff staged and a hell of a lot cheaper,” says Raynor, who attended the first two Dirty Protest evenings so knows the high expectations of its enthusiastic audience.

“But it can sometimes feel a bit drab and that’s an absolute killer to an art form, where you should always want to turn up, rather than feel forced to.

“The atmosphere [at Milgi] has been wonderful and the slightly off-beat venue attracts a younger, more mixed crowd, which is what its organisers wanted.”

While Dirty Protest – and similar groups like Cardiff Bites – strive to give Welsh writers a platform for their work, Raynor says more investment in and more attention to writing is needed in Wales, which currently languishes far behind writing cultures in Scotland and England.

“Wales is a very difficult place to work in terms of new script writing,” she says.

“Opportunities in Wales to have work produced are limited and the same is true of directors. I compare it to Scotland and my heart sinks.

“It’s hard not to be jealous because they’ve invested in it and are producing better writers as a result.

“Much of Welsh theatre is not thriving but is moribund. People tend to get into jobs and stay there for years and are bed-blocking. They are always very willing to pay lip service to young people getting opportunities and establishing themselves, but they’re not willing to give up jobs to give them these opportunities.

“They are the same people complaining of a drain to London, but of course there’s going to be a drain because writers have a responsibility to go where they can flourish and not hang around where they can’t.

“It’s also a key issue in directing. There are brilliant producers in Scotland and London committed to new writing and inspired by it. And new writers will say that working with these directors has pushed them to create something they are proud of.

“It’s a catch-22 situation. If you are a brilliant Welsh writer or director you won’t hang around in Wales where there are no opportunities.

“There has been some really interesting and some quite bold work that has come out of the [Dirty Protest] nights I’ve seen.

“But I think it’s unfair to think of it as a night to showcase the work of new writers, because it’s less about that than giving writers the opportunity to produce and develop something with their own process and in the context of a responsive audience.”

Despite her concerns, Raynor’s presence at Dirty Protest is in no sense an attempt to raise its profile.

“I’m not there to confer my blessing on it. It’s an opportunity for me to do something that’s challenging, creative and stimulating,” she says.

“Nights like this tell writers ‘Write it new, write it rough and ready and get it out there’ and that is liberating for a writer. It’s going to be great for me and put pressure on me.”

Dirty Protest is at Milgi in Cardiff on January 24 at 7.30pm