Gearing up for Urdd week packed with talent

May 5 2008 Western Mail

With just a few weeks left until the Urdd Gobaith Cymru Eisteddfod starts, its new director Aled Siôn writes about the logistics of putting it together and reveals a taste of what’s to come

WITH a few weeks to go until my first Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Urdd Gobaith Cymru, there is a lot to do.

The Eisteddfod team have de-camped from our usual base at the Glan-llyn Urdd Centre, near Bala to the Eisteddfod site near Llandudno.

We are now slap bang in the middle of the activity, with contractors on site erecting temporary buildings and basically doing a great job of transforming a 17-acre piece of land into a cultural youth festival, in anticipation of 100,000 visitors.

Having worked for the Urdd for a number of years previously, it has been an easy task fitting back into the team, albeit in a totally different role. But it has also been a steep learning curve.

We have been extremely lucky to secure two fantastic figures from Wales’ cultural pot, talented scriptwriter Mei Jones and singer/songwriter Caryl Parry Jones, who are working on the opening night concert.

Both combine fantastic ingredients to create the script, lyrics and songs for the commissioned musical Noson Ola’r Prom (Last Night of the Prom) to ensure the Eisteddfod week begins with a bang.

Both Mei and Caryl direct the show, and they are currently putting young talented performers from across Wales through their paces at rehearsals in the Urdd Centre at Cardiff.

Eisteddfod yr Urdd is working jointly with S4C on the musical, which is set during the golden era of seaside resorts, the ’60s and ’70s, where fun, frolics and funfairs were the name of the game.

Mei Jones envisages a lot of laughter from the audience and sweet singing from the stage, during Noson Ola’r Prom.

Daytime competitions at the pavilion are from Monday to Saturday, May 26-31 at 11am through to 5pm, with some evening competitions also staged on the Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The main ceremonies of the week include the chairing of the litterateur and crowning of the bard, main composer’s trophy and winners of the drama medal and learner medal and, although many people have tried to catch me out, the names of the main competition winners are one of the best kept secrets of the Eisteddfod.

Sunday, May 25, sees the older age group “flying” to the stage, with their youth musical show Hedfan (To Fly).

Translated to Welsh from the original musical Featherboy, the show is based on the original novel of the same name, written by Nicky Singer. It follows the story of 13-year-old Robert Nobel and his battle to withstand bullying at his school.

During the story he comes across an old lady who offers him a ray of hope as he tries to gain confidence and courage, in what wa a difficult time for a young teenage boy. Tomos Wyn Williams, 15, a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy in Llanrwst will take the lead role of Robat in the show.

Tomos is an experienced actor, having participated in local drama festivals and competed in many local and national eisteddfodau, including the Urdd over the years.

Guided by a young director, 30-year-old Lowri Hughes from Abergele, it promises to be a great night.

The arts and crafts pavilion showcases the best Welsh youth talent, with ceramics, paintings, photography, weaving and much more on show. These competitors have beaten stiff competition to arrive at the national stage so the pavilion is a must for art lovers.

Two hundred primary school children will perform twice at the Eisteddfod, on the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27 and 28. Head teacher and vice- chair of the local team at Conwy Arwel Roberts is guiding the youngsters to the stage with their musical show Swyn Stori (Enchanting Welsh stories).

The musical follows children’s Welsh literature through the ages, starting with the legendary Maelgwn Gwynedd, the Welsh Bible translated by William Morgan, and onto the Victorian era.

We then move to one of the first coloured illustrated children’s storybooks in Welsh, Llyfr Mawr y Plant, through to today’s Rala Rwdins, Sali Mali and futuristic robots.

The musical follows a young girl’s wish for a bedtime story and the developing scenes illustrate the Welsh stories’ development through time. The primary show always fills the pavilion with colour and vibrancy, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the performances.

The culmination of the week sees the older age group, the under-25s Aelwydydd, showcase Wales talent on Saturday, May 31. Here you’ll see the cream of the crop battle it out on stage – singing, reciting, drama, dance, be it as soloists, duets, groups and choirs. It gives me great pleasure watching their development from the local rounds to the county ones and then onto the large pavilion stage at the national event.

Some of these youngsters will step onto the professional ladder and it’s a great honour to see them start out, and claim the Urdd as their initial instigator.

By the end of my first Eisteddfod as director, I’m sure, like many of the volunteers and fundraisers who make the event possible, I will be ready for bed.

But I hope I live to tell the tale to the good people of Cardiff who are already starting out on their journey to host Eisteddfod yr Urdd Bae Caerdydd in 2009.

To secure your tickets for the Urdd at Gloddaeth Isaf farm land at Glanwydden near Llandudno, call 0845 2571639 or book online at www.urdd.org/eisteddfod