Canolfan S4C Yr Egin is looking forward to collaborating with partners across north and south west Wales following a successful bid to the ‘Connect and Flourish’ fund of the Arts Council of Wales.
The ambition of the project ‘Talent mewn Tafarn’ is to nurture creative talent in the Welsh language, and create a network of new community performers, writers and promoters in rural areas in cooperation with the National Eisteddfod, five community pubs and freelance artists.
By cooperating with the community pubs Menter y Plu, Llanystumdwy; The Vale of Aeron, Aeron Valley; Tafarn Ty’n Llan, Llandwrog; Tafarn Sinc, Rosebush and the Fic Llithfaen, which are cornerstones of their communities, the project will try to develop new community audiences, participants and artists.
‘Talent mewn Tafarn’ will work with freelance mentors and artists who specialize in various art forms, and will use comedy as a basis for nurturing new creative talents and skills in Welsh, and to establish a network of community performers and promoters that will contribute to the regeneration and restoration of communities in west Wales post Covid. The first stage of the project is to appoint a Coordinator, a special opportunity for someone who has a keen interest in comedy, developing new talent and working at grass roots level.
Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan S4C Yr Egin, said,
“We are extremely excited about this project and are looking forward eagerly to cooperating with the partners and holding training sessions here in Yr Egin. Appointing the Coordinator will be an important stage and so I encourage anyone who is interested in developing ‘Talent Mewn Tafarn’ to get in touch for more information or to visit Yr Egin’s website for further details. I’m confident that the project with help in empowering and regenerating our communities and that laughter will be heard throughout west Wales.”
This will be the first time for some pubs to cooperate with each other, not to mention with Yr Egin, the National Eisteddfod and freelance artists.
Lowri Jones of the Vale of Aeron pub said,
“Comedy is a part of the rural character. By laughing with each other – often at our own situations – society comes together. Finding our way through the world. And where better to laugh with each other than in a pub? At the beginning of our journey as a pub in the community, we in the Vale are looking forward to working with Yr Egin to invest in more laughter in the west!”
It is hoped that ‘Talent mewn Tafarn’ will build a new, long-lasting relationship between community institutions, national institutions, freelance artists and emerging artists, and it will explore how live performance can be used to improve wellbeing, and to promote environmental sustainability and cultural inclusion.
Sioned Edwards from the National Eisteddfod of Wales added,
“After two difficult years we need a reason to laugh more than ever. We look forward to cooperating to develop a new network and new comedy performers in the Welsh language.”
The project will also create opportunities to contribute toward the evening economy in rural areas, and will provide cultural opportunities and training for people of all ages and all backgrounds with an emphasis also on targeting young people and people with disabilities.
Under the leadership of artists and in cooperation with performance companies and a network of local promoters, the project will commission and support opportunities to produce new work to be performed in rural areas of west Wales, giving direct access to art on the doorstep.
One of the main objectives of the project will be to create a legacy; whether that be a community, linguistic, inclusive, cultural or economic legacy in the specific areas that are being targeted.
For more information about the post of the Project Coordinator, go to the Egin’s website. The closing date for applications is 4th July.
