Tonypandy 2010

The historic events that took place locally in 1910 could be the subject of a major Community Play in 2010, the centenary of the Tonypandy Riots. I chaired a meeting with local community representatives in Tonypandy last week to discuss the possibility of such a play being mounted.

We have to ensure that we mark the centenary of these historic events. A number of projects are being discussed by local people and the local authority has a strong interest in it as well. A Community Play could be the central event which brings a wider national focus to the centenary.

At the meeting, Steve Davis, Artistic Director of Llwynypia-based Spectacle Theatre, described how Community Plays worked and discussed how best to go about developing a Community Play based on the events of 1910.

Steve said 'I have wanted to create a large scale community play for some while. I hope it will lead to our young people having a greater awareness of our history so that their personal family versions can be understood in a much wider context.

'The Tonypandy Community play is an opportunity to forge collaborative creative partnerships between artists and community members. This collaboration will seek to articulate the community's interests, issues, and collective experience.

'It will provide natural opportunities to build new relationships among differing segments of the community, amongst people of differing ages and cultures, and among local agencies and arts organisations. Its aim is to provide a valuable experience for an audience from within and outside of the Valleys and an affirmation of the creative abilities that exist in the Valleys.'

The meeting, which included representatives of Tonypandy Community School, the local authority and Llwynypia Communities First, took place at the Ark Project. A further meeting is to be held in May with a wider range of groups