Aberetwm
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Artistic Director: Marc Rees
Lead Producer: Jacob Gough
Production Design: Ruth Stringer
Costume Design: Llinos Griffiths Gough
Mushroom Costume Maker/Performer: Dominic Shah
Production Photography: Marian Delyth
Director of Live Performance: Roger Owen
Lead Choreographer: Rosa Carless
Sound Designer: Sion Williams
A performance event to mark the 50th anniversary of Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberetwm combined digital storytelling and live performance to explore contemporary issues and imagine a postive future. In a celebration spanning the town centre of Aberystwyth across four days and encapsulating the beach, the Castle, the promenade, and the Arts Centre itself, Aberetwm draws upon the myth of Cantre'r Gwaelod, the sunken kingdom off Cardigan Bay, and the historical narrative of female peace campaigners Annie Hughes-Griffiths, Mary Ellis and Elined Prys, as well as the Pembrokeshire activist Thalia Campbell and the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp.
Central to the production's theme was the human relationship with Nature's resources and the role that protest and activism plays in safeguarding our future. From sourcing second hand tents rescued from festival sites to finding sea shells as a by-product of the fishing industry, care and thought was taken to consider how the materials we used could contribute to this narrative. With special thanks to Camplight (camplight.co.uk) and Eco Hub (https://ecohubaber.com/) for their help and support.