Performer’s Blog / Blog Perfformiwr: The Good Earth

The Good Earth, which opens in the Weston Studio on 16 April, originally started life when Fragments were chosen as one of our developing companies for our Incubator Project in 2013. Cast member Hanna Brunt talks about her experience of the Incubator process, from auditions, to the first showing at our Incubator Sharing evening back in Autumn 2013, to this next stage of development.

Dechreuodd bywyd The Good Earth, sy’n agor yn y Stiwdio Weston ar 16 Ebrill, pan ddewisiwyd Fragments fel un o’n cwmnïoedd datblygu ar gyfer ein Prosiect Deori yn 2013. Dyma aelod o’r cast Hanna Brunt, yn sgwrsio am ei phrofiad yn y broses Deori, o’r clyweliadau i’r ddau berfformiad cyntaf yn noson arbennig Deori nôl yn Hydref 2013, i gam nesaf y datblygiad.

In September 2013 I saw an audition notice for an R&D project that was to be performed at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, as part of their Incubator project. The company was called Fragments, an international group of film and theatre makers and their new project was The Good Earth. They were looking for five, highly versatile actors, with a strong sense of play, to take part in the new production that was inspired by true events, which took place in the village of Troedrhiwgwair. Straightaway I applied and was lucky enough to be invited to take part in a group audition at the Wales Millennium Centre itself. Four days after the audition took place I received an email offering me a spot as one of the five to take part in the rehearsal and development of the piece.

With an old BBC news interview, from the villagers of Troedrhiwgwair, and other articles under our belt, we went on our way to begin developing a piece.  Inspired by true events, we wanted to portray the trials and traumas faced by a small Welsh village in the Sirhowy Valley, who were all asked to leave their homes as the council thought that the mountain they had lived under for decades was dangerous. 

Using the characters from the news report as an aid, we began brainstorming character traits and features we thought would best symbolize the villagers.  We then went on to create characters and relationships we felt the audience could believe and empathise with. Through improvisation we found ourselves creating scenes and discovering aspects of characters that we could expand upon, which helped to keep the rehearsals moving forward.  

The process was fantastic, but at times very difficult, as we would really go in depth on a character and realize it would not work. At this point we would have to leave all the work we had done on certain aspects to the side and start again. However, each new character brought about exciting new discoveries; whether or not we went on to use the character in the final piece.

Once we had discovered and developed characters we believed were strong enough to convey the emotions and portray the raw truth of feeling, we moved on to creating scenes that would tell the stories of our villagers. We wanted to produce a piece that conveyed a strong message of the struggles of a village who were being asked to leave their family homes by a council who could offer no real proof for the apparent danger they were in.

Being able to do this in the Wales Millennium Centre, in similar spaces to the one we would be performing in, was unbelievable. It was amazing to be able to develop ideas and bring a production to life in such a busy theatre environment, being surrounded by so many other artists, such as the Welsh National Opera, Hijinx Theatre and even Dame Edna (the show that was in the Donald Gordon Theatre at the time). The atmosphere was electric and the facilities were next to none. The staff were always friendly and welcoming and the producers in charge of the Incubator project were always popping in and out of rehearsals to show their support and see how things were going on. 

After our two week rehearsal and development period we moved into the Weston Studio, the performance space, where we were now in the hands of the Technical staff. From start to finish they were very professional and helpful, bowing to our every lighting and technical need. Their support was integral in the final stages of the piece and their collaboration with us, especially with our director’s ideas, helped form an atmospheric setting for our piece.

To have been able to rehearse, develop ideas and perform at the Wales Millennium Centre was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and an opportunity I am pleased to have the chance to do again. 

Our project from the Incubator sharing has been accepted to receive funding from the Arts Council of Wales with support from the Wales Millennium Centre, National Lottery and RCT Cultural Services. We will be rehearsing and developing for a further 15 days before performing in the Weston Studio in April.

By Hanna Brunt, cast member.

See The Good Earth in the Weston Studio on 16 & 17 April, 8pm.

Incubator is a platform for artists and companies to develop new work in partnership with Wales Millennium Centre. The project is open for applications throughout the year from artists and companies with an idea that they would like to develop further. Click here to find out more about how you can get involved, or email our producer Fern: fern.george@wmc.org.uk

Dewch i fwynhau The Good Earth yn y Stiwdio Weston ar 16 ac 17 Ebrill am 8pm.

Mae Deori yn llwyfan i artistiaid a chwmnïau ddatblygu gwaith newydd mewn partneriaeth â Chanolfan Mileniwm Cymru. Mae’n bosibl gwneud cais i’r prosiect trwy gydol y flwyddyn ac mae’n agored i gwmnïau sydd â syniad yr hoffent ei ddatblygu ymhellach. I ddysgu mwy am sut allwch chi gymryd rhan a bod yn un o gwmnïau Deori, anfonwch e-bost at at ein cynhyrchydd fern.george@wmc.org.uk