A Chat with the Producers

There was a chance to chat with Siân Drinan and Stevie Atkins in the gap between the TV recording and the afternoon rehearsal.

Rehearsals Rehearsals could not start until February because one of the producers, Siân, was busy having her baby son Berwyn. Berwyn was a regular attender at rehearsals, behaving perfectly and distributing huge smiles all around. Rehearsals did not start immediately with the text but with a series of drama workshops which included movement, improvisation, trust exercises and singing. They were first held in the two separate schools and then together at Ysgol y Bannau. The children from the two schools mixed together very well throughout. It was out of these workshops that selection of children for different parts took place.

Stevie, Siân and Berwyn

Casting

• No auditions.
• The school staff had no part in choosing childrem for rôles.
• The whole of Year 5 in both schools took part.
• Everyone had some part to play - no-one was just singing.
• During the workshops everyone was allowed to say whether the wanted a small part or something more substantial.

So many wanted to do a more substantial role that some non-speaking roles in the script had to be given lines and also it was necessary to create two casts. Everyone was on stage both nights but different groups of people took the speaking roles in each of the performances.

Bi-lingual aspects.

With both English and Welsh versions of the script available there was no problem for the producers to direct the children with the support of the teachers. Both English and Welsh were used in rehearsals. Everyone felt that their Welsh had improved through the experience.