National Poetry Day

Dear Friends!

National Poetry Day – 28 September 2017  – The theme is Freedom!

It is so good to read in The Post, of the several groups of writers who are meeting in Llandovery to enjoy and create poetry and prose stories.  So much talent in our town and so many tales to tell, to unlock from personal memory and share with the world.  Writing can be a consolation and a balm – it can release the tension of dark days and sleepless nights, it can bring joy just by the mere achievement of putting a few thoughts on paper, in verse or in prose.
Examining the theme of ‘freedom’ I wonder if we truly have freedom to speak and write in the language of our choice.  Writing of any kind, be it a novel or a poem, requires an audience.  The author believes and hopes the audience will be vast, and will therefore write in the language he is familiar with from birth, and if he becomes famous his work will then be translated for the world.  It is the ‘creating’ language that is the main issue. For us, here in Llandovery Theatre – it is English – and to celebrate National Poetry Day – here is a recent poem, written following a drama workshop with a group of young adults with learning disabilities – and particularly ‘dedicated’ to one un-named young  man in his search for vocal freedom.

The drama class
I search for the route to tunnel through,
to find you, the real you,
I wonder at the pattern of your thoughts,
that neither of us can disentangle,
and how to meet you on a mutual plane.
Sometimes for a moment when your face lights up
I think we have made contact,  then
the light flickers out so soon –
bright for a moment, and dark again –
A flash of lightening only!
When we meet next, we will tread your vast
disordered field
I, searching for a moment when
we can be joined together
by the line of a poem or the words of a song.

Richard 111 and Llandovery 
The Theatre has had several enquiries and requests to read the script of TRIPLE DICK – Simon Barnes’ play on the last days of Richard 111, first performed in the Assembly Rooms Llandovery in 1977, and repeated 1985 in the Theatre.
There is a growing interest in Richard 111 since his bones were discovered in the Leicester Car Park, and there is now some interest in investigating who was actually responsible for the death of the Two Princes.  At the time of Battle of Bosworth, James Tyrell (the reputed murderer of the Princes) was Steward of Llandovery Castle,
and Richard 111 was ‘Lord of the manor of Llandovery’ and gave the town its first Royal Charter  – the second Royal Charter came from The Prince of Wales in 1985, who now has a home a few miles outside our town, a very special Royal link renewed!

Pages from the History of Llandovery – Volume One
When Simon was researching for his play, he and Jacky met with  A.T.Aber-Cooke – the Historian, indeed Mr Aber-Cooke wrote a review of Triple Dick, now alas lost! He was, at that time working on his magnum opus – Pages from the History of Llandovery and he told us Tyrell was Steward of Llandovery Castle. We believe he gives more detailed information in Volume One of his ‘Pages’.  The Theatre has copy of Volume Two but not Volume One.  If anyone has a copy of Volume One,  and would be happy to loan it to us for a short while, we would be very grateful.

Poems of Love and Loss
Returning again the theme of Poetry, it is quite by chance that we are about to publish a small book of poems – Poems of Love and Loss – which should be available by National Poetry Day or very soon after!  Please watch the Llandovery Theatre Web page or our Face Book page for details and in the meantime, thank you for reading my ‘thoughts’ and do keep writing!
Horatio Nelson
Llandovery Theatre.com