FRIENDS OF CHESTER LITERATUREFESTIVAL NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2014

Dear Litfest Friend, Here is the promised winter edition of our newsletter. In addition to keeping youup to date with Friends’ events past and future, it also includes some reviews ofthis year’s Literature Festival, which we hope you enjoyed. Since the last newsletter went out in June, we took a group of Cheshire Young Carers to see ‘The Secret Garden’ at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre. It was a wonderful production featuring a talented cast of actors and puppets, and a good time was had by all the young people - as you will see from the photo below! We hope you will agree that CYC are very worthwhile recipients of our continued support. Then in early October we took a coach to Manchester filled to capacity with eager theatre-goers, to see a ground-breaking, gender-blind production of ‘Hamlet’, starring Maxine Peake, at the Royal Exchange Theatre preceded by a pre-show workshop.

The Friends were pleased to sponsor 2 events for the Literature Festival, Sheila Hancock and the Dylan Thomas Writing Shed in the Town Hall Square. Friends enjoyed lunchtime drinks in the Coach House to celebrate the Shed’s arrival as well as readings of Thomas’ works to celebrate his centenary year . Much more about the Festival later in the newsletter.

As concerns our plans for the coming year, so far we have arranged a theatrical writing workshop that will be held at Chester’s Little Theatre studio in late February with local playwright Kevin Dyer. We are also intending to arrange another trip to the Hay Festival in May, following on from this year’s visit which provedto be such a success. There will also be 2 more theatre trips in 2015, which hopefully will prove just as popular as previous ones.

Finally, we hope you all have a very happy Christmas and look forward to welcoming you at events in 2015. All the best,Elizabeth Lambrakis/Gill King/Carol Archer/Norma Duffill/Marie Hughes/Helen Hill

Hamlet at the Royal Exchange Theatre

I learned today that Maxine Peake’s Hamlet was the Royal ExchangeTheatre’s fastest selling show in a decade and has been seen by thirtyfive thousand people! Quite a feat and I am not in the leastsurprised. I found the whole experience fascinating – both workshopand performance. I like theatre in the round and The Royal Exchangein particular as it has such an intimate acting space. The challenges of staging Shakespeare in such a space were made clear to us by the stage directors during the workshop and the logistics were mind boggling!

Maxine Peake’s portrayal of Hamlet was knowing and witty and sparkled with glints of hurt and malice throughout. Hamlet is a huge part and the play is very long but Maxine’s energy never flagged. I had not seen her live before and I was struck by her stage presence and charisma. She was honest, impassioned and at one point carried off an amazingly well choreographed sword fight! In this feminised performance several other characters had switched gender, including Polonius who became Polonia . Gillian Beven played the role striding about in a smart trouser suit and bringing out the humour of the role superbly. Also Michelle Butterly as the gravedigger gave an animated and highly enjoyable comic performance. I was less impressed with Ophelia whose performance seemed girly and odd. The mad scene was difficult to watch with its undressing and hints of self-harm. However, it was perhaps nearer the truth than the usual romantic portrayals.

Although I know the play fairly well, the introduction of the unconventional and unexpected gave me a different perspective and made me listen more deeply to what was going on. The imaginative lighting and sound effects also contributed to this effect. So although this might not have been everybody’s cup of tea – for me the whole day was an unforgettable experience. Thanks to all of the people involved in arranging it. ( Sue Parkinson)

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT : Much admired Maxine Peake’s charmingly boyish looks and amazing energy, but this was Hamlet not Peter Pan! Somehow her rather shrill voice did not convey the weight and seriousness of Hamlet’s universal angst and world-weariness. For me the Liverpudlian grave-digger held the stage much more successfully. The debate continues! (Helen)

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STOP PRESS : Tickets are now going on sale for 2 exciting theatrical events in February 2015, for which youwill find booking details enclosed with this newsletter. Numbers for both are strictly limited so don’t delay!

FRIDAY 20TH FEBRUARY – THEATR CLWYD – MORNING BACKSTAGE TOUR AND LUNCHTIME PICNIC PLAY: A TERRY HANDS MASTERCLASS ON SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS, PACKED LUNCH INCLUDED THURSDAY 26TH FEBRUARY – ‘THE PLAY’S THE THING’: AN EVENING WRITING WORKSHOP AT CHESTER’S LITTLE THEATRE WITH KEVIN DYER OF ACTION TRANSPORT THEATRE COMPANY

Also take a look at HEARTH, THE MINI-LITFEST FEB 7-8TH AT GLADSTONE’S LIBRARY (www.gladstoneslibrary.org)

NOW FOR THE LITFEST AND CELEBRATING DYLAN THOMAS’ S CENTENARY YEAR with.....

Something Different, The Shed!

Friends of Chester Literature Festival sponsored a free event to celebrate the poet’s centenary year. A scaled down replica of his iconic Writing Shed was placed in the Town Hall Square for two days. Cestrians flocked to visit it and to soak up its unique atmosphere. It seemed as if the poet had just left his shed for a moment. On his desk were facsimiles of his lists of words, which he always created to be used later for his poetry, alongside some boiled sweets and an overflowing ashtray. The original shed sits above the Boathouse in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, where Thomas lived for four years before he died in 1953. Creators of the replica shed have paid close attention to detail right down to the curling faded pictures on the wall.

Visitors to the shed had the opportunity to invent a new word and definition which will be published in a “Dictionary of Dylan,” in recognition of his great love of words. On Friday, poet GlynEdwards took his place in the shed and wrote poems for visitors. On Saturday, many Friends gathered in “The Coach House” for a glass of wine and to listen to readings from Dylan Thomas’ work presented by two accomplished Welsh bards, Evan Jones and David Subacchi, aided and abetted by Friends , Ray, Derek, Carol and Helen. (Carol Archer)

FRIENDS ALSO SPONSORED .......... SHEILA HANCOCK

A couple of years ago, Sheila Hancock was enjoying a coffee in Fortnum and Mason when she noticed an elderly lady sitting at a nearby table trying to attract the waiters’ attention. They all ignored her. With one swift movement, the lady swept the sugar bowl off the table, as it crashed to the floor, all the waiters hurried to her. A triumphant smile crossed the lady’s face as they fussed around her. Sheila began to wonder what sort of life such a feisty lady had lived and so her first novel, “Miss Carter’s War”, was born. The novel charts the life and times of grammar school teacher Marguerite Carter. Fearless and idealistic, she was on a mission to change the world.

The Town Hall was full to capacity for this ‘Friends of Chester Literature Festival’ sponsored event and the audience very much appreciated Sheila Hancock’s wonderfully positive opinions and attitude to life in her eighties. I suspect that Miss Carter is Sheila Hancock’s alter ego, I’m sure the book will be a great success and maybe a film ( with Sheila Hancock playing Miss Carter) will follow!

(Carol Archer)

BOOKBINDING

The Saturday 18 October Bookbinding Workshop was fully booked but, luckily for me and about 17others, Barry Brignell agreed to run an extra session on the Sunday morning. We arrived at 10am to find all the materials we needed to produce a ‘case bound’ book laid out for us. There were lots of items at each place including needle and thread, brushes and glue, a bone folder and scissors and rulers to share. I began to wonder what sort of job I’d make of my book, remembering messy moments with glue in the past! I think several of the others were wondering about their sewing techniques. However, Barry was a great teacher, helping us at every stage of the way through a complicated process which ended with us pressing and hair-drying our books. They all looked veryprofessional. Learning what goes into producing a hardback book was a lovely way to spend a morning. (Pam Hudson)

TACKLING BIG ISSUES – Costa award-winning novelists Nathan Filer and Christy Watson.

Christy’s second novel, Where Women are Kings, is the moving story of a Nigerian child and deals with mixed-race adoption, abuse, religion and mental illness. She admitted that writing was part of her search to answer the big questions of life and was obviously a person with strong views anda deep commitment to human rights and internationalism. Interestingly, though, she was not afraid to change the ending of her book to suit the American publishers.

Nathan’s book, The Shock of the Fall, is described by Jo Brand as “ one of the best books ever written about mental illness.” It details the development of schizophrenia in a young boy and his later treatment. Nathan was not afraid to be critical of the shortfalls of the NHS in this field and hebelieves very much that environment and early experience play a part in the illness. Unlike Christy, who had early success, he took about 10 years to get the novel right . He firmly believes that his writing is character led – the rest follows! (Helen Hill)

FINALLY, on the eve of the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas (Oct 27th 1914) - “ NOT GOING GENTLY”

This event was a wonderful closure to a highly successful Festival…and also to a glorious golden autumnal day . We had a magicalevening. On the platform was writer Glyn Maxwell, whose mothertook part in the original stage show of Milk Wood in 1956. He wasjoined by Owain Gwynn, Michelle McTernan, Gwyn Vaughan Jones

and Emma Lucia, all of them weaving Dylan’s spell through their readings, insights and their fascinating comments.

We heard parts of “ Under Milk Wood”, “ Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog”, plus other poems and writings, including the enigmatic “ Do Not Go Gently”. One could have heard a pin being dropped… or even perhaps the tiniest feather fluttering to the ground…. ALSO: Glyn Maxwell’s inaugural reading of his new play “ The City Of Tomorrow”, due to be broadcast on Radio 4 the next day, was a very special treat. This was indeed a fabulous evening, delighting its audience. Seewww.dylanthomas.com for more info. Also: Dylan Thomas Centre 01792 453980 (Jan Bengree)