Brith Gof

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Brith Gof was a Wales theater company that performed from 1981 to 1997 and used the Welsh language among other things in their performances . Through the work of the artistic directors Mike Pearson and Cliff McLucas, the Brith Gof coined the term site-specific theater .

history

In 1973, Mike Pearson, who had studied archeology, founded the Cardiff Laboratory Theater , which existed until 1980 . Mike Pearson and Lis Hughes-Jones then founded Birth Gof in 1981. From the beginning Birth Gof dealt with Welsh and Celtic traditions. The Mabinogion , which in turn was based on the oral tradition of the Welsh bards , served as the basis for performances by Branwen and Rhiannon of the Birth Gof . Not only Celtic history formed the basis for the performances, so the piece Gernika occupied ! with the Spanish Civil War or the play Du a Gwyn had the destruction of Lidice on the theme. After further new projects and several tours, which led to Poland, Argentina, Italy and Germany, among others, the piece Gododdin collaborated with the band Test Department in 1989 . The result of this collaboration was the recording of a record of the same name and another tour that led through several European countries. In the following years Mike Pearson started with several solo projects (among others with the saxophonist Peter Brötzmann ). Mike Pearson became Professor of Performing Arts at the University of Wales Aberystwyth in 1997.

Site-Specific-Theater

This is a development of the form, function and location of the theater. Whereby the place of performance develops as the basis of the site-specific creation. The performance explores the properties, qualities and meaning of the given space. The given space can be anything; leave docks, cemeteries or small hotel rooms. The only constant about site-specific theater is that it never takes place in traditional theater space.

Such site-specific performances celebrate, discuss, mix and criticize the peculiarities of a place and bring them to light; the place becomes saturated (saturated space), it becomes a crime scene, a criminalistic field in which, to speak to the judges, everything is potentially important. (Mike Pearson)

Projects

Incomplete list of projects of the Birth Gof (with description)

1981 to 1984

  • Branwen

Site-Specific Performance at Harlech Castle. Based on the Mabinogion (in Welsh).

  • Rhiannon

Tour production based on the Mabinogion (in Welsh)

  • Rhosys Cochion ('Red Roses')

Night procession, in Ceredigion villages (in Welsh)

  • Gwaed Neu Fara ('Blood or Bread')

Tour production based on the Ceredigion peasant revolts in the 19th century. (In Welsh)

Site specific performance (in Welsh)

  • Ymfydwyr ('emigrants')

Tour production about emigration. Wales, Argentina, (Patagonia, Cordoba, Buenos Aires), Italy, Poland, Ireland, Spain. (in Welsh)

  • Gernika! Description see above

1985 to 1988

  • Gwyl y Beibl ('Bible Festival')

Street procession with the residents of the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in Wales, because of the 400th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into Welsh (in collaboration with Theater Dauerton, Germany; Theater des 8 Tage Poland).

  • Makbeth

(with Teatro Nucleo) in Ferrara , Italy

  • Du a Gwyn ('Black and White') Description see above
  • Pandaemonium: The Real Cost of Coal

About the Senghennyd mining disaster of 1913 at Morriston Tabernacle Chapel, Swansea

  • Disasters of War: Part 1

After " The shooting of the insurgents ", tour in Wales, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Venezuela.

  • Disasters of War: Part 9 / Arminius Project

(with the theater laboratory, Bielefeld), Germany. (Welsh / English / German)

  • Gododdin

Site Specific performance (with Test Department) Cardiff. See above

1989 to 1997

  • Gododdin

Tour of the Site Specific Performance (with Test Department) Polverigi (Italy); Hamburg, Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Glasgow

  • Disasters of War: Part 10

(With Sand & Bricks) in Hong Kong .

  • Pax

Concert at Westminster Abbey , London; Edinburgh

  • Patagonia

Tour of the UK on 19th century Welsh emigration to Patagonia

  • Los Angeles III

Tour in Switzerland, Belgium, France, Argentina

  • Arturius Rex 2: Camlann

Site Specific Performance Cardiff and Recklinghausen

literature

  • Mike Pearson: Brith Gof: Eight Years on Site. in: Seminar on Sight Specific Theater. A report. Theater Instituut Nederland, Terschellings Oerol. June 20-22, 1997

Web links