Tionscnamh eile atá á phleanáil againn le tamall i dteannta le Theatr Felinfach sa Bhreatain Bheag agus Feisean nan Gaedhael in Alba ná 'Branwen'. Tá sé seo bunaithe ar scéal ós na 'Mabinogi' atá lonnaithe idir An Bhreatain Bheag agus Éire agus beidh forbairt á dhéanamh ag an dá ghrúpa amharclannaíochta ar an scéal i rith an Gheimhridh agus ceol le cur leis á chumadh ag Feisean nan Gaedhael. Cuirfear seó bunaithe ar an obair seo ar siúl sa Lab i rith saoire na Cásca seo chugainn. Tosnóidh na cleachtaithe ag tús na Samhna agus beidh an-bhéim ar an bpróiséas. Cothófar caidreamh idir grúpaí éagsúla tríd na meáin sóisialta agus beidh an seó trí-theangach - Gaeilge, Gaidhlig agus Cymraeg (Breatanais). Tá an tionsnamh seo urraithe ag an Esmee Fairbairn Foundation agus Iomairt Cholmcille.
BRANWEN: An Chúis
D'oscail doirse An Lab don bpobal an chéad uair i Samhain 2008 agus cruthaíodh baile don Chomhlacht Amharclann na nÓg "AnnÓg'.
Ón lá sin amach táimid ag faire amach do thionscadail suimiúla nuálacha.
Measaimid go bhfuil sé oiriúnach turgnaimh ealaíonta bheith ar siúl in iar-shaotharlann eolaíochta.
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Dá bhrí sin, nuair a tháinig Eibhlín de Paor ó Ealaín na Gaeltachta le triúr ón mBreatain Bheag ar cuairt chugainn – Dwynwen Lloyd Evans ó Theatr Felin-Fach, Meic Llewellyn ó Celtic Neighbours i dteannta Gwyn Jones, Stiúrthóir Oriel Plas, Glyn-y-Weddw – agus nuair a mholadar tairiscint iontach dúinn, ní raibh aon tslí gur féidir linn iad a dhiúltiú.
B'é an smaoineamh chun aisteoirí óga na Breataine Bige a thabhairt don Daingean le scéal miotaseolaíochta na Breataine Bige a chomhléiriú le hAnnÓg, agus go mbeadh ceol ar leith nua-chumtha dó ag Feisean nan Gaedhael ó Alba, an sórt tionscadail mearaí a bhí riachtanach lenár samhlaíocht a spreagadh agus sinn a mhealladh lasmuigh den mbosca.
Mar tá sé deacair teacht ar scrioptanna maithe oiriúnacha as Ghaeilge; bhí roinnt ábhar nua coimisiúnaithe agus léirithe againn don raidió agus don stáitse. Bhí ár gcuid iarrachtaí ar chumadóireacht le grúpaí eile cheana idir torthúil agus taithneamhach. Bhraitheamar go mbeadh ár ngrúpa, faoi stiúir Mícheál Ó Chinnéide, fear óg cruthaitheach áitiúil, lán ábalta tabhairt faoin a leithéid d'eachtra.
Agus cén slí ab fhearr chun tabhairt faoi ná comhléiriú a dhéanamh le grúpa a deirtear atá 'cruthaitheach, daonlathach, comhpháirtíocht-bunaithe agus fréamhaithe i gcultúr tuaithe na Breatnaise.'
Nach mar sin go mba bhreá linn go gcuirfí síos orainn féin? (Ach an Ghaeilge a chuir in ionad na Breatnaise!)
Bhí an chéad chruinniú againn sa tseomra feistis.
Ó shin tá an obair ag dul ar aghaidh ag ár n-áisitheoirí cruthaitheacha – Anna agus Catherine sa Bhreatain Bheag agus Micheál in Éirinn – le linn do Dougie agus a cheoltóirí a bheith ag cumadóireacht fonn nua san Albain.
Agus sinn ar fád spreagtha ag díograis neamheaglach Mheic!
Ar ball, bogfaimid ar stáitse le chéile.
Beidh sean-chathanna athachtaithe.
Beidh cairdis nua, bunaithe ar Facebook, forbartha sa phróiseas léiriúcháin.
Cloisfear glór na dtrí teangacha Ceilteacha sa Lab.
B'fhéidir nach dtuigfimid go hiomlán a chéile – ach snífidh an ceol sinn isteach i gcomhaontas draíochtach amháin.
Agus beidh an craic go diail!
Why BRANWEN?:
In November 2008 An Lab first opened its doors to the public and became a home for our Youth Theatre Company 'AnnÓg'.
From that day on we have been on the lookout for interesting and innovative projects.
After all, An Lab is a former science laboratory. Its only fitting, we think, that it be used now for experiments of an artistic nature.
So when Eibhlin de Paor of Ealaín na Gaeltachta brought three Welsh visitors to view our space - Dwynwen Lloyd Evans from Theatr Felin-Fach, Meic Llewellyn from Celtic Neighbours along with Gwyn Jones, Director of Oriel Plas, Glyn-y-Weddw and they made a wonderful, ambitious proposal to us, there was no way we could refuse to be involved.
The idea of bringing young Welsh actors to Dingle to jointly present a story from Welsh mythology with our company AnnÓg, and to have new music composed and performed for that production by Feisean nan Gaedhael of Scotland was just the kind of crazy project we needed to fire our imaginations and get us thinking outside the box.
After all, good, relevant scripts 'as Gaeilge' are hard to come by. And we'd already commissioned and performed a number of new works for radio and stage. Previous attempts to devise had proved fruitful and fun. We felt this group, with Micheál Ó Cinnéide at the helm as Director/Facilitator would be well capable of such an adventure!
And how better to set out than to collaborate with a group described as 'creative, democratic, participant-led and rooted in rural Welsh-language culture.'
Sure isn't that how we'd love to be described ourselves! (Just substitute Irish for Welsh!)
That first meeting took place in a dressing room.
Since then the work has progressed in the able hands of our facilitators – Anna and Catherine in Wales, Micheál in Ireland, while Dougie and his musicians are dreaming up new tunes in Scotland.
All of us inspired by Meic's enthusiasm and derring-do!
Soon we will all move onstage together.
Old battles will be re-enacted.
New friendships, founded on Facebook, will be forged in the production process.
An Lab will resonate with three Celtic languages.
We may not understand every word – but the music will weave us into a magical, collective whole.
And the 'craic' will be mighty
