Making Byth Bythoedd Amen Accessible
Theatr Cymru is delighted to work with artists and consultants from Craidd on its latest production, Byth Bythoedd Amen.
Written by BAFTA winning actor and writer Mared Jarman – a proud disabled woman – Byth Bythoedd Amen explores love, loss and life as young disabled people in a world that often overlooks them. With disabled voices and stories at the heart of the production, making the performances accessible has been a priority for Mared, the production team and the entire company – and Craidd’s support has been crucial to this process.
Craidd is a collaboration between five Welsh organisations: Theatr Clwyd, Sherman Theatre, Pontio Bangor, Torch Theatre, and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Its mission is to improve mainstream representation, for and with Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people across Wales. In developing Byth Bythoedd Amen, the production team has worked alongside Craidd’s Director for Change Sara Beer and Agents for Change Bridie Doyle-Roberts and Jonny Cotsen.
Sara from Craidd said:
“As part of the Craidd initiative we are pleased to be able offer support to companies visiting partner venues and it has been a real pleasure to work with the Theatr Cymru team on Byth Bythoedd Amen, a beautiful and important piece of work that we are sure is going to be enjoyed by audiences across Wales. We are extremely grateful for Theatr Cymru's ongoing commitment to creating accessible theatre and look forward to working together in the future.”
Theatr Cymru's Director of Producing, Rhian A. Davies, said:
“We're so grateful that Craidd collaborated with us on Mared Jarman's new play, Byth Bythoedd Amen: a show that opens in Sherman Theatre which is one of Craidd's partner venues, and a show that has inclusion at its heart. Thanks to the Craidd team for your creative insight: to Sara for being part of the planning from the start and supporting us to put together a successful application to Access to Work; to Jonny for supporting us in creating and communicating about the bilingual captions; and to Bridie for giving us feedback on the Welsh language audio description. These accessibility features will be available at every performance across the tour."
Welsh and English open captions are available at every performance of Byth Bythoedd Amen. There is also Welsh-language audio description from Eilir Gwyn, who will also lead touch tours before each performance, offering an opportunity to explore the set, props and costumes. An English synopsis of the play can also be provided for those who would like to learn more about it in advance.