As part of their ‘Go Tell the Bees’ project, Theatre Wales have launched a documentary marking 25 years since the Sea Empress disaster off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
The documentary, made by Gavin Porter, features interviews with people who were there, containing striking visual imagery and atmospheric music by Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci’s John Lawrence, tells the story of an environmental disaster whose impact is still felt today.
NTW TEAM was formed 10 years ago as the collaboration department of National Theatre Wales and a unique approach to community engagement. It is a worldwide, diverse network of friends who collaborate with the company, curate events in their communities, give us feedback about our work and support us to make decisions at all levels of the organisation.
In February 2018, National Theatre Wales TEAM was awarded a grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF), one of the UK’s largest independent funders, to support two four-year projects; one in Pembrokeshire and one in Wrexham.
Both projects will close with an NTW show – in Pembrokeshire in 2021 and in Wrexham in 2022 – created in close collaboration with the community.
The National Theatre Wales Project, created by the TEAM Pembrokeshire group, has been collecting voices from Pembrokeshire people on the theme of the environment and climate change, creating the Sea Empress 25 film as well as aiming to share other community stories in a feature film to be screened at outdoor venues across Pembrokeshire this summer.
The Pembrokeshire TEAM has been working with the local community for 4 years, collecting stories and exploring the key issues that affect the people of Pembrokeshire.
The project’s name comes from the idea of sharing important community and family news with bees ,which is rooted in the folklore and mythological traditions of Wales and across the world. The story goes that, whenever we fail to do so, the bees will leave their hives and disappear from our area.
The issue of environment and climate change was chosen for the project. ‘Go Tell the Bees’ is Pembrokeshire’s response to this issue, against the backdrop of the Sea Empress disaster of 1996 which had a huge impact on the environment and wildlife of the area as well as the local community.
NTW say,
“Go Tell the Bees is a bold new work that redefines the way in which theatre is made while telling a universal story of our human connection to nature and to each other.
The themes of Go Tell the Bees appear more relevant than ever right now: our connection to each other as communities; our connection to ourselves through nature; and the importance of taking care of and listening to the world around us.
Inspired by St David’s motto, ‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain’ (do the small things) we have been asking people to perform Simple Acts to help change how we interact with our environment and with each other. “
The ‘Sea Empress 25’ documentary is accompanied with other material from the project, ‘Go Tell the Bees’ missions focusing on the importance of our environment and connection. These include video clips and interactive materials on making a sunflower, storytelling and sharing ideas- all with a focus on asking ourselves what we will ‘tell the bees’ about the future of our planet and connection with the environment. Their comprehensive online Learning Hive offers lots of thematic learning opportunities across key stage 2 and 3.
‘Go Tell the Bees’ is a culmination of all of the work created throughout the 4-year project, engaging with members of the community who have shared their connection with nature through art, poetry, song or stories. All of these elements combine to create a body of work which reflects the creative journey taken through collaboration with the people of Pembrokeshire.
Rachel John is a National Theatre Wales TEAM associate for Pembrokeshire and has a background in teaching drama as well as working in the arts. She says the focus of the work National Theatre Wales do is connection.
“Everything we create is working with communities. We want to build relationships that will last and keep the connection going.”
Rachel has been bringing workshops into schools, accompanied by a number of local artists, including Pembrokeshire poet Kerry Steed and story teller Phil Okwedy as part of the project. Although this has been set back since Covid-19 restrictions.
“The lockdowns have meant that many of the face-to-face workshops and events we had planned within the communities were unable to go ahead. This meant that we had to adjust the way we work and come up with inventive ways of continuing our creative program with schools and community groups”
Recently, Rachel worked with Milford Haven and Greenhill schools via online workshops. Through these live sessions the students wrote and recorded a poem that will feature in the upcoming Pembrokeshire event.
NTW TEAM has been working with a number of partner organisations throughout the project including Counterpoints Arts, who are leading the way with changing perceptions of refugees through their ‘Simple Acts’ initiative. ‘Simple Acts’ are small everyday actions to inspire change and remove barriers. NTW say they share the same belief that art can inspire social change and in consultation with our TEAM panel we have worked together to create ‘Seven Simple Acts’ directly connected to the ideas underpinning ‘Go Tell the Bees’.
‘Go Tell the Bees’ asks the community to focus on 7 simple acts to change how we interact with the environment. They stress that we can make a difference by just choosing to perform one of the simple acts, and asked local people to get involved by filming themselves performing one of the simple acts.
- – Plant a seed
- – Learn one new thing about nature
- – Take a walk
- – Connect with someone new
- – Consume a little less
- – Be kind to a neighbour
- – Consider the Stars
These ‘Seven Simple Acts’ have been developed into a series of activities, resources and tasks for use in the class room. Students have been involved in creating clay hexagons imprinted with their own message to the bees, as well as large bee sculptures and beehives which will be displayed as part of an art exhibition at the launch of the screening.
Rachel also says,
“We have enlisted the help of 7 local artists and designers to launch a hoody design competition to raise money for ‘Get the Boys a Lift’. The public will be invited to submit their own unique design ideas, inspired by our ‘7 Simple Acts’. The winning design will be printed on to hoodies that will be sold to raise money for the Pembrokeshire mental health charity.”
The plan was to make the event as immersive and interactive as possible, leading the audience around the venue to take part in the ‘7 Simple Acts’ against the Pembrokeshire landscape. Yet, due to restrictions, this has now been incorporated into the film instead. By asking people to film themselves holding a candle or a light in the darkness, the project pays homage to the aftermath of the Sea Empress disaster, as Rachel points out,
“Brigitte Osbourne organised a candle lit vigil where the people of Tenby, Pembrokeshire and across the globe were invited to take a moment to reflect on the devastating event. These video clips will reflect that loss, but will also be a sign of us coming together to banish darkness and have hope for the future”.
She adds,
“We need to think about our connection with the world and the way we relate to it. Elements of the theme of this project have been highlighted and elevated by what we’ve been through. These seven simple acts are related to these issues of pollution, connection, kindness and the environment.”
For those that have not had the chance to get involved, Rachel emphasises that there will be lots to enjoy in the upcoming production,
“There will be lots of Pembrokeshire places and faces. We really wanted to get across that sense of community.”
The call for film submissions has now closed but find out how you can get involved with ‘Go Tell the Bees’ here.
The ‘Go Tell the Bees’ film screening will take place in Spring/summer 2021. Beginning at Manorbier castle and touring throughout Pembrokeshire. For more information and to get involved with the project or become a member of a TEAM near you, visit National Theatre Wales.
