'Mam'

This performance was the first live event created by Cyrff Ystwyth after the pandemic. Authored by a learning disabled research participant the piece was a direct expression of grief over the loss of her mother. Announced by Arlene James at the start of the first in person practice session with the group it seemed that this participant was following the previous pre-pandemic live work form 2019 that evidenced how theatre could become a vehicle for expression of great emotion when language is not available. The output took a year to develop as COVID 19 continued to take a toll on participants and their lives, reducing access to transport, personal assistance, money, and energy. The process and performance once again revealed how learning disability is not a protection from the realities of life and death and how we might underestimate the impact of events on those of us with learning disability, and at the same time, how we might wish to protect people we understand to be vulnerable. The work revealed deep understanding of reality and how that knowledge can be communicated to others through theatre performance. Mam revealed the bewilderment of grief that is an experience no matter one's intellectual capacity.