Blodeuwedd. Somatic Efforts in Directing: A Political Imperative?

This essay considers the collaborative process of creating a new version of Blodeuwedd by Saunders Lewis for Cwmni Theatr Cydweithredol Troed y Rhiw. The undertaking was research driven and the author worked closely with the Director Dr Roger Owen. The essay attempts an articulation of the enquiry around new possibilities for performance of the classic text and the political rationale underpinning this somatic approach. The collaboration involved an attempt to weld somatic and intense physical direction and principles, with Owen’s approach to the analysis and direction of the drama. The essay opens a question about the potential and perhaps the necessity for a somatic and physical approach to new work in Wales as it reveals a dynamic form of what is often perceived as rural traditionalism . The rural Welsh speaking context and modern contemporariness are often not perceived as compatible. This article explores the potential for new embodied performance that springs directly from this context to challenge such assumptions.