The Arts Council of Wales has announced a new conversation with key sectors on how Welsh language theatre can be boosted.

Henry Rees, Portfolio Manager, Arts Council of Wales, said:

“During a recent consultation on the Arts Council of Wales’ National Lottery Fund, we saw a great deal of support for the ambition in our corporate plan - For the Benefit of All - to raise the audience levels for Welsh language work by 10%. We now want to extend the conversation to the theatres and venues sector, to see how this can be realised.

“Evidence suggests that a language thrives through its arts and creativity. Having a vibrant Welsh language culture will encourage those with some Welsh language – even as a learner – to use and embrace it in a positive way.”

“This is why the Arts Council of Wales is committed to support the use and development of the Welsh language in our communities, venues and arts.

“The Arts Council of Wales sees this as a vital contribution to addressing the Welsh Government’s target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050, and fundamental in delivering the aims of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act for Wales.”

Continuing, Sian Tomos, Director Arts Development, Arts Council of Wales also said:

 “To guarantee success for our vision, we’re inviting theatres, venues, production companies and the inspirational creative professionals of Wales to join us in mapping out the next steps of the journey.

“Establishing the common values, developing new partnerships, ideas for reaching new audiences and creating the environment for change are all shared responsibilities.

“With many children and young people learning Welsh in school we want work that serves family, children and young people to encourage them to see Welsh as a living and breathing language and in situations that represent their own lives. We also want shows, and opportunities to take part in creative activities, that stimulate and revitalise the Welsh language amongst learners and thos who don’t speak Welsh as often as they used to.

“Complementing this approach to audiences, we want to invest in initiatives that develop the capability and skills of creative professionals wanting to work through the medium of Welsh so that we have the capacity to deliver our ambition.

“We have some incredibly talented artists and organisations in Wales. We want to support them to achieve something really special and secure growth for Welsh language theatre. We want the sectors to move ahead together in the same direction, and we will be scheduling a series of meetings in the near future to encourage dialogue and greater collaboration.”

Please get in touch with Henry.Rees@celf.cymru to register your interest in being part of the conversation which starts immediately.

An open event for the sector will also take place at Y Lle Celf, National Eisteddfod for Wales in Llanrwst during Eisteddfod week.