Musical play Popeth ar y Ddaear wows audience at National Eisteddfod

A play co-written, produced and choreographed by USW graduates and staff has made history by becoming the first of its kind to be performed at Maes B, the contemporary ‘after dark’ music festival held at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Popeth ar y Ddaear (Everything on Earth) took place at the 2023 National Eisteddfod in Llŷn ac Eifionydd, near Pwllheli in Gwynedd, on 11 August. Produced by Fran Wen, a Welsh language theatre company for young people in North Wales, the play transformed Maes B into a live theatre auditorium for the first time.

Frân Wen’s Artistic Director, Gethin Evans, and Community Director, Elis Pari, are both USW graduates, as well as Mari Elen, one of the four playwrights of Popeth ar y Ddaear. Matthew Gough, Senior Lecturer in Dance at USW, choreographed the play, which invited the audience to step into a world in the near future, where a catastrophic disaster has flooded communities.

Popeth ar y Ddaear told the story of Tom, who was waiting to hear if he’d be given shelter, and Nona, who needed to make a decision for herself and her unborn baby. It also introduced Malltwen on her last night on earth – and in her final moments as she was determined to leave the world in a better place.

Matthew Gough was interviewed for ITV Wales during rehearsals for Popeth ar y Ddaear – watch from 8.33 to 10.24.