Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Students at Aberystwyth University have created a collection of 19 short films which document different aspects of life in Ceredigion. The films have been produced by second year students on the Creative Documentary module at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies. The five-minute-long films will be shown for the first time in a special screening evening held in the R Gerallt Jones Studio at the Parry-Williams Building on Penglais Campus on Monday 12 December, starting at 6pm. Among the topics covered is a portrait of a young farmer from Llandysul; the history of the Davies family that runs the Commodore Cinema in Aberystwyth, and a look at the work done at the National Library to protect treasures during the Second World War. A number of films were inspired during a bus tour around the county which was organized by Creative Documentary module coordinator, Elin Morse. “One of the key ingredients of a successful documentary film is to have participants from all walks o...

Aberystwyth University’s Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies will welcome Professor Hans-Thies Lehmann, one the most distinguished international theatre scholars, tomorrow Friday 4 May. His groundbreaking concept of 'postdramatic theatre' has made a significant contribution to the study of contemporary theatre and performance practice. His book, also called Postdramatic Theatre, has been translated into 18 languages. In his lecture, Professor Lehmann will track changes and developments in the postdramatic theatre landscape since his influential book first appeared in German in 1999. A major focus of his talk will also be on the role of the spectator in contemporary theatre in reference to recent works by Nicolas Stemann, Laurent Chétouane, René Pollesch, Falk Richter, And Company, She She Pop and others. Throughout his career, Professor Lehmann has been involved in theatre practice, working as a dramaturg (a literary adviser on the staff of a theatre) for...

The latest technology and the Welsh language will be the topic of an annual conference at Aberystwyth over the weekend. The Third “Hacio’r Iaith” (Hacking the Language) will be hosted by the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, Aberystwyth University on Saturday the 28th of January 2012. The conference is a chance for those who are passionate about technology, the media, and the Welsh language, to come together and discuss the latest developments in their fields. Amongst the subjects discussed will be local journalism in the digital age, art and culture online, campaigning, e-books, and developing free software for the Welsh language. Hacking the Language is an open conference, which means that anyone can take part and talk about a subject of their own choosing. The conference has been organized in a wiki manner, which means that most of the work has been completed through the use of free technology. Even though the event will take place at Aberystwyth, it will...

Acclaimed theatrical producer Mike Pearson, Professor of Performance Studies at Aberystwyth University has been awarded a Major Research Fellowship by the Leverhulme Trust.  Professor Pearson is a member of the University’s Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies and has been awarded £87,208 over two years for a project entitled “Marking Time: Performance, Archaeology and the City”. A former co-director of Brith Gof Theatre Company, Professor Pearson directed the National Theatre Wales’s critically acclaimed production of Aeschylus’s The Persians which was staged at the military training village at Mynydd Epynt in the Brecon Beacons in August 2010. The Leverhulme funding will support a series of research activities and public engagements including the writing of a monograph and journal articles as well as organising guided tours, demonstrations, workshops and both restaged and new performances that trace the origins and development of alternative practices of th...

The Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University has appointed acclaimed film maker and artist, Gideon Koppel, as Professor of Film. Koppel, who is also an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford will be taking up his post within the Department in September 2011. Professor Koppel’s research interests lie between the blurred boundaries of documentary film and fine art. His focus within the Department will be the further development of creative media practice, in particular documentary film making at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Dr Jamie Medhurst, Acting Head of Department at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies said: “Gideon brings with him a wealth of experience and amazing insight to the film industry and the film making process specifically. In our department, we pride ourselves in placing great emphasis on innovation and I’m confident Gideon’s appointment will prove invaluable to our students and t...