Welsh Playwright Writes a Play That Plays It Right

SpecGram Brythonic Language, Culture, Media and Sport Co-Vice-Editors
Homer Ffoni and Chaim O’Vunny

Welsh global superstar and worldwide literary sensation (in that order) Dewi ap Dafydd Davison has once again rocked the world of north west Wales amateur dramatics with his latest submission to the Llanfair-y-Pen-y-Ffordd-y-Groes literary festival I’r Siopau! (‘To the Shops!’). The piece, which takes an existential perspective on the issues pertaining to female shopping practices in north west Wales, has been performed by at least as many north west Wales amateur dramatics societies as his last effort Faint o’r gloch, fy hen ddraig goch? (‘What time is it, my old red dragon?’). In a fitting reward for these latest efforts, Davison was awarded the chair at Llanfair-y-Pen-y-Ffordd-y-Groes International Literary Festival and Cultural Eisteddfod earlier this year.

The regular reader of SpecGram will be more than familiar with Davison’s oeuvre which has often nearly been featured in this publication, and will, no doubt be re-arranging holidays in order to fly in to Bangor International Airport to catch an upcoming matinee performance of I’r Siopau. Nevertheless, to whet appetites, we’ve obtained permission to print one of the more moving extracts of the play, where Davison expertly weaves a tantalising dialogue between the central characters, Christina, Pam, Celyn and Beth as they interrogate some of the existential questions that can face female shoppers in north west Wales most weekend.

Insightful, inspirational, vivid, courageous.

As the play sells out in village hall after village hall from the western Llyn Peninsula and as far east as Trefor and Pwllheli, work such as this by Davison and other dramatists of Gwynedd and Ynys Môn mean that Welsh amateur dramatics has a bright future. Diolch yn fawr, Dewi ap Dafydd Davison!

	Overheard in the Linguistics Student Lounge—Chesterton Wilburfors Gilchrist, IV
	Κόχλους Φύωμεν Συλλέγοντες Ἐγχωρίους—Mikael Thompson
	SpecGram Vol CXCIV, No 2 Contents