Theatrau Sir Gâr’s first in-house production Golygfeydd O’r Pla Du takes a side-swap of a subject not usually ripe for satire: medieval Wales in the time of the Black Death. But as writer Chris Harris tells Hari Berrow, the play is comical and silly, and offers a refreshing take on Welsh-language theatre to boot.

Taking a leaf out of Monty Python’s books, Theatrau Sir Gâr’s latest play hopes to offer a satirical and humorous look at the political and social landscape of medieval Wales plagued by a pandemic. Golygfeydd O’r Pla Du is a four-person comedy set during the Black Death. “Set in 1348, when the plague first arrived on Britain’s shores, we arrive at this fictional Welsh village called Pentreufargirec. The village is essentially on its knees, people are dying left, right and centre. Enter a con artist of the middle ages called Twm who decides to grab a piece of the action for himself,” explains playwright Chris Harris.

Inspired and horrified by society’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris decided to explore how society deals with crisis and how those in the right position can use an emergency for their own gain. “Whilst some of the details and circumstances might be different, the response is generally very much the same,” Harris explains. “I was beginning to write it at the start of the first lockdown back in 2020 as a comment on our changing behaviour: socially, politically, and personally. There seemed to be a political awakening in those three years and we really got to see the cracks in the way our country and the world in general was being run.

“That very much comes out in the play as well. One of the characters, Marianne, is a revolutionary at heart who’s about 30 years too early. Historically, 30 years after 1348 we have the Peasants’ Revolt and people for the first time start to stand up to the crown and to the gentry. Chapters like this in history, that are very similar, can teach us a lot about how we function as a society.”

Despite its political commentary, Golygfeydd O’r Pla Du is far from serious. “We wanted to do something that was comical and silly and generally a good night out. For new Welsh-language work, this feels a little more playful in form. The play feels like someone has taken the Bayeux Tapestry, has ripped it apart, and we’ve dived straight into it. We’ve embraced the medieval nature of it, but we’ve also heightened it and made it more comical so that the mischievous quality of the play can exist within a mischievous world as well.”

Although the play is written in Welsh, Harris does not want it to be defined by that. “Whilst it’s in Welsh, it’s just in Welsh, there’s nothing more to say about that,” he emphasises. “What’s nice about theatre in Wales at the moment is that Welsh-language theatre, in particular, is trying to move away from the usual stories that we see of drowned villages and male voice choirs and coal mines.”

Golygfeydd O’r Pla Du offers English-language translation throughout the run and BSL dates in major venues, promising an exciting and refreshing addition to the Welsh theatrical landscape this year. “I really hope they get to see what Welsh language theatre can be: that it can be hilarious and absurd and surreal, as well as addressing questions of nationhood and identity,” Harris smiles, “but first-and-foremost, I hope they have a fantastic night in the theatre – because after the three years we’ve had, we need a fantastic laugh.”

Golygfeydd O’r Pla Du opens at Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli on Thurs 4 + Fri 5 May before touring to Abergavenny, Treorchy, Porthcawl, Brecon, Pontardawe, Blackwood, Barry, Bangor, Pwllheli, Cardigan and finishing in Carmarthern on Fri 26 May.

Tickets: prices vary but £14/£12 at most venues. Info: here

Sibrwd, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s Welsh language access app, will be available at every performance. Download via the App Store and Google Play Store prior to attending, and bring headphones with you. 

words HARI BERROW