The Company

Bara Caws is a community theatre company who present original, relevant work to the widest possible cross-section of society, in the society, offering theatrical experiences of the highest quality, bringing entertainment and excitement, ingenuity and relevance to the hearts of the communities of Wales.

Since its inception over forty years ago, Bara Caws has become one of the cornerstones of the theatrical world in Wales, and by now we are the oldest professional community theatre company working in the Welsh language. We continue to offer an unique service to grassroots audiences, fulfilling the need for high quality professional theatrical and artistic activities at the heart of the nation’s communities, and that, mainly, through the medium of the Welsh language.

The company’s remit is challenging; we continually seek to produce work of excellence, which connects to the whole of Wales. Undoubtedly, the company’s main area of activity is community theatre, but the provision is offered nationally. The company is based in Caernarfon, but as every production is offered on a national basis, our reach extends further than the boundaries of Gwynedd alone. By touring extensively we are able to reach people who would not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy theatrical experiences, and we always aim to present a varied programme, thus offering provision that will appeal to all. Public accountability is crucial to the company, and judging from the stream of communication we receive regularly from our audiences, we are confident that our work continues to resonate with the public, and continues to go from strength to strength.

We pride ourselves in our successes in the Theatre Awards since their inception in 2013 – many of the main awards coming our way e.g.

Best Actress in a Welsh Language Production 2013 – Rebecca Harries (Llanast!)

Best Actress in a Welsh Language Production 2014 – Eiry Thomas (Garw)

Best Actor in a Welsh Language Production 2014 – Rhys Parry Jones (Garw)

Best Author in the Welsh Language 2014 – Siôn Eirian (Garw)

Best Production in the Welsh Language 2014 – Garw

Best Actor in a Welsh Language Production 2015 – Rhodri Evan (Difa)

Best Production in the Welsh Language 2015 – Difa

Following our current remit, we stage at least three productions a year, the provision consisting of a variety of materials, from family comedies, to light-hearted drama, from challenging new writing to our club/pub shows. The Company is unique in the way it always targets grass-roots community audiences, which is well nigh impossible for many other companies. We always aim to create ambitious, creative work of excellence, whatever the genre and whoever the audience, and in order to realise this aim we place our productions in three categories:

MAIN STREAM WORK
CHALLENGING/INNOVATIVE WORK
WORK PRESENTED IN NON-TRADITIONAL THEATRE SPACES

We pride ourselves in our ability to offer work and training, and to extend and develop the skills of theatre practitioners – emerging and established – be they actors, dramatists or technicians, in order to contribute to the sustainability of the theatre in Wales, and we welcome a number of young people on work experience throughout the year.

Five permanent members of staff form the Management Team:

Betsan Llwyd (Artistic Director)

Berwyn Morris-Jones (Production Manager)

Emyr Morris-Jones (Set and Design Manager)

Mari Emlyn (Tour and Project Manager)

Stephen Owen Williams (Administration and Finance Officer)

A Board of directors and a system of sub-committees oversee the Company’s work, and are responsible for ensuring transparency of administration, financial integrity, good practice, and approving executive policies.

The Company is a registered charity, financed chiefly through grants, mainly from Arts Council Wales, and the county authorities of Gwynedd and Môn.