It was such joy to host Welsh storytellers from Adverse Camber in the region for shows and workshops in May 2019.

Acclaimed UK arts organisation Adverse Camber and three Welsh storytellers spent two weeks in the NSW Central West performing and running storytelling workshops.

Adverse Camber is based in Derbyshire, UK. They work with Europe’s best storytellers and musicians to produce powerful, absorbing new performances for adult audiences. They came to Australia to tour their production ‘Dreaming the Night Field’ with performances at Parramatta Riverside Theatre and Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC).

Arts OutWest invited the Welsh performers of this show – Michael Harvey (Storyteller), Lynne Denman (Singer) and Stacey Blythe (Composer/Musician) – to share their rich form of performance-based storytelling through workshops and small local performances.

Adverse Camber’s work is frequently bilingual – their touring show ‘Dreaming the Night Field’ was performed in the UK in Welsh – and the artists greatly enjoyed connecting with local communities and learning about our various cultural and linguistic identities.

Stacey Blythe from Adverse Camber wrote:

Thanks so much! This trip was life-changing in so many ways. The beautiful cultural experiences in Condoblin at the Wiradjuri Centre, great gigs in mazing venues and lovely people. Great audiences and superb support from Arts OutWest. You sowed a seed very deep in us all I think. A seed of desire to return and share work again in this amazing country.

The artists also got to reconnect with Central West artists they had previously met and worked with during our Pavilion Project, an exchange visit to Wirksworth in the UK.

Workshops included a session at the Bathurst Readers and Writers Festival, a two-day storytelling training with selected artists and various workshops for CSU School of Communications and Creative Industries students plus a community sharing event in Condobolin.