Just Me	Family/ Friends	Banff	St Donats Arts Centre	Atlantic College	Peace

Technician / Technical Manager at St Donats Arts Centre was the first full time professional theatre job I had and it was perfect in many ways; a wonderful venue, exciting events, festivals, some touring, idyllic location, plus opportunities to teach and to be involved in Atlantic College particularly continuing on my Peace Studies. As it was part of my life (off and on with Banff) for 10 years this page is a tribute to that. Many happy memories and good friends came from that time. Thankfully after 5 years of being the only web presence for the arts centre as of December 2000 it has its own web site here. This page feels very old but its a fun old record .... see a younger me up the pole below!

The Barn

The theatre at St Donats is a 14th Century Tythe Barn, 25 foot stage, 48 dimmers, ancient stock of lights, and 250 capacity. It can create a wonderful atmosphere, often four different feels in one week which could have been internationally renown

• Jazz or World Music e.g.. Jan Gabarek, Dudu Pukwana, Good Old George Melly;
• Theatre eg. Tressle, Orchard, Hull Truck, Horse & Bamboo or the enthusiastic hard working local amateurs (Pheonix Players);
• Folk / Popular Music eg. Maddy Prior or John Martyn ;
• Contemporary dance eg. Diversions or Earthfall;
• Intimate Story Telling with David Ambrose or the Company of Story Tellers;
• Film - art house type films or second run of worthy blockbusters;
• Energetic Barn Dances of course it being a barn;
• Comedy - Fascinating Aida only really comes to mind but there was more;
• Exhibitions - as part of Crafts in Action in the barn or in our exhibition space, eg a Gypsy Caravan or a David Hockney exhibition. I feel I was at St Donats Arts Centre during its most exciting times.

Some Pictures Below.

The Barn with the old balcony, the control room window is that small slot at the back, it stayed at only 18" high and 5' long because altering it would have been expensive - the wall is 4' thick!.

Wonderful tabla playing and an enveloping jazz sound - One of 100s if not 1000s of events which I just made up the lighting as I wished. I will have lit this that afternoon with only 30, or so, Lights - Patt 223s 1k Fresnels, ancient Furse profiles and Patt 264s profiles. I was a one man crew with occasional student help much of the time although for a year each I had the help of one YTS - Rhodri, and later an Assistant - Jane when I went "part time" (reduced my hours from 80 a week to 40!!). Of course often I would be working behind the bar at the interval, have helped load in the PA (wonder what you are doing now Geoff), build the stage, put out the tables, be doing bar orders, mounting exhibitions, teaching, etc etc as well.

New SDAC

The barn itself was a great venue but the old bar and exhibition space (after we moved the office into the original gallery) were very cramped. It was decided we should create a second space, a welcoming lobby, better ancillary spaces etc etc, this started happening as I was leaving but here is some pictures of the process and the resulting Arts Centre. I should say that I feel it was a good design and that potentially we should have a more exciting and lively venue - sadly there are only the same number (or smaller) staff levels, the building project was troubled from the start, and there is less funding than when we were producing 4 shows a week. David, Chris, Colin and the two Michaels had a wonderful vision, they and the many around them put in much hard work.

I hope that the arts centre can stay independent and become again a place where people come from as far away as Bristol and Carmarthen because it was the best venue with the most exciting programme of live arts in South Wales - It brought people to the Vale and the College who had never heard of them. David and the team are working on many wonderful things to attain this aim check it out!

The Old Office originally the gallery, As it is now with the new extension

Quite a contrast! you either like it or hate it I think - I have to admit to liking it.

Other Exciting Things ...

Crafts in Action and The Story Telling Festival - great events, hard work, minimal lighting.

me sorting out a tent problem.

Vale of Glamorgan Festival - Classical Music in interesting venues across the vale - Here in the Bradenstoke Hall and St. Illtyds Church, Llantwit Major. Opportunities for me to do some building lighting around the performer - still only the odd par can or Patt 123 (500W Fresnel) tucked behind the screens or stained glass, all run off 13A sockets (and there are not many of them in old churches).

This event was part of the Vale Festival but a Music Theatre Wales Production (Martyrdom of St Magnes). I was a general touring technician and sometimes relight person on parts of various tours with MTW e.g. Fall of the House of Usher (below), The Lighthouse, Martyrdom, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, and for some St Donats Shows e.g. The Crossing, Wizard of Jazz.

Ace McCarrons wonderful lighting for Usher.

I hear Gus left this world summer of 2000, but he lives on in my mind and on my web page. For those who do not know Gus was the theatre cat for 12 years and spent many shows on audience knees, wandering among legs and even onto the stage.

Photos / graphics on this page are mine with the exceptions of me on the tent and the one inside a tent (Cynthia Allen), Usher (from an MTW Brochure - I guess photo by Brian Tarr), and the two bottom photos of the extension and the graphic are from Chris Loyn, the architect, documents courtesy of SDAC.