Cymdeithas y Gronyn Gwenith takes a final bow

O Garreg Boeth i Borth yr Aur: Stori Bywyd Hanner Gweinidog
(From Carreg Boeth to Porth yr Aur: The Life Story of a Half Minister)

by Harri Parri

Theatr Seilo, Caernarfon: 31 March – 4 April

Having presented a pageant on the stage of Theatr Seilo, Caernarfon, for 32 years, drama society Cymdeithas y Gronyn Gwenith has finally decided that this year's production will be the last; after all, all good things must come to an end and it's better to go out on a high!

It was following a pageant on the life and work of Ieuan Gwyllt, when the Presbyterian Church of Wales' Association in the North visited Caernarfon in 1977, that Cymdeithas y Gronyn Gwenith was established with the intention of performing an annual pageant to celebrate our heritage - both religious and cultural - through the medium of theatre. The response to the performances has been staggering over the past 32 years, with audiences regularly travelling to Caernarfon from all over north Wales and beyond.

The person who inspired the society over the years is Revd Harri Parri, so it is appropriate that a stage adaption of his stories is the basis for this final pageant, ‘O Garreg Boeth i Borth yr Aur: Stori Bywyd Hanner Gweinidog’ (The Life Story of a Half Minister) - the tale of Revd Eilir Thomas's many cares in the seaside town of Porth yr Aur. With his talent for gripping dialogue in natural Welsh, we'll experience the fruit of Revd Harri Parri's extraordinary imagination and ability to conjure up a panorama of believable characters and situations.

Y Dewraf o'n Hawduron (photos: Revd Gwenda Richards)

Over the past 30 years, Harri Parri has long established himself as author of some of the funniest short stories in Wales - but beneath the comedy there is keen and acute observation of the state of today's society. We've already tasted these stories in print, on the radio and through John Ogwen's live performance in the Literature Tent in the National Eisteddfod; we now present the author's own stage adaptation in Theatr Seilo, Caernarfon from Tuesday, 31 March until Saturday, 4 April in Cymdeithas y Gronyn Gwenith's final performance (Performance Organiser: David Elwyn Williams - phone: 01286 677016)

To accompany this final pageant - and to thank Revd Harri Parri for his inspiration over the years - the society has decided to publish a booklet portraying and in appreciation of his life and literary work: O Garreg Boeth i Borth yr Aur – Portread o Harri Parri a’i Waith, available for £5 by contacting Dr Gwyn Lewis (01286 676651 or wgwyn.lewis[at]btinternet.com).

W. Gwyn Lewis