Cutting edge art – the shock of the new, the celebration of the angry young voice, a new form of eloquent expression, the creation of an exciting new way of working, the focus on young people, the opportunities for young artists in many art forms. That’s all great and who would not want in these straightened times to see this continuing.
But, what about creativity in older adults? Do you stop questioning, seeing the world/your world in different ways, creating or developing your artistic muse once you reach a certain number? Looking about us there are many examples of incredibly talented people not satisfied in just treading water once they become 55, 65, 75 or 80!
Thus was I asked, as a mere 60something, to work as programmer for a consortium of like-minded organisations – Age Cymru, Head 4 Arts, Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust, Redhouse and Theatr Soar – to create an event which celebrated creative older adults. Attitude Festival/Gŵyl Agwedd is an event that programmes and celebrates artists of a certain age and experience, but also wants to reach out to as wide an audience as possible.
Hence we have a new young Welsh Theatre Company, Tin Shed Theatre, presenting writer J.B.Priestley’s masterpiece “An Inspector Calls” written when he was 51. Headlining the music programme and making her only Welsh appearance in 2015 is octogenarian Peggy Seeger. Peggy has recently released possibly the most critically acclaimed album of her very long career as singer, song-writer, musician and activist as well, of course, as being the muse for her husband to be Ewan MacColl’s composition “First Time Ever I Saw Her Face.” Peggy just last week won the category at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for “Best Original Song” and presented to her by Billy Bragg at the Wales Millennium Centre.
Also making their sole appearance in Wales on a current UK tour is Manchester born but USA resident Clive Gregson. Clive first came to public attention as the main writer and singer in Any Trouble, moving on to a highly successful duo career with Christine Collister in the ‘80s, and is now famed for his work as a Nashville Song-Doctor and for his production and arranging skills. Meanwhile Railroad Bill – South Wales’ finest purveyors of skiffle – will be demonstrating how they take a form of music associated with the DIY music making boom of the 1950s and make it relevant and vital to 21st Century audiences. Completing the music bill is mother and daughter duo DnA – Delyth & Angharad Jenkins. Apart from their Penderyn Square stage performances Railroad Bill, DnA and Clive Gregson will all be in conversation with one of Wales’ finest singer-songwriters and respected broadcasters Mal Pope.
Attitude Festival isn’t all about passive engagement though. Well respected theatre designer, community arts practitioner and all round good guy Terry Chinn is asking people to help him create Merthyr’s very own version of “The Singing Ringing Tree” utilising any unwanted CDs they might have. Terry will be accepting both CDs and practical help from early on the Saturday morning in Penderyn Square. Meanwhile one of the UK’s sole black belt practitioners of NIA, Fiona Winter will be hosting two free sessions in Theatr Soar for anyone to try out this mix of dance moves, martial arts and Tai Chi. With the support of the National Theatre Wales Team theatre director Catherine Paskell is running sessions at Merthyr’s Central Library entitled “Adventures in Making Theatre” for the two Saturday’s prior to the Festival as well as in Redhouse on the day of the event.
The festival is also encouraging contributions from the public to the Merthyr Mix – create your own soundtrack and dance to it as, for the very first time, a Silent Disco happens where else but in Merthyr’s Central Library.
Attitude Festival/Gŵyl Agwedd has been so named to reflect the fact that the creative impulse remains undimmed by the passage of time. Emma Robinson of Age Cymru said, “We really wanted to demonstrate that people can create and be inspired by the creation of new work in any discipline no matter what their age. People over the age of 50 are as likely to be found releasing their best album in years; writing their masterpiece or re-evaluating and renewing what they may have done before.”
Kate Strudwick of Head 4 Arts added, “ Our inspiration for this festival is the Latitude Festival which so cleverly curates a huge range of performance arts across a weekend. Attitude Festival starts here more modestly but our first programme does show that it isn’t just young artists who are creating or making new and exciting work.”
For my part it has been a pleasure bringing together in one event held on a single day representatives of all of the art-forms that I greatly enjoy. I deliberately steered away from pigeon-holing what it often seems that programmers expect older people to like. There is no “Amazon” approach here of “if you like this we think you’ll like that”. My hope is, given the huge range of events programmed across the day and our sites, that people of all ages will go exploring. Thinking “I have never tried that before but today is the day that I shall give it a go!
The partners in this enterprise have collaborated to produce a distinctive first festival and I really hope that the citizens of Merthyr and beyond come out and support this and give the partners the reason to do it all again next year!
Geoff Cripps
Programmer Attitude Festival/Gŵyl Agwedd