BUDDING actors in Llanelli are to get the chance to sharpen their skills at a new series of workshops starting at Ffwrnes Theatre on Friday (October 11).

The ‘Actors’ Practice’ is being organised by one of Llanelli’s most celebrated actors, Simon Nehan.

Simon recently earned rave reviews for his performance in the title role of Sweeney Todd in Llanelli Youth Theatre’s production of the Stephen Sondheim musical masterpiece.

Simon, 48, is a professional actor with 25 years’ experience in theatre, television and film. He’s also an audition panellist at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff.

Simon explained: “The actors’ studio in the Ffwrnes will see classes designed for people who want to audition for drama school or any enthusiastic local performers who want to sharpen their acting techniques.

“In the future, I’m hoping to get arts funding for it to help all students in Carmarthenshire who are interested in performing arts achieve their goal of moving into the arts professionally.

“Initially it will be a five-class course concentrating on drama school auditions. It will run at Ffwrnes on Fridays between 5pm and 7pm.

“There is already a fair bit of interest in the classes and I only want to take on 12/14 students to ensure as much detailed attention to each individual. Those interested should contact me on simonnehan@live.co.uk or call me on 07973 593658.”

Simon trained at the RWCMD. He was an associate artist at Terry Hands’ Clwyd Theatr Cymru. Some of his many credits there include Under Milk Wood, Bruised, Rape of the Fair Country and Memory.

Simon has worked in theatres from Milford Haven to London and from Mold to New York.

He recently portrayed the legendary Llanelli Scarlets and British and Irish Lions rugby coach Carwyn James in the critically acclaimed one-man show ‘Carwyn’.

In television and film he has appeared with some of the biggest names in the industry – Eddie Redmayne, Claire Danes, Kelly Reilly, and Zac Efron.

Simon has now embarked on a career as an acting coach and educator. He was Head of Acting at The Wilkes Academy of Performing Arts and now works as a freelancer practitioner around many of the colleges in Wales, as well as an acting tutor with Hijinx Theatre Company.

IT was someone a lot wiser than me who once declared, “Grandfathers are just antique little boys.”

It’s a thought I will not disagree with as I seem to have spent much of this ‘summer’ revisiting places from my childhood – and places which were important to my children.

They say that the best parents get promoted to be grandparents. In which case, it’s one of the best promotions you can ever get in life.

We are blessed in having a darling grand-daughter who is just coming up to her third birthday. Our in-laws from Brighton are ‘Grandma’ and Grandpa’. We, as you might expect, are ‘Mam’ and ‘Tadcu’.

Despite the weather problems of this ‘summer’, we managed to enjoy a whole series of days out, revisiting places we experienced as children and then as parents.

Cardigan Bay, Pendine and Pembrokeshire were on the list of days out.

So, too, were attractions we remembered taking our children to – days out which were even more fun for giving us the chance to see how places have changed over the years.

For example, they didn’t have dinosaurs at the National Showcaves in Dan-yr-Ogof in the Swansea Valley when we took our children yonks ago.

The caves themselves were as spectacular as we remembered them. The steps and steep climbs had obviously been erased from the memory, but the pain of the mobility tests was eased by the fun our grand-daughter had in spotting the dinosaurs.

Pembrey Country Park, meanwhile, hadn’t been opened that long when we started taking our children there. Today, the park has a whole host of attractions, which will appeal to everyone from three to 93!

Just along the coast, the Wetlands Centre in Penclacwydd, Llanelli, was just opening its doors when we were on our first tours of duty as parents.

Today, the place has matured dramatically over the 25 years it has been open.

Stretching over 450-acres, the wetland centre is a refuge for many rare and endangered birds – and it’s got enough varied walks and play areas to keep most three-year-olds entertained for hours.

The bonus card is, of course, a visit to see the pink flamingos (pink being grand-daughter’s favourite colour).

Appreciating how much we have on our doorstep certainly brings out the inner child in most creaking grandparents.

And, if you are in the Grandparents’ Club, then I leave you with this thought –

Parents know a lot, but grandparents know everything!

AS you would expect from any well-behaved husband, there are occasions when I am asked to provide chauffeur duties to Mrs L (aka Carol and the Head of the Household).

Monday evening was one such occasion, when Mrs L was invited by the Lord Mayor of Swansea to attend a reception at the Mansion House in Ffynone, Swansea.

The reception was for former staff of the old Swansea Sound independent radio station. It marked two significant events: it was 50 years ago that Swansea Sound was launched as the first independent commercial radio station in Wales and this week saw the start of SA Radio Live, a new broadcasting service for the city.

Sadly, Swansea Sound is no longer with us – the name finally disappeared in 2020, lost in a series of radio network mergers.

But memories of the station’s role in the community live on – and, in fact, many of the old Swansea Sound favourites now have roles in the new SA Radio Live station.

The station broadcasts live and local programmes from studios in Tircoed Village near Penllergaer, a. place which has been the home of community station Radio Tircoed since 2007.

There are familiar names in the station roster – Swansea Sound and Sound Wave favourites including Steve Dewitt, Siany, Leighton Jones, Plastic Sam, Mark Powell, Chris ‘Smithy’ Smith, Griff Harries, Rob Pendry, James Lewis, Kevin King and the DJ who was the first ever voice on local radio 50 years ago, Chris Harper.

The station can be heard across Swansea online at swansealiveradio.co.uk, on its very own app via smart speakers and on 106.5 FM in the north and east of the city. There are also plans to be available on DAB (digital audio broadcasting) when the area’s new digital multiplex is expected to launch in 2025.

Perhaps some of you will be puzzled as to why Mrs L was in attendance. Well, those of you with long memories may recall that, under her maiden name of Carol Crowther, she worked for many years as the newsroom secretary at Swansea Sound in Victoria Road, Gowerton, and also hosted a Saturday morning children’s show with Steve Dewitt.

Mrs L thoroughly enjoyed her Mansion House experience and said she was very impressed with eloquent speeches by Lord Mayor Paxton Hood-Williams and Swansea Council leader Cllr Rob Stewart, both of whom praised the former Swansea Sound staff for their role in uniting the community in and around Swansea.

Twitter: @rlloydpr

Email: robertlloydpr@rlloydpr.co.uk

Scarlets take on Connacht at Parc y Scarlets on Friday night (19:35; BBC Wales) showing four personnel changes from the side that took the field against Cardiff last weekend.

Head coach Dwayne Peel has welcomed back Sam Lousi and Ioan Nicholas from injury and both go straight into the starting XV.

Nicholas, fans player of the season last term, slots in at full-back. Tom Rogers and Blair Murray continue on the wings.

Eddie James comes in at inside centre, Johnny Williams moves to the No. 13 jersey and Macs Page is named among the replacements.

Gareth Davies and Sam Costelow link up again at half-back.

In the pack, Alec Hepburn, Ryan Elias and Henry Thomas continue en bloc in the front row; Tongan international Lousi partners Max Douglas at lock, while there is a reshuffle in the back row with Dan Davis named at openside flanker and skipper Josh Macleod switching to blindside.

Kemsley Mathias has overcome the injury which forced him to withdraw following the warm-up against Cardiff and takes his place among the replacements. Carwyn Tuipulotu also comes into the match-day 23.

Peel said:  “We know Connacht’s DNA is to play with good structure, good shape and with ball in hand. They have power up front and are difficult to break down. It was an entertaining game in Galway last season and I’m expecting the same between two highly competitive sides.We’re looking forward to that challenge.”

Scarlets team to play Connacht on Friday, October 4 (7.35pm BBC Wales)

15 Ioan Nicholas; 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Johnny Williams, 12 Eddie James, 11 Blair Murray; 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies; 1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Ryan Elias, 3 Henry Thomas, 4 Sam Lousi, 5 Max Douglas, 6 Josh Macleod (capt), 7 Dan Davis, 8 Taine Plumtree.

Reps: 16 Marnus van der Merwe. 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Alex Craig, 20 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 21 Efan Jones, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Macs Page.

Unavailable because of injury – Tomi Lewis, Joe Roberts, Steff Evans, Harri O’Connor, Shaun Evans, Archie Hughes, Vaea Fifita, Ed Scragg.

Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. Website – www.philevans.co.uk

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THE RICKY HORROR (SITCOM) SHOW

Comedy is hard, my friends.

Not everyone, whether 50 people in a room over a pub or 20,00 in an arena, will laugh at every funny line a comedian says.

Some fall on stony ground.

Similarly with TV sitcoms, people rave about popular shows that fail to tickle my funny bone. Usually because the annoying characters behave like they’re living in a sitcom.

The other night I re-watched a few episodes of Ricky Gervais’s excellent sitcom “Extras” (2005-7) which IMHO is brilliantly written and performed.

But . . . it does have a weakness at its heart…

If you’ve never watched “Extras”, Ricky plays Andy Milman a struggling actor who can only find background or ‘extra’ work in films and TV and is desperate to get a big break.

This eventually comes in the form of a sitcom script he’s written, based on his time working in a factory, which he sells to the BBC, who agree to allow him to star in the show.

Unfortunately, due to interference from the Comedy Department bosses, producers etc. the result is not what Andy envisaged. It’s full of moronic catchphrases and the characters are over-the-top caricatures.

Despite that, the series is a huge hit and Andy becomes a success . . . but at what price?

The weakness for me is, Andy’s sitcom (“When The Whistle Blows”) seems more like a throwback to broad 1970s shows than something the BBC would commission in 2005.

The ‘jollly’ opening credits and music for “When The Whistle  Blows” are designed to resemble those of “Only Fools And Horses”, while the witless characters sitting around the canteen table could easily be the idiot relations of the “Dinner Ladies” cast.

Both those shows are sitcom classics that never insulted the audience’s intelligence.

Ricky has proven his comedy ‘chops’ time and again and become a major player in the comedy world.

I realise Ricky was showing us showbiz success at any price is an empty experience, but I hope by creating a crude working class sitcom-within-a-sitcom he wasn’t having a sly dig at John Sullivan’s and Victoria Wood’s much-loved series, which can be watched and enjoyed endless times.

Comedy is hard, my friends!

……………………………….

Mental illness and depression is all around us.

Each and every day, I make time to write and have to admit that this can be a challenging experience.

If I’m not writing jokes, editing a script or tuning ideas for this newspaper column, I’m adding to my list of corporate and conference talks for a future event.

Doing this exercise on a daily basis works the old grey matter and ensures my writing skills don’t get rusty.

When researching subjects, I often turn to the news pages online, which can be a great source of material.

Unfortunately, most of the time (well, nearly all of the time) the news is full of negative and shocking stories from home and around the world.

Rarely do we see happy, uplifting headlines.

That wouldn’t sell, would it?

I’m all for freedom of speech and the free exchange of information, but the level of shock news reporting we are exposed to is bound to have a detrimental effect on our moods and outlook on life.

It is also clearly evident that children are also exposed to this negativity at such a young age, it can’t possibly help to create a healthy and positive outlook.

I would welcome more good news or even a ‘Good News Channel’.

Is it any wonder that we now live in a society where mental illness and depression is at an uncontrollable level?

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and  www.philevans.co.uk

THERE’S a big night at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli on Saturday as Loud Applause Productions presents ‘A Night with the Stars’ gala concert.

The annual event is always a big hit at Ffwrnes and there are just a handful of tickets left for Saturday’s show.

The talented young singers from Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) will be joined on stage by an array of Welsh talent.

This year marks the 10th anniversary for LARS and the charity officials are delighted to welcome back a former member who has gone on to achieve great success, the young Welsh superstar of stage and screen, Callum Scott Howells.

Callum will host the evening and entertain in his own unique way.

Callum is known for his role as Colin Morris-Jones in the Channel 4 drama It’s a Sin (2021).

Callum was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

In October 2022, he played The Emcee in the West End production of Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre.

He is the recipient of 2021 BAFTA Cymru Best Actor and best Male Actor at the Royal Television Society (RTS) programme Awards.

Also back by popular demand at Ffwrnes will be one of Wales’s premier choirs, the Pendyrus Male Choir, who are celebrating their centenary year.

Pendyrus Male Choir have been at the forefront of the Welsh Male Choir world since 1924.

The list of the choir’s famous musical directors includes Arthur Duggan MBE, Glynne Jones MBE, John Samuel and Stewart Roberts.

The choir is now under the baton of Ieuan Jones. The choir’s accompanist, Gavin Parry, is a legend in the choral world, having been accompanist for a remarkable 50 years!

Completing the line-up on the Ffwrnes Theatre stage will be the children of Côr Ysgol Swiss Valley Choir from Llanelli.

Since it was established, LARS has supported numerous young performers, many of whom have successfully transitioned into professional performing careers.

Currently, LARS comprises 15 members, aged between 15 and 23.

The organisation supports its Rising Stars through various means, including staging opportunities, mentoring, and bursaries.

Tickets for Saturday’s show start at £12.

Tickets are available from the Ffwrnes Theatre box office and the Carmarthenshire Theatres Theatrau Sir Gar website at – https://carmarthenshiretheatres.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873646118

Meanwhile, the ladies of Carmarthen’s A Choired Taste are planning a special 10th anniversary concert this month.

It will be held at The Lyric Theatre on Saturday, October 19, and will be hosted by actress, TV presenter and producer Connie Fisher.

The concert is being billed as ‘A Celebration of Voices’, so you can expect to be dazzled by a dynamic mix of favourite songs and what A Choired Taste’s musical director, Sarah Kirby, describes as ‘mash-ups’ (innovative medleys and musical mixes which have been become the choir’s trademark).

The concert will also feature a special performance by Britain’s Got Talent finalists, the phenomenal gospel choir Northants Sing Out.

A very busy and packed stage will also see performances from Carmarthen Male Voice Choir, Whitland Male Voice Choir, Carmarthen Young Voices, Carmarthen Ukuleles and Saxy Brass.

All proceeds from the event will go towards the choir’s target of raising £10,000 for 10 local charities in the choir’s 10th anniversary year. The choristers are already more than halfway towards their £10,000 target.

Tickets are £15 and £12 and are available from The Lyric box office or from the Theatrau Sir Gar (Carmarthenshire Theatres) website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk/en/shows/a-celebration-of-voices

Due to high demand, the Lyric have been able to release more tickets for the concert.

The 10 local charities set to benefit from the kindness of A Choired Taste members are –

• Magnolia Tree – Support Group for Bereaved Parents.
• CCAMA – Carmarthen and Crosshands Autistic Mams Association.
• Endometriosis UK.
• Sandy Bear – Children’s Bereavement Charity.
• Plant Dewi – a chariry which cares for families across south-west Wales.
• Adferiad Carmarthen – an organisation which provides help and support for people with mental health, substance use, addiction and other complex needs.
• Blood Bikes Wales – a completely free courier service for the NHS.
• Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales – a specialist voluntary organisation providing support to carers, giving them “time” to be themselves.
• Angor, Carmarthenshire – a charity made up of like-minded individuals from various walks of life who understand the impact that a life-altering diagnosis can cause. They provide a pathway from clinical services back to the community.
• Red Cross, Carmarthen.

The choir have a JustGiving website page set up for their fund-raising efforts. It is at – https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/achoiredtaste-act

Anniversary concert compere Connie Fisher, 41, shot to fame when she won the BBC One talent contest How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

In 2006, she opened to excellent reviews in the part of Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music in the West End, London.

In 2011, she was forced to change tack in her career when she was diagnosed with congenital sulcus vocalis (holes in her vocal cords).

She now concentrates on a career in presenting, production and acting.

The Northants Sings Out choir sprang to fame after wowing judges in the final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.

Finally, Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Irish fiddle virtuoso Aoife Ní Bhriain will take the stage at Carmarthen’s Lyric Theatre on Thursday, October 10 (7.30pm), as part of their UK tour.

Dublin native Aoife Ní Bhriain is one of Ireland’s foremost traditional fiddle players and a classical violinist of international stature who straddles both the classical world and her Irish traditional heritage.

From across the Irish Sea and the west coast of Wales, harpist Catrin Finch has also built an impressive classical career and ventured into uncharted musical territory, most notably through her award-winning international collaborations.

Tickets are priced at £22 and can be booked online at www.theatrausirgar.co.uk or with the box office on 0345 2263510.

WHAT’S in a name change, eh? Well, quite a lot for many people when the title refers to something close to their hearts.

The ink is hardly dry on the row over the Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons name change . . . and now we have another branding row right on our doorstep.

On a personal level, the way we brand Gower has always been something of a problem.

On the old sub-editors’ desk at the Evening Post’s Adelaide Street HQ, ashtrays and (potentially lethal) paper spikes would be tossed around when ‘The Gower Question’ became overheated.

It was a simple question: Should Gower appear in print as ‘Gower’ or ‘The Gower’.

I always opted for plain Gower, but more influential figures on the subs desk were able to impose a temporary change to the Post’s Style Book to demand that the area should appear in print as ‘The Gower’.

Today, the Gower row isn’t an internal newspaper argument; it is a social media debate over branding which now sees the peninsular called ‘Gower – National Landscape’.

And the branding has an associated logo which has just kicked over another hornet’s nest among lovers of good design and promotional images.

To backtrack, for just a moment, many of you will know that one of Gower’s many claims to fame was that it was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB), way back in 1956.

The AONB title has been part of Gower’s branding . . .  until very recent tweaks have seen national changes to the way national parks and other AONBs are titled.

Today, some 46 different areas now fall under the banner of the National Landscapes Association.

Gower has now been rebranded as ‘Gower National Landscape / Tirwedd Cenedlaethol Gŵyr’.

The name change comes with an associated logo, which shows Worm’s Head, Rhossili, in outline . . . in colours best described as muddy versions of orange and yellow.

The changes have not been well received in some quarters.

For example, Geoff Haden (a keen supporter of all things Gower-related and the owner of the birthplace of Dylan Thomas in Swansea) has taken to social media to canvass the views of others.

‘Is this really the best name and logo that creative minds . . . can come up with to replace AONB?’ Geoff has asked.

Geoff has suggested that fans of Gower come up with their own branding and logo designs for the area and forward them to him and the Gower Society.

The general view on social media is that people are not impressed by the new branding.

Gill Lloyd (no relation) said, ‘It’s pathetic’. Caroline Berry described it as ‘cheap and tacky’. Donna Phillips said, ‘The colours are really drab’. Andrew T Price said, ‘It has a 1980s nicotine-stained, retro quality . . . if that’s the look they were going for!’

Meanwhile, Suzy Davies highlighted an issue with the wording and a missing Welsh mutation – ‘It should be Genedlaethol,’ she pointed out with reference to ‘Cenedlaethol’.

I have no plans to act as the advocate for the defence in this case, but it might be worth pointing out that the new branding does follow something of a theme across all the UK National Landscape areas.

Visit the website at https://national-landscapes.org.uk and you will see what I mean.

Meanwhile, I will sit back and watch the current branding debate unfold.

Just, please, please, please, don’t think of asking for my opinion on whether it should be ‘Gower’ or ‘The Gower’!

I still have nightmares about those arguments on the subs desk at Adelaide Street.

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IT’S a big weekend for Swansea historian Bernard Lewis, with the launch of his latest book, ‘Swansea and the Second World War’.

It’s the story of how the people of Swansea faced the challenges of war on the Home Front.

Bernard lives in Neath and is a retired local government officer. He holds a Diploma in Local History and is the author of half a dozen books on aspects of the history of Swansea and Neath.

Swansea suffered heavily in the Second World War. The docks and factories were important targets for Hitler’s Luftwaffe bombers. The town centre was devastated over three consecutive nights of bombing during February, 1941, and no town or city in Wales suffered more deaths than Swansea as a result of enemy air raids.

Bernard’s wide-ranging book describes how people coped with the deadly bombing attacks and how the town was turned into a veritable fortress in preparation for a possible Nazi invasion.

Conscription, conscientious objection, wartime crime, rationing, salvage campaigns, the evacuation of the town’s children and the arrival of American forces are all outlined in a book which will be on sale at special events at The Waterfront Museum in Swansea this weekend.

Bernard will have a table selling his books between 10and 4pm on what promises to be a busy and entertaining two days at The Waterfront.

Saturday sees the local history heritage fair, an event organised in partnership with the Historical Association (Swansea Branch) and Swansea Museum, Royal Institution of South Wales (RISW).

Talks on Saturday include – 10.30, Bob Cuthill on Swansea’s Civic Centre; 11.30, Nigel Robins on Ben Evans, the lost buildings of the Blitz and plants that grew in their place; 1.30, Bev Rogers on The Swansea Devil; and 2.30, Debra John on Amy Dillwyn (1845 – 1935).

Sunday sees the Local History Book Fair at The Waterfront. Talks will include – 10.30, Ceri Thomas on Swansea’s role in shaping art in Wales; 12.30, Robin Campbell on Horse Racing on the Crymlyn Burrows; and 1.30, Graham Davies on the Welsh Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War.

At 2.30, Bernard Lewis will give a talk titled ‘Swansea and World War II’.

For those keen on local history, The Waterfront Museum will be the place to be this weekend.

Twitter: @rlloydpr

Email: robertlloydpr@rlloydpr.co.uk