Yesterday at The National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, the Carolyn Davies Creative Learning Award was presented to Blaenymaes Primary School. The award recognises the artistic project inspired by a visit to a Theatr na nÓg production, namely The Trial of Elgan Jones. The award ceremony, hosted by actor Richard Nichols, was attended by three schools, Blaenymaes Primary School, St Thomas Community Primary School and St David’s RC Primary School, shortlisted for the prize.
The award encourages school children across South Wales to celebrate and showcase their creativity by producing a short video that illustrates their work inspired by the performance.
The Carolyn Davies Creative Learning Award, established in 2018, commemorates Carolyn Davies, Arts Advisor and former chair of Theatr na nÓg. Carolyn’s dedication to placing the arts at the centre of all learning for young people in West Glamorgan was well respected and recognised. Her commitment to schools to forge strong links between Theatr na nÓg is a fitting way for her to be remembered and commemorated.
Previous winners include Creunant Primary School for both 2018 and 2019, and more recently, in 2020, Cwmafan Primary School received the winning plaque.
Geinor Styles, Theatr na nÓg’s Artistic Director, explained, “For a relatively new award, we are seeing a rise in the number of schools participating and the quality of the creative content improving each year, and 2023 has been no exception. This year Blaenymaes Primary School are very worthy winners, having demonstrated a skilful and mature interpretation of the play and how it supports their learning back in the classroom.
“We created the award to highlight and recognise the positive impact of live theatre on young minds. We love that from simply watching a theatre production, they can go away, continue the creative process and deliver some of the most creative and inspiring pieces of work we’ve ever seen. The future theatre makers are here, and we must nurture and celebrate them.”
This year’s judges were Carolyn Davies’ close friend and colleague Sandra Morgan. Leisa Williams and Steph Mastoris joined her from The National Waterfront Museum, Luke Clement from Technocamps, and Stuart Harries from the accountancy firm Carr Jenkins and Hood. The winning school, Blaenymaes Primary School was awarded the Carolyn Davies Creative Learning Award Plaque, £250 prize money donated by sponsors Carr, Jenkins and Hood, as well as a free coding workshop from innovative educators Technocamps. Runners up, St Thomas Community Primary and St David’s RC Primary will also receive £150 and £100, respectively.
Geinor Styles continued: “For over 40 years, Theatr na nÓg has worked tirelessly to establish strong relationships with schools and their students. It prides itself on enabling young people from all backgrounds to experience theatre early, inspiring them to unlock their potential.”
