ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Students look forward to lighting Up ‘Dragon’s Breath’ at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Students from the BA Acting, BA Set Design & Production, BA Digital Media Production, and BA Adventure Filmmaking courses at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø are looking forward to taking part in a leading outdoor event production, ‘Dragon’s Breath,’&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
From Thursday 24th – Sunday 27th October 2024, the National Botanic Garden of Wales will play host to an immersive after dark event experience that combines fire, music, poetry and performance, all set against the backdrop of one of Wales’ most iconic landmarks.
The event will deliver an experiential nighttime fire-trail that showcases the magic of the garden after dark. It will feature intricate hand-crafted fire sculptures, harmonised with performances from artists, poets and musicians who will impart to visitors the spectacular story of the Dragon’s Breath as they make their way along the fire-lit pathways of the Botanic Garden.
Designed for visitors both young and old, the Dragon’s Breath event is an environmental allegory centred around a dying dragon who has abandoned its home on the coast of Rhossili on the nearby Gower Peninsula to find sanctuary in the lake behind the Garden’s iconic Great Glasshouse. Through poetry and song that is rich with Celtic resonance, visitors will see that while the earth might be burning, there is hope, and that this hope lies with young people and their ability to heal the world.
This is a new and exciting collaboration between the university, the National Botanic Garden of Wales and the UK’s leading outdoor events specialists, Walk The Plank. Known as ‘spectacle specialists’, Walk the Plank have developed outdoor events, installations and moments for the likes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games and European Capitals of Culture.
The University looks forward to collaborating on the delivery of this ambitious project. Performing Arts students will be performing as Apothecary performers; Set Design & Production students will be involved with bespoke sound installation, lighting and costume making; and Adventure Filmmaking and Digital Media Production students involved in documenting the process and the show itself. This partnership will provide valuable industry experience and learning opportunities, embedding a legacy of skills development in the local area.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Senior Lecturer Dr Brett Aggersberg said:
“We are extremely excited to be able to contribute to this dynamic collaboration. It is a fantastic opportunity for BA Adventure Filmmaking and BA Digital Media Production to work on a live project with a professional company, and fellow students in the Design and Performing Industries portfolio. Students will be creating content such as photographs, social media reels, and a short documentary about the planning and performance of the event. We are really looking forward to seeing what they produce with the challenging and varied locations and subjects. It promises to be a very special event.â€
Featuring the poetry of Dylan Thomas and new work from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s BA Acting Alumnus, and Children Poet’s Laureate 2021 – 2023, Connor Allen, the bold event will offer visitors an enchanting and thought- provoking evening, that has been exclusively curated for the National Botanic Garden of Wales by the creative team at Walk the Plank.
Bev Ayre, Senior Producer at Walk the Plank said:
“Our maxim is ‘anything is possible’ and we always aim to awe and inspire. With this in mind we have dived deeply into Welsh folklore, myth and legend as inspiration for the narrative for this event. We have a long history of working in Wales and the rich culture and the depth and range of talent we have been able to draw on from local arts communities is a gift when putting events together on this scale.
“Being able to utilise the magnificent, moody and moving prose of Dylan Thomas, right in the heart of his homeland, as well as working with new literary stars of the future like Connor, who was Children’s Poet Laureate for the past two years, has been wonderful. We’ve also been working with production students from the nearby University of Wales Trinity St Davids who have been helping us to create our set designs.â€
Lynne Seymour, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Academic Director: Design and Performing Industries said:
“The Dragon’s Breath event is a wonderful opportunity for our students to not only see how a large, multifaceted outdoor event is developed and delivered, but to be integral in its design and realisation. It has been incredibly valuable for the actors to work with ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø BA Acting graduate Connor Allen on the written content for the piece as well as with the creative team from Walk the Plank to see how they work to fully realise this script on site.
“The Set Design and Production students have had excellent creative meetings and insights with the production team for Walk the Plank too and the scale of the project is incredibly exciting in terms of developing their skills as outdoor event practitioners. The Adventure Filmmaking and Digital Media Production students have also been working to find creative ways to capture the spectacle and atmosphere of the event through film and photography and this is a valuable experience for them in terms of developing shooting skills as well as working on a ‘client brief’.
“ As a department we are not only impressed with the practical skills the students are deploying and developing but also their commitment to working with industry and remaining flexible and proactive through each of the phases of the project. This type of practical, industry focused event is an incredibly important part of our students’ creative development and we can’t wait to see all their hard work come together in the performances! Get your tickets now! It’s going to be breathtakingâ€
The Dragon’s Breath event will take place at the National Botanic Garden of Wales from Thursday 24th – Sunday 27th October 2024 (autumn half term), 6pm – 10pm.
Staff and Students from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø can use a discount code to for your friends and family. Use the code NBGWPERF20 when booking to get 20% off. You can grab your tickets here:
Further Information
Lowri Thomas
Principal Communications and PR Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07449 998476