Event in a Tent
ÌýisÌýspecial; informal and irreverent,Ìýwith plentyÌýof brilliant acts, musical and literary. I’ve wanted to go for agesÌýso was reallyÌýhappy to be invited to read this year. The festival’s warm-hearted, easy-going identity made for one of the best events I’ve performed atÌý–Ìýa greatÌýconnection with the audience and some very good vibes.
The magic of theÌýweekendÌýis partlyÌýthe romance of the location. The spirit of Dylan Thomas isÌýeverywhere in Laugharne. Signs pointÌýto the boat house where heÌýcosied with Caitlin inÌýthe drizzle-veiled bay and every pub displays a picture of him drinking in situ. The green buildingÌýin the photo is where he wrote Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night as his father lay dying.
I read on SaturdayÌýmorning in a rain-spattered, wind-bellied tent to a curious, clever, and possibly hungover, group of people. I was interviewed by the astute Anna Davis, Managing Director ofÌý. The main act, the established novelist Deborah Moggach, pulled out last minuteÌýsoÌýI was worried things would fall a bit flat. In fact, it was brilliant fun and the hour raced by. Rain flew against the sides of the flapping marquee and there was an attentive and friendly atmosphere, albeit with some shivering and blowing into hands to keep warm.
We talked about family. AboutÌýmy choice to write a book set inÌýAustria, which is linked to myÌýAustrian heritage (my dad’s Austrian). ‘Was it for therapeutic purposes?â€� someone asked. A perceptive question. Perhaps I needed to delve into the silences within my family’s past in order to better understand, to unearth things buried, to ask questions about the hardest times, the hardest truths.
Afterwards, several people shared their thoughts aboutÌýfamily, their own experiences of secrets, loss, severed lines of communication and the need to dig, to discover what no one would tell, their search for openness and honesty.ÌýWe left uplifted, despite the subject matter.
I was rather humbled by it all â€� on a bleary-eyed morning after plenty of pints, this audience were more present than most;Ìýa proper conversation, a willingness to get serious, and also to laugh, and such a feeling of welcome.
PerhapsÌýthat’s what Laugharne Weekend Festival is all about.
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Have you been to â€� or performed at –ÌýanÌýevent where there was a goodÌýconnection between performer and audience?ÌýWhat was the magic ingredient? Or the opposite: did the two sides fall out? Or have zero chemistry?
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