Martin Morley Designs for the Theatre & Television
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Wimbledon School of Art
Lyceum, Edinburgh
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Liverpool Playhouse
Theatr Cymru
Theatre since 1984
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Theatr Cymru, 1973 - 1984
“Pethe Brau” The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Directed by David Lyn at the National Eisteddfod 1972 Frank Lincoln, Nesta Harris, Gwyn Parry and Olwen Rees
“Pethe Brau” was my first design for Theatr Cymru. I did it as a Summer project while still at the Liverpool Playhouse. By the next year I was resident designer with the company and stayed until 1984 when it collapsed. In its hey day it was the premier Welsh Language Theatre company touring throughout Wales. Although never really mastering the language the Welsh cullture has become central to me, and has given a rich variety of theatrical experiences. David Lyn was the first director that I collaborated with but over the years there were many more. Wilbert Lloyd Roberts who guided the company through many turbulent but exciting times; Nesta Harris, Gruff Jones and Grey Evans did many productions between them and Malcolm Taylor who directed the highly successful revival of “Under Milk Wood”, to name but few. One of the great pleasures of working with Theatr Cymru was designing the plays of Gwenlyn Parry. I had the opportunity of designing the premiers of “Y Ffin”, “Y Twr” and “Sal”, each very different, each very challenging. For the last two years Emily Davies was the Artistic Director with Ceri Sherlock as her assistant and they attempted to build a true ensemble on the continental model but although between them they produced several striking productions, “Torri Gair” by Brian Friel, “Ty ar y Tywod” by Gwenlyn Parry and “Tair Chwaer” by Checkov spring to mind, the company never produced a popular success till eventually economics caught up with it and it went under one afternoon in early January 1984.