AUDIENCES were left buzzing at the return of live performances following two live shows in Powys earlier this month.

Theatr Brycheiniog, in Brecon, joined forces with Neath-based production company Theatr na nÓg to present a fun-filled, family friendly show called ‘We Need Bees’ as part of the Welsh Government’s pilot test event programme.

More than 200 people packed out King George V playing field in the town on June 3 and 4 as Wales continues to emerge from lockdown and Mid Wales residents look forward to a safe return to live events.

Theatr Brycheiniog followed in the footsteps of similar test events, like Cardiff’s Eid at the Castle event which was held last month, and sporting fixtures including Wales’ pre-Euro 2020 friendly with Albania in Cardiff on June 5 and the Fishguard Triathlon, which took place on Friday and Saturday.

If the test events programme proves safe and successful it will hopefully lead to larger gatherings at stadiums, theatres and other venues in Wales later this year.

David Wilson, director at Theatr Brycheiniog, said: “We were really keen to develop this outdoor test event, as the pandemic has damaged so much, calling a dramatic halt to all our work and creating shockwaves across the performing arts industries.

“We welcomed over 200 people to the test event with performances in both languages. Family household bubbles were provided with their own area of the field and asked to socially distance throughout, but this didn’t seem to dampen the audiences’ spirits when experiencing the show.

“It’s vital that we provide audiences with experiences, especially those younger members as they will have had nothing like this, nothing like live performance for well over a year.

“It’s also incredibly important that we are able to provide work, pay fees and support the actors, crew, technicians, staging, sound and lighting companies as much as possible right now. I know this does not make up for how much has been lost, but we are leading the way at this time to do what we can, and we hope this is just the start.”

The two companies joined together to present three performances over two days, two in English and one in Welsh. The return to live theatre gave both companies a long-awaited opportunity to work together once more, to create a Covid-secure plan that saw them take over the King George V playing field in Brecon, erecting an outdoor stage and creating an entirely new performance site to present a cultural event for families to engage in.

The show had plenty of positive feedback from young audience members, as well as older ones. Catherine, aged eight, and Benjamin, five, who travelled from Llandrindod Wells to see the show, said: “It was the best show ever, I liked how they had problems to solve and the bad things became a good thing. It was great. I loved the singing and Bertie Bee.”

Also at the event was Welsh actor Steve Meo, known from appearing in London's West End as well as in tv shows such as Gavin & Stacey and Torchwood. “Nothing beats the magic of live performance, as soon as the band struck up you could see they were just spellbound. And that’s what everybody has missed,” said Steve, who attended the show with his family.

Following their successful involvement in this test event, Theatr na nÓg now plan to tour the show to other venues around Wales.

Artistic Director Geinor Styles said: “We haven’t performed live theatre since 2019, and this event was so important to us.

2To see the impact our little show had on a young audience is a reminder of how vital the creative arts and culture is for the development and well-being of future generations. Our aim now is to tour the show to other Welsh venues in the summer.”

Written by Katherine Chandler, We Need Bees tells the story of Bertie Bee, who wants to pollenate the wild flowers. Through his adventures Bertie saves the day and ends up receiving the badge of honour he’s always wanted. The performance enthralled the audience throughout with its humour, bee-based puns and references to the pandemic, as well as entertaining the audience with fantastic musical numbers by composer Barnaby Southgate, written and performed live by Aled Herbert, James Ifan and Lara Lewis.

Extra thanks for making this event possible goes to Stage Lighting Services and Stage Sound Services, from Cardiff.