Q&A with actor Bedwyr Bowen on new Welsh show Tachwedd/The Slaughter

Tachwedd/The Slaughter is a new work from Welsh writer Jon Berry. Set in Bethesda, North Wales, the show interlaces Welsh myth, history and traditions to explore humans’ relationships to the land. Produced by a Welsh led creative team and Welsh cast, it was originally developed as part of Jon’s participation in the 503Five Writers’ Scheme at Theatre503, where he received a seed commission to develop it into a full-length play. Ahead of its opening this week at Theatre 503 where it runs until 2nd November, we spoke to Bedwyr Bowen from the cast about the show and the rise of Welsh culture

Tell us about Tachwedd/The Slaughter

It’s a new exciting Welsh Play that shows you a glimpse of what ‘Land’ means to these characters. Set in the same square mile patch of land in North Wales (Bethesda), it’s a look in at what it means to be Welsh across 2000 years from the time of Myth sharing of the Mabinogi to the handing over of keys in the 21 century. There’s a lot to unpack as we take a peak at 4 different characters across 4 different periods of time. Consequently different, yet united by the Land

The writer Jon has set the show in North Wales, why is that? Most shows about Wales seem to be set in the South of the country 

A part of what makes Jon’s play so exciting is the fact that he’s inspired by the tales left untold from Welsh culture. We have such a rich history to our country. Looking at the North of Wales as a ‘Southwalian’, I’ve always been fascinated by the immense difference in the Land and Dialect between these two. But all across Wales you’ll find there’s funny little quirks that people adopt into the way they communicate with each other. However looking at North Wales specifically we find a dialect rather unique to Wales. In my opinion it’s important we embrace all of Wales’ intricate cultures with the attention and respect it deserves. Although a small country there’s so much more stories to be told and Jon’s play is an attempt to shed more light on the lesser told way of Welsh living, surrounded by mountains.

The majority of the cast and crew are Welsh, how important is that for a show like this?

Having a Welsh cast goes hand in hand with what I’ve said about giving the text the specificity it deserves. It’s been very special as a Welsh ‘boi’ to have the opportunity to bring this play to a London stage with hopes of giving the audiences a new opportunity to learn more of the brilliant new work & talent coming out of Wales.

Welsh culture has really grown over the years and seems to be in a good place from shows like Welcome to Wrexham being widely watched across the world and winning international awards and Dal Y Mellt becoming the first Welsh language show on Netflix in 2023, what are your hopes for the future?

My hopes for the future is that we will see only more and more of this of course. It’s very promising to see Netflix taking the Welsh language forward for it will only benefit & hopefully inspire a community of Welsh creatives to continue creating and producing work in and out of Wales.

What’s next for you?

As for myself I can only wish to continue to tell the stories that resonates with myself and others. Continue to learn more about the stories new & old to be told; and sharing them with people. With enough support we can look to take this production back to wales having fully fledged it at Theatre503 and have the opportunity to show this to Welsh audiences across Wales.

For more and to buy tickets go to https://theatre503.com/whats-on/tachwedd/