Across five days, a week before World Book Day, nearly 2,000 primary school pupils from Merthyr, Tredegar and Aberdare in south Wales, and from Llangefni and Caernarfon in north Wales, will enjoy a comedy theatrical production based on The Troublesome Tudors and Sleazy Stuarts, a book in the Wicked Wales series, published by Gomer Press. The presentation will be held in the majestic setting of the Banqueting Hall at Caerphilly Castle and in the magical former quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn on the Llŷn Peninsula.
Shimli, a bilingual theatre-in-education company, will be presenting the show based on Catrin Stevens’s book, and pupils will see the pages brought to life before their very eyes. The interactive production will tell them what life was like in Wales during the reigns of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs – from pirates and the infamous Captain Harri Morgan boiling people in hot oil, how to recognise a witch, strange old Welsh traditions, and the first translation of the Bible into Welsh. Each pupil will also leave with a free copy of the book to note the occasion.
The events are being organised by the Welsh Books Council with the support of Waterstones, who are contributing the proceeds from the 5p carrier bag levy to support the World Book Day events. Will Williams of Waterstones said: “It’s wonderful to be involved in such an inspiring campaign. We wanted the funds raised from the levy to be put to good use, and it’s great that they will now be helping to bring books to life for thousands of children, as well as helping the environment.”
Delyth Humphreys, Head of the Children’s Books and Reading Promotion Department at the Welsh Books Council, said: “We are delighted that Waterstones are supporting our events as it enables almost 2,000 children from some of Wales’s Reading Communities to have a day to remember and a great book to take home with them. There is already great excitement amongst the participating schools, with pupils and staff looking forward eagerly to the events.”
World Book Day 2012 takes place on Thursday 1 March with many interesting events, activities and workshops being organised across Wales. To find out more please go to: http://bit.ly/worldbookday.
