The conference will bring together members of Creu Cymru, the Development Agency for Theatres and Arts Centres for Wales and WAPA, the Wales Association of Performing Arts. Creu Cymru is the voice of Welsh theatres and arts centre in the country, whilst WAPA represents the producing companies within Wales.
This conference is the initiative of Creu Cymru and WAPA and results from a small pilot programme of information exchange which took place during the summer.
Creu Cymru members have recently forged many successful partnerships with producers, many of which have resulted from Arts Outside Cardiff funding. Theatr Brycheiniog have partnered Earthfall and Theatr na n'Og; Taliesin have worked with fellow Swansea company Volcano; Galeri and Theatr Gwynedd produced the recent Llyfr Mawr y Blant and Llyfr Bach y Blant tours, together with Cwmni Bara Caws; Rhondda Cynon Taff Theatres have worked with Spectacle Theatre and Martin Geriant Productions; whilst Theatr Mwldan and the Torch Theatre are now co-producing the next tour by Mappa Mundi. The co-production of two Creu Cymru member theatres with Mappa Mundi follows on from three years of tour funding and co-production between Creu Cymru and Mappa Mundi which has proved so successful, the partnership can now continue without Creu Cymru support from 2009.
These partnerships have changed the previous patterns of working where companies developed a production and then sought a tour to presenting theatres and arts centres. Presenters and producers now work together from the inception of a tour, ensuring the productions suit the needs of the audiences of the theatres and arts centres in Wales, whilst creating supportive and receptive touring opportunities for the producing companies. The Creu Cymru - WAPA member's conference will look to further develop these partnerships and create new links which will lead to even more co-productions in Wales in the near future.
Creu Cymru and the Arts Outside Cardiff Scheme are supported by the Arts Council of Wales.