Kath and Rhiannon arrived mid-afternoon yesterday for a special outing to watch Cardiff's own Nofit State Circus in performance at the Millennium Centre. By sheer co-incidence the Moscow State Circus was also performing locally, out at the Leckwith Retail Park in the lee of the Cardiff City Stadium. When we got to the Millennium Centre, the arena just outside was being prepared for a big event tomorrow, celebrating Cardiff City's League Championship win and promotion to the Premier League. As we were waiting for the performance to start, City Centre and Events Manager Rob Corp came into the building with one of his lieutenants for a break from his weekend logistical organisation efforts outside. He looked harassed. He has a big job which must go well as media eyes from all around the country if not further afield will be on the Bay tomorrow.
The circus performance was amazing - all the excellence of human skills on show - jugglers, tightrope walkers, tumblers, trapeeze and rope artists. The audience stood and moved around throughout - an event described as a 'promenade performance'. Huge scaffolding towers were used for different set pieces, and shifted by the crew to new locations as required, and re-assembled to create a mise-en-scène linking to a narrative fragment around which performance set pieces were formed. It was at the same time full of traditional circus performing arts and very modern in the way it was presented.
The performers and audience were on the main auditorium stage, sufficiently high and deep to provide a space for all the action to take place safely. The management of the whole event was executed with superb precision, and while the whole thing felt like an adventure in unknown territory the audience were made to feel safe and at ease as spectators. An exhilarating night out.
I had an early start this morning, with an eight o'clock 1984 Prayer Book celebration in the beautiful eleventh century Parish Church St Fagan's in a village which contains the National Museum of Welsh Life, just ten minutes drive from home. My first Vicar Lewis Clarke was incumbent here for many years, while he was Archdeacon. His successor was Tony Wintle, who was at St Mike's the same time as I was, but stayed a couple of years after retirement age. He just finished after Easter.
From there I went to St Timothy's in Caerau for their Sung Mass, and then on from there to St David's in the same Parish for their Sung Eucharist, followed by another service - the baptism of three children aged nine, six and three. As many people were there for the baptism as for the previous service, and only a handful of regulars who were there to look after things and support the officiating minister. It's a truly admirable job they do, and one which I suspect they will continue to do when their sick incumbent returns to duty.
I wondered how I would cope with four services in a morning, and am relieved to say that I got through without any problem. It was good to get home and still have the energy to enjoy lunch with the family when it was all over.
No comments:
Post a Comment