Dic Edwards (born 1948) is a British playwright, poet and teacher of creative writing. His writing often touches upon political and social issues, nationalism and democracy.
Early life
Edwards was born in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. He was educated at Whitchurch High (Grammar), Cardiff,
St David's University College, Lampeter, Hughes Hall, Cambridge and the
University of Wales
The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...
at
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...
.
Career
Edwards' early work was produced at the
Sherman Theatre
The Sherman Theatre () is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from University College Cardiff (now Cardiff University). Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Thea ...
,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. These included ''At The End of The Bay'', ''Canned Goods'' and ''Looking For The World''. At the beginning of his career, he was introduced to Edward Bond who became, and still is, a supporter of his work.
Before taking up a residency at Theatr Clwyd in 1989 and producing the play ''the fourth world'', Edwards worked with The Haymarket Theatre in Leicester where his productions were ''Long To Rain Over Us'' and ''Low People''.
At this time Edwards began to be published by Oberon Books Ltd., London. Its publishing editor, James Hogan, encouraged The Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow to produce his play ''Casanova Undone'' which was followed a year later by ''Wittgenstein's Daughter''. Both were subsequently produced at The White Bear Theatre in London.
In the early 1990s Edwards worked with Mark Dornford May at Broomhill which resulted in the opera ''The Juniper Tree'', written with composer Andrew Toovey and ''The Beggar's New Clothes'', a reworking of ''The Beggar's Opera'', with music by Warren Belshaw. The latter transferred to The Cockpit Theatre, London.
Edwards returned to working in Wales with Sgript Cymru, and in 2002, his comedy titled ''Franco's Bastard'' was produced at the
Chapter Arts Centre
Chapter Arts Centre (often just referred to as Chapter) is an arts centre in Canton, Cardiff, Canton, Cardiff, Wales, opened in 1971.
Description
Chapter hosts films, Play (theatre), plays, performance art and live music, and includes a free ar ...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. The play revisits Edwards' time as a young student at
Lampeter University
University of Wales, Lampeter () was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited degree awarding powers since 1852. It was a ...
, when he met the controversial
Welsh nationalist
Welsh nationalism () emphasises and celebrates the distinctiveness of Culture of Wales, Welsh culture and Wales as a nation or country. Welsh nationalism may also include calls for further autonomy or self-determination, which includes Welsh de ...
activist and leader of the
Free Wales Army
The Free Wales Army (FWA; ) was a Welsh nationalist paramilitary organisation formed in Lampeter in Ceredigion (formerly Cardiganshire) by Julian Cayo-Evans in 1963. Its objective was to establish an independent Welsh republic.
History Over ...
(FWA),
Julian Cayo-Evans. Edwards recounted how he was attacked by Cayo-Evans and another man after they mistakenly believed him to have attempted to burn down a cottage at a party, which resulted in a month's stay at
Chepstow Hospital where Edwards' head injuries were treated. However, Cayo-Evans later apologised for the altercation, and the two became friends. The play centres on a sometimes scathing and sometimes affectionate account of the charismatic Cayo-Evans. During the play's premier, a group of
Welsh nationalists
Welsh nationalism () emphasises and celebrates the distinctiveness of Culture of Wales, Welsh culture and Wales as a nation or country. Welsh nationalism may also include calls for further autonomy or self-determination, which includes Welsh de ...
protested the play by leading walkouts and throwing
stink bombs, an event that prompted questions in
parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. Following the
controversy
Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...
surrounding the play, Edwards stated that "the play wasn't biographical" and apologised to
Cayo-Evans' children for any offence caused.
In 2003, Edwards wrote the
libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
for
Keith Burstein's
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
, ''
Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...
''. The opera was performed at The Tricycle Theatre, London as a benefit for the Redgraves' Guantanamo Human Rights Commission and subsequently played at The Edinburgh Festival in 2005. At the same time, in the same season, Cambridge University's ADC produced Edwards' play ''Astrakhan (Winter)''.
In 2013, after writing ''The Opportunist'' for The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Edwards turned away from writing for the theatre, arguing that "British Theatre has become a director's theatre. Directors want an easy life and, in the main, hire only TV writers now."
His play ''Over Milk Wood'', a response to the radio play by Dylan Thomas, has been translated into Catalan as ''Sobre El Bosc Lacti'' and published by Arola Editors, Tarragona.
There have been productions of his work at NIDA in Sydney, Australia and That Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark and a public reading of ''The Pimp'' in New York.
For many years, Edwards has worked with Theatre in Education companies most notably ''Spectacle Theatre'' and collaborated very successfully with director Steve Davis.
Edwards has recently finished ''The Vote'', a play about the collapse of British democracy. He is working on ''Nude'' a play about the Welsh painter Augustus John. He is also working on a collection of short stories with the working title ''From the Backland''.
Edwards founded the Creative Writing program at
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David () is a public university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, and learning centres in Cardiff, and Birmingham.
The university ...
,
Lampeter
Lampeter (; (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, after Aberystwyth and C ...
, where he was a lecturer until 2019. He is the editor and founder of the
literary magazine ''The Lampeter Review''.
Personal life
Edwards is married to Gwenda and has three children and eight grandchildren. He lives in
Aberaeron
Aberaeron (), previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales. Located on the coast between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, its resident population was 1,274 in the 2021 census.
The name of the town i ...
in West Wales.
Selected produced works
Theatre
*''Late City Echo'' (1981), Sherman Arena Cardiff
*''At the End of the Bay'' (1982), Sherman Arena, Cardiff
*''Canned Goods'' (1983), Sherman Arena, Cardiff
*''Looking for the World'' (1986), Sherman Main Stage, Cardiff †
* ''Long To Rain Over Us'' (1987), Haymerket Theatre, Leicester †
*''low people'' (1989), Haymarket Theatre, Leicester
*''the fourth world'' (1990), Theatr Clwyd †
* ''Regan'', 1991, Theatr Powys
*''Casanova Undone'' (1992), Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and The White Bear, London †
*''The Juniper Tree'' (1992), Opera Libretto, Broomhill Opera, Kent
*''The Beggar's New Clothes'' (1992), book and lyrics, Broomhill Opera, Kent and Cockpit Theatre, London
*''Wittgenstein's Daughter'' (1993), Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and The White Bear, London †
*''Utah Blue'' (1995), The Point, Cardiff †
*''Lola Brecht'' (1995), Castaway, UK Tour †
*''Manifest Destiny'' (2005), Tricycle Theatre, London, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Festival, ''Opera Close Up'', London
*''Astrakhan (Winter)'' (2005), Cambridge ADC, Edinburgh Festival †
*''The Pimp'' (2006), The White Bear, London †
*''The Opportunist'' (2013) Basement Players, University of Michigan, US
† Published by Oberon Books, London
Also published:
*''The Shakespeare Factory and other plays for children'', Seren Books (1998)
*''Sobre El Bosc Lacti'', Arola Editors, Tarragona (2002)
*''Kid'' , Argraff, Cardiff (2004)
*''Solitude'', (In ''Two Immorality Plays) ''Oberon Books, London (2007)
Poetry
*''Walt Whitman and Other Poems'' (2008)
* Pieces in ''The Manhattan Review'', ''Poetry Wales'' etc.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Dic
Anglo-Welsh poets
Welsh dramatists and playwrights
Living people
Writers from Cardiff
1953 births
Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter