PERFORMING arts students hope their new drama project will send a message of hope for the future as the nation begins to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Students on the BA (Hons) Television, Theatre and Production course at Wrexham Glyndwr University chronicle how the lives of ordinary people changed dramatically during the first lockdown in People of the Pandemic / Pobol Y Pandemig.

Programme Leader Elen Mai Nefydd said: "The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on communities across the globe, and we would never want to demean that in any way.

"What our production aims to do is reflect people's experiences and look forward positively as communities start to return to something like normality."

“This project has enabled the students on the degree to experiment with the power of verbatim and documentary theatre with the practices of physical theatre. In turn, these practices have allowed them to find the true stories of the people of the pandemic.”

The online production features a series of monologues documenting the experiences of people ranging from ambulance service call handlers, freelance workers, doctors, vicars and parents as they entered one of the most uncertain and challenging periods in modern history.

Level 6 students conducted interviews with members of the public and brought their stories to life in the form of monologues, interspersed with recitation and physical theatre.

Elen Mai explained how the show came about as a way of providing students with a way of being involved with a theatrical production despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.

She said: “The past year has been incredibly difficult for the performing arts sector, but actors need to keep working and there have been some wonderful projects from theatre companies, other educational institutions and prominent actors like David Tennant and Michael Sheen with Staged.

“Actors must carry on acting and as a department the challenge is how to ensure that students gain acting experience.

“It’s been quite intense but it’s been a good platform for the students.”

People of the Pandemic will be performed on Zoom at 3pm on Friday, May 14.

To book a free place, email nate.francis1501@gmail.com.