Y STAND
Blog Cymraeg 29 / 8 /2205 ( Scroll for English version)
Y STAND
Geiriau / Words; Manon Steffan Ros
Cerddoraieth / Music ; Osian Huw Williams
Cyfarwyddo / Director; Siwan Llynor
Sioe Y Stand oedd prosiect Côr Eisteddfod Wrecsam 2025 - sioe llawn emosiwn, cerddoriaeth am bobl a dinas Wrecsam. Dechreuodd fy nhaith i gyda’r prosiect Rhagfyr 2024 pan benodwyd fi’n gyfarwyddwr. Roeddwn wedi wynebu’r dasg o gyfarwyddo prosiect côr yr eisteddfod nôl yn 2017 yn Eisteddfod Ynys Môn gyda A oes Heddwch? Ond roedd hon yn sioe gwbl wahanol, ac am beldroed!
Ymarfer gyda’r côr
Mis Chwefror daeth y côr at ei gilydd am y tro cyntaf a bu pawb yn ymarfer bob yn ail ddydd Sul am fisoedd gyda Pete Davies a’r cerddor amryddawn Dafydd Glyn, ac yna bob dydd Sul am y ddau fis olaf cyn yr eisteddfod gyda’r côr feistr Aled Philips.
Mae’r broses o gyfarwyddo sioe fel hon sy’n cyfuno cast cymunedol a chast proffesiynol yn wahanol, mae’n fwy na rhoi sioe ymlaen mae yna ddyletswydd i gysylltu gyda’r gymuned. Mae o am fagu ffydd, hyder ac ymdeimlad o berthyn wrth i ni gyd anelu at yr un nod neu am y gôl! Roedd y côr yn cynrychioli i mi yn ei crysau coch amrywiol yr holl gyfnodau o fewn hanes clwb Peldreod Wrecsam- y drwg a’r da. Roeddwn yn awyddus iawn i gasglu straeon personol gan aelodau’r côr am eu cysylltiadau gyda’r clwb, a hefyd gyda hanes Wrecsam fel dinas. Bu’r côr yn rhannu llunia, straeon, artifatcau oedd yn ychwanegu haenau ac ystyr dwfn i’r sioe. Ac wrth roi’r caneuon corawl at ei gilydd yn rhediad y stori, roedd aelodau hefyd yn wych am gyfrannu syniadau creadigol am y llwyfannu.
Y Cast a Lili Jones
Mis Gorffennaf daeth chwip o gast proffesiynol, talentog a charedig ynghyd i ymarfer am gwta bythefnos gydag Osian Huw Williams cyfansoddwr /cyfarwyddwr cerdd, Siwan Fflur y rheolwr llwyfan a finnau yn Coleg Cambria Wrecsam. Yr actorion oedd Dyfed Thomas, Lleuwen Steffan, Rhodri Trefor, Betsan Ceiriog a Cadi Glwys. Roedd gan ddau o’r cast gysylltiau cryf gyda’r clwb - bu taid Cadi sef y diweddar Dai Davies yn arfer bod yn golgeidwad i Wrecsam a Chymru, ac yn un ar bymtheg oed cafodd Dyfed Thomas gynnig prentisiaeth efo Wrecsam ond gwrthododd ei dad iddo adael yr ysgol. Ond wedi iddo fynd i’r coleg trefnodd Wrecsam ei fod yn cael hyfforddi a chware gyda Crystal Palace. Pam ddaeth Lili Jones, y beldroedwriag draw i’n hymgynghori gyda’r elfennau peldroed roedd hi wedi cyfareddu gan gysylltiad y ddau a’r clwb. Roeddwn wedi cyfarfod Lili yn Pontio rhai misoedd ynghynt i sgwrsio am y sioe, ac roedd hi’n llawn syniadau ac awgrymiadau, a rhannodd efo fi ei phrofiad o chwarae ar y cae a hefyd yr ymdeimlad o fod ynghanol torf y Cae Ras. Roedd ceisio ail greu'r ymdeimlad hwn yn y pafiliwn yn bwysig i’r sioe. Ond mae rhaid i mi gyfaddef doedd gen i ddim syniad pa mor enwog oedd Lili Jones, nes mi ffonio fy nhad wedi’r cyfarfod! Mae hi wir yn ferch ifanc ddiymhongar ac ysbrydoledig.
Ymarfer yn y Stiwt
Daeth pawb ynghyd y côr, cast a’r band am y tro cyntaf yn Stiwt yn Rhosllannerchrugog a dyna hefyd pryd daeth yr awdur Manon Steffan Ros i weld ymarfer am y tro cyntaf. Roedd hi’n ddiwrnod mawr a phwysig a hanes yr hen theatr yn ein cofleidio. Gwn fod y côr wedi teimlo gwefr y pnawn Sul hwnnw yn y Stiwt wrth wylio’r cast yn perfformio gyda’r band. Daeth Lili Jones yno hefyd gan ddatgelu i’r côr ei bod yn dod ymlaen fel scowt peldroed yn y sioe. O’r ymarfer hwnnw yn y Stiwt roeddem ni gyd yn rhan o’r un tîm, oedd yn anelu am y rhwyd.
Pafiliwn Eisteddfod Wrecsam
Mae symud cynhyrchiad i’r pafiliwn yr eisteddfod wastad yn her ,ond ymgymerodd phawb a’r dasg yn i bwysau dan wenu. Mae’r adnoddau goleuo a sgrin yn wych yn y pafiliwn, roeddwn wedi comisiynu'r artist Rhys Grail i greu cynnwys arbennig wedi ysbrydoli gan edrychiad cylchgronau peldroed a rhaglenni o’r 70au.
Y Perfformiad
Daeth y noson agoriadol yn y pafiliwn ac roedd criw o bobl ifanc Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Band Cambria a Rex mascot y clwb peldroed yno i greu awyrgylch gwych cyn sioe, fel awyrgylch stadiwm i gynhesu’r dorf. Ac yna i ffwrdd a ni gyda’r gic gyntaf wrth i Elinor aelod o fand y Cambrain ac o’r côr chwibanu alaw ‘Mewn i’r gôl’ ar y chwiban.
Roedd gweld ymateb y gynulleidfa yn y pafiliwn yn curo dwylo i ddathlu a chofio, yn gweiddi, crio, cyd ganu a chodi golau ei ffonau symudol i’r gân olaf yn gwbl wefreiddiol. Ond wnâi byth, byth anghofio ymateb aelodau’r côr cefn llwyfan wedi’r perfformiad cyntaf - y balchder, dagrau a’r chwerthin. Braint a phrofiad gwbl arbennig oedd cael bod yn rhan o dîm Y STAND, y profiad agosaf gai i fyth o chwarae mewn tîm peldroed yn y Cae Ras!
BLOG ; English translation 29 / 8 /25
Y STAND
Y STAND
Words; Manon Steffan Ros
Music; Osian Huw Willimas
Director; Siwan Llynor
Y Stand was the Eisteddfod Wrecsam choir project – a show full of emotion, music, and stories about the people and the city of Wrexham.
My journey with the project began in December 2024 when I was appointed director. I had previously faced the challenge of directing the eisteddfod choir project back in 2017 at the Eisteddfod in Ynys Môn with A oes Heddwch? But this was a completely different show — it was about football!
Choir rehearsals
In February, the choir came together for the first time and rehearsed every other Sunday for months with Pete Davies and the multi-talented musician Dafydd Glyn, then every Sunday in the final two months before the Eisteddfod with choir master Aled Philips.
The process of directing a show like this that combines a community cast with a professional one is different. It’s more than just putting on a show; there’s a duty to connect with the community. It’s about building trust, confidence, and a sense of belonging as we all work towards the same goal — or should I say, as we aim for the goal! To me, the choir, dressed in their various red shirts, represented all the different eras in the history of Wrexham Football Club — the bad and the good. I was really keen to gather personal stories from the choir members about their connections with the club, and also with Wrexham’s history as a city. The choir shared photos, stories, and artefacts which added extra layers and deep meaning to the show. And as we pieced together the choral songs to fit the narrative, the members were also brilliant at contributing creative staging ideas.
Cast and Lili Jones
In July, an amazing professional cast, talented and kind came together for an intense two-week rehearsal period with Osian Huw, composer/musical director, Siwan Fflur, stage manager and me, in Coleg Cambria Wrexham. The actors were Dyfed Thomas, Lleuwen Steffan, Rhodri Trefor, Betsan Ceiriog, and Cadi Glwys. Two of the cast had strong connections with the club - Cadi’s late grandfather, Dai Davies, was a former goalkeeper for Wrexham and Wales, and at sixteen, Dyfed Thomas was offered an apprenticeship with Wrexham, but his father didn’t allow him to leave school. However, when he went to college, Wrexham arranged for him to train and play with Crystal Palace.
When footballer Lili Jones came to consult with us on the footballing elements of the show, she was captivated by the connection between the two and the club. I had met Lili at Pontio a few months earlier to talk about the show, and she was full of ideas and suggestions, sharing her experiences of playing on the pitch and the feeling of being in the middle of the crowd at the Cae Ras. Trying to recreate that feeling in the pavilion was important to the show. But I must admit, I had no idea how famous Lili Jones was , not until I phoned my dad after the meeting! She truly is a humble and inspiring young woman.
Cast, choir and band rehearsal
Everyone, the choir, cast and band came together for the first time at the Stiwt in Rhosllannerchrugog, and that’s also when the writer Manon Steffan Ros came to see a rehearsal for the first time. It was a big, important day and we felt embraced by the history of the old theatre in Rhos. I know the choir felt a buzz that Sunday afternoon at the Stiwt, watching the cast perform with the band. Lili Jones was also there, revealing to the choir that she’d be appearing in the show as a football scout. From then on I knew we all felt part of the same team aiming for the net.
Pavilion and opening night
Transferring the production to the large eisteddfod pavilion stage is always a challenge, but everyone approached the task with smiles and humor despite the pressure. The lighting and screen resources in the pavilion are fantastic, and I had commissioned artist Rhys Grail to create a special visual content inspired by the look of 1970s football magazines and match programmes.
Opening night at the Pavilion arrived, and a group of young people from Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Band Cambria and Rex the clubs mascot were there to help create an amazing pre-show atmosphere, a stadium warm-up to get the crowd ready. And then we kicked off with Elinor, a member of both the Cambrian Band and the choir, whistling the tune “Mewn i’r gôl” to start us off.
Seeing the audience respond - clapping to celebrate and to remember, shouting, crying, singing along, and raising their phone lights for the final song - was absolutely electrifying. But I will never, ever forget the reaction of the choir members backstage after the first performance - the pride, the tears, and the laughter.
It was a privilege and a truly special experience to be part of the Y STAND team - the closest I’ll ever get to playing in a football team at the Cae Ras in Wrexham.
