George Fisher (dramatist)

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Francis George Fisher ("FGF") (1909–1970) was a Welsh language dramatist and theatrical producer, born in Bargoed, Glamorgan. [1]

Welsh language Brythonic language spoken natively in Wales

Welsh or y Gymraeg is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa. Historically, it has also been known in English as "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric".

Bargoed town in the Rhymney Valley, in the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales

Bargoed is a town and community in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly and straddles the ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, with Bargoed originally lying within the old county of Glamorganshire whereas Aberbargoed was in the old county of Monmouthshire. 'Greater Bargoed', as defined by the local authority Caerphilly County Borough Council, consists of the towns of Bargoed, Aberbargoed and the village of Gilfach. The combined population of these settlements is approximately 13,000.

Glamorgan one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales

Glamorgan, or sometimes Glamorganshire,, is one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and West Glamorgan. The name also survives in that of Vale of Glamorgan, a county borough.

Contents

As a dramatist he is best known for Y Lleoedd Pell, Y Blaidd-Ddyn and Awena, as well as for the verse drama Y Ferch a'r Dewin (1958).

Biography

Born in Bargoed, Glamorgan, Francis George Fisher was educated at Lewis' School, Pengam, and at University College, Cardiff, where he captained the University swimming team before graduating in Mathematics in 1930. For a short period he was a teacher in a missionary college on the Gold Coast in West Africa; then in 1932 a mathematics teacher at Llangefni Grammar School, latterly Llangefni County Comprehensive, becoming deputy headmaster until his sudden death.

Pengam village in Wales

Pengam is a former coal village and community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, in Wales. It is also a community, containing itself and the nearby village of Fleur de Lys, and at the 2001 census it has a population of 3,842, rising slightly to 3,848 at the 2011 Census.

Ghana Republic in West Africa

Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2 (92,099 sq mi), Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. Ghana means "Warrior King" in the Soninke language.

Llangefni county town of Anglesey in Wales, United Kingdom

Llangefni is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. United Kingdom Census 2011 recorded Llangefni's population as 5,116 people, making it the second largest settlement on the island.

George Fisher (he preferred his middle name) began writing in English, publishing his first novel, One Has Been Honest, at the age of 21 before his graduation. He wrote many poems and stories, published in The Adelphi and The Twentieth Century during the 1930s, before turning to drama. His play The Disinherited was performed in Swansea's Little Theatre in July 1939.

Swansea City & County in Wales

Swansea, is a coastal city and county, officially known as the City and County of Swansea in Wales. Swansea lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr on the southwest coast. The county area includes Swansea Bay and the Gower Peninsula. Swansea is the second largest city in Wales and the twenty-fifth largest city in the United Kingdom. According to its local council, the City and County of Swansea had a population of 241,300 in 2014. The last official census stated that the city, metropolitan and urban areas combined concluded to be a total of 462,000 in 2011; the second most populous local authority area in Wales after Cardiff.

Fisher served in the Navy during World War II as a Lieutenant and, while he was in Iceland, he learned Welsh from Caradar's booklet Welsh Made Easy. From that time, he was intent on writing plays in Welsh, mastering 'cynghanedd'. He wrote at least five short plays between 1945 and 1952 and three long plays: Catrin (first prize in the National Eisteddfod at Dolgellau, 1949), Y Ferch a'r Dewin ("The girl and the wizard") (which shared first prize in the National Eisteddfod at Rhyl, 1953) and Merch yw Medusa ("Medusa is a girl"), 1951.

Arthur Saxon Dennett Smith was a Cornish bard, writer and linguist, known by the bardic name Caradar. He was born in Sussex, England, of Cornish parents and became a collaborator with Robert Morton Nance and Henry Jenner on the Gerlyver noweth Kernewek ha Sawsnek. He compiled several grammars to make learning Cornish easier and edited some of the surviving Cornish texts. He also wrote a series of books aimed at teaching Welsh to English speakers. He is buried at Amberley, Sussex.

In Welsh-language poetry, cynghanedd is the basic concept of sound-arrangement within one line, using stress, alliteration and rhyme. The various forms of cynghanedd show up in the definitions of all formal Welsh verse forms, such as the awdl and cerdd dafod. Though of ancient origin, cynghanedd and variations of it are still used today by many Welsh-language poets. A number of poets have experimented with using cynghanedd in English-language verse, for instance Gerard Manley Hopkins. Some of Dylan Thomas's work is also influenced by cynghanedd.

National Eisteddfod of Wales annual festival of Welsh-language culture

The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors typically number 6,000 or more, and overall attendance generally exceeds 150,000 visitors. The 2018 Eisteddfod was held in Cardiff Bay.

He also translated Andre Obey's play, Noa (1951). He produced thirty plays, twenty of these in Welsh, including all his own works and the memorably great productions of the plays of Saunders Lewis.[ citation needed ] He became a member of the Welsh Arts Council Drama Committee and was awarded the MBE for services to Welsh Theatre in 1958.

Saunders Lewis Welsh writer and politician

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Order of the British Empire order of chivalry of British constitutional monarchy

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.

His most important contribution was to ensure that Cymdeithas Ddrama Llangefni (Llangefni dramatic society) had a permanent home, with the opening of Theatr Fach in Pencraig, Llangefni, on 3 May 1955. [2] He was made director of the theatre and realised his vision of an amateur theatre, regularly presenting plays of truly professional standard in Welsh and English. Theatr Fach celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2005 and this is his monument.

Fisher died at his house in Llangefni in 1970. [3]

Legacy

Fisher's contribution to the theatre in Wales has been described as vital. Most surviving works and papers are retained in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, in the archives departments in the University of Wales, Bangor, and with the archivist in Llangefni.

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References

  1. ↑ [ clarification needed ] ("dramatist, was born at Bargoed, Glam., and educated at University College, Cardiff. ... He published three one-act plays, Y Lleoedd Pell, Y Blaidd-Ddyn and Awena, all of which are undated, and a verse play...")
  2. ↑ 'The rapid advance of Theatr Fach Llangefni to a leading role came through purposefully aiming at a higher level than just satisfying a creative urge latent in most communities'. Western Mail; 20 September 1960
  3. ↑ ("George Fisher died in 1970, at his house in Llangefni, Anglesey (Ynys Mon). )
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