Our History
Festival was founded in 1969 by Jack Beckett.
He was a drama lecturer running arts camps in and around St Davids. While there he discovered the huge potential of the Bishop's Palace in St Davids as a theatrical venue, as well as the beauty of the surrounding area. He was the leader of a thriving youth drama group in Birmingham, and in 1969 he brought them to St Davids for a rich variety of theatrical experiences. Thirty-five years later, we are still going strong and some of the first members are now organising the event. About 2000 people see our plays each summer and many plan their holidays accordingly!
In the intervening years we have put on a wide variety of performances, which eventually evolved into a pattern. We now produce a Shakespeare play or classic drama in the spectacular ruins of the Bishop's Palace, together with a lively children's production, usually interactive in some way, in the local Secondary School hall. We also perform an evening of poetry, prose and music on a theme in the Bishop's Palace undercroft on a Sunday night, and we do free shows on the beach using improvised drama and songs. There are no auditions; we will work with anyone who wants to try!
About Us
Festival Arts is a unique organisation, staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers, which takes a drama company to St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales for three and a half weeks each summer to put on plays.
Doing Festival is hard work and big commitment, but worth it. There are no free evenings, as we do a show every night. We put the performances together in a week, working from morning into the night. Rain does not stop play! However, this process usually results in very rewarding productions, and once all the shows are on the road we do get a chance to visit the beaches and local area. Friendships are quickly forged and the social side of Festival is special. There are no 'stars' (rarely any understudies either) and everyone helps with the box office, publicity, refreshments and setting and striking the shows.
After the show it takes a long time to wind down, and conversation and walks under the stars go on into the night. There is a general stores and a pub in the village. It is impossible to 'police' the company all the time, and we would not wish to do so. Older members are aware of the younger ones and care for them in a quiet way. Any serious concerns are brought to our attention. As we all live on the same site, we're always available. The company as a whole are responsible for their own risk assessment and this is discussed as a group each year. The work, atmosphere and overriding need to give a good performance every night encourage self control. Festival has a 'no illegal drugs' policy, made clear from the start every year.
