A new opera, Fflamau Penyberth (Flames of Penyberth), will be performed at Memo Arts Centre in Barry on November 27, telling the story of three men who set fire to RAF Penrhos in North Wales in 1936.
The opera recounts the actions of Saunders Lewis, Lewis Valentine and DJ Williams, who carried out the arson attack and later turned themselves in to police.
Patrick Young, founder of OPRA Cymru and co-writer of the libretto, said: “To mark the 90th anniversary of an event which made an historic difference to the future of the Welsh language, the new opera is set to tour Wales with a stellar cast who have all worked with OPRA Cymru in the past.
“Gareth Glyn returns to work with OPRA Cymru to retell the extraordinary story of three God-fearing men who set fire to an airbase before they hand themselves in to police.”
The trio were sentenced to nine months in prison by a judge at the Old Bailey, and their return to Wales was met by a crowd of 15,000 who hailed them as heroes.
The opera has been commissioned by OPRA Cymru and features music by Anglesey composer Gareth Glyn, with a libretto by Mr Young and Arwel Vittle.
Mr Vittle, author of Cythral o Dân, a book about the incident, said: “There were protests and meticulous planning before the act itself and the subsequent court cases in Caernarfon and the Old Bailey and their imprisonment.”
The opera will premiere at Neuadd Dwyfor in Pwllheli on November 19 and will tour venues including Rhosllannerchrugog, Bangor, Swansea, Brecon, and Aberystwyth, before concluding in Pwllheli.
More information is available at www.opra.cymru.
