Busy Recording Week

 Hi Swantv Viewer

It has been a very busy week here at SwanTV. 

Sunday saw us at the rehearsals for Kipps, the Musical Theatre production that will be live at the Taliensin Theatre on the Swansea University, Singleton campus. This is being produced by the Cockett Amateur Operatic Society and is a far cry from the original Gilbert & Sullivan productions that they first produced. It was a vibrant lively morning with a very enthusiastic cast and we filmed some song and dance clips and short interviews. Live theatre died over the COVID pandemic when we all isolated and probably watched too much TV. 

It's time to get back into live theatre. It will support the theatres remaining open, it will support full-time actors, writers directors and producers, costume and set makers and all of those wonderfully talented people amateurs who want to perform on stage to make you laugh, cry and experience a full range of emotions. If you've not been to a live theatre show then I would highly recommend you give it a try. It can't be compared to a TV production of a show, like you can't really compare watching a sports match on TV or at the stadium, you don't quite get the excitement and thrill sitting on a sofa watching a screen.

Kipps is a re-write of the musical Half a Sixpence, which was on the London West End Stage in the early sixties. I guess younger viewers may not even know Tommy Steele but I remember seeing the show at the Cambridge theatre. And that musical was based on the book Kipps by H. G. Wells 150 years ago. He wrote War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, both which have been made into films and on TV. 

Monday evening we were at Matthew House in the High Street, the Church opposite the railways station to record the choir. The choir is a real mix of singers from all backgrounds who enjoy being together socially and also singing as a group. If you would like to try a session or join up then drop by the church where there will be someone to give you details and welcome you. 

Tuesday came around, St Valentine's Day and we met Capt Beany from Port Talbot in his colourful orange suit, tie and shoes. He shouted his way along the railway station platform and into town where he greeted people and presented them with orange roses. He certainly brightened up the day for some shoppers. Watch out for Capt Beany in future as he becomes a regular on SwanTV.

After a busy morning following Capt Beany it was time to walk to the Golden Bridge over Oystermouth Road where I met Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council. We went into the Arena and had a conversation in the auditorium about the regeneration of the city and the new projects recently completed or currently being build. The interview will be on the SwanTV website very soon. Watch out for it. And any comments will be welcome. I do think that Swansea has dramatically changed for the better in recent years and is a good place to live. You can be on the beach or in the countryside within 10 minutes from the city centre.

Wednesday started early preparing the studio where we were recording our first chat show. Our line up included Paul Evans the Safety Co-oprdination Officer for Swansea Council talking about how safe the city is now, in fact one of the safest cities in the UK. He spoke about the Purple Flag that Swansea achieved in previous years and which is up for re-assessment later this month. Later on Wednesday we filmed in Wind Street as you will read later.

Also on the show we had Capt Beany talking about his Valentine Day esacapade which will be included in the programme. He told us about the Eccentric Club in London and his award. He certainly is eccentric and this has probably helped him as he has constantly raised money for different charities around the area. 

And Finally we had cast members and the Assistant Director and Choreographer, Julie Hemmings, from Kipps the musical who talked anout their experiences and how the show is being prepared. We were fortunate in having Ashton Williams who plays Kipps, Natalie Edwards who plays Ann Pornick and Suzy Hambridge playing Helen Walsingham.   

I feel the show was a success and we are now editing it ready to be on the website in a day or two. This is our pilot show and I expected there to be some clitches but I feel you will find it a most enjoyable programme. We are looking for a name for the show that connects Swansea and a chat show. If you have an idea please send to ask@swantv.com.

Wendnesday Evening saw s in Wind Street talking to representatives of various agencies and groups who are concerned in making the night economy welcoming and safe, including doormen, taxi marshalls, the police, St Johns Ambulance, Bid, the landlords forum, rangers and the CCTV operators. All explaining what they do to make an evening in Swansea enjoyable and trouble free. Watch out for this film, soon on our SwanTV site.

And that rounds up the filming we have done. There were several hours work and now the editing is being carried out, and this is time consuming. So please bear with us for all of these programmes to be aired.

Thanks for reading this post. Keep watch SwnTV and do tell your friends. The app is available and is "swantv" one word. THis gives you the best smartphone experience and it is free.

 Regards

 

Mike Leahy, Direcor Swantv

Cost of Living Crisis

 Hi SwanTV Viewer

The cost of living is rising at an alarming rate that I cannot see how a new government team can stem the on-rushing tide of inflation and ease the burden on everyone, and in particular those with smaller incomes. Pensioners on fixed incomes who cannot increase that through working extra hours or often re-entering employment. Many have taken up work again either as full or part-time but this is not easy. As you get older you it takes more effort and more rest so that working even 4 hours can leave you ready to sleep. Those on low incomes and claiming Universal Credit can be trapped too. They may find that if they work longer hours then their universal credit payments decrease more than the increase in wages, so some may decide to continue with the status quo. 

And the government is now hanging fire on the announcement about pension and credit increases. Will the pensions triple lock increase be given or the government election promise be broken for a second year? Will universal credits be raised in line with inflation or a lower amount? And now the financial budget has been put back another three weeks so that millions are left in limbo wondering what their income will be in coming months.   

Contrast this to government and local authority pensions. All of these will increase with the rate of inflation. Nobody is making a comparison here. This increase appears to be under the radar. Should this contrast be allowed to continue in view of the fact that we are all paying for this increase in our taxes and council tax (the local authourity pays two thirds of the pension costs) when pensioners and those in receipt of Universal Credits are in the dark about the size of any increases?

So this leaves many families struggling. There are now on total more than 20 Food Banks or Food Shares in Swansea, and I find thgis unbelievable in the UK in 2022, it's almost as if we are a third world country! So what can we do? 

We have had 3 Prime Ministers in as many months and have become a world-wide laughting stock. Will this now settle down and we can start to grow again? Can our education system produce more scientists, linguists, doctors? More practical skills such as carpentry, domestic science? More life skills that will make life easier post-school, money matters, etiquette, job interview techniques, entrepreneurism? Apprenticeships are as important as a university degree, many skills are being lost! Can we believe in the current government or should we have a General Election because the trust has gone or the mandate that Boris Johnson won upon has changed with a new PM? Would the Labour Party have sufficient experienced MPs to be in the Cabinet? There are so many questions unanswered. So what should we do?

Food prices have rocketed in just a few brief months so that even basic dishes are becoming expensive, and ingedients such as milk, cooking oil, pasta, tea and most other essentials are sky-rocketing. You can cut back and go to own products and cheaper stores but it isn't helping right now. Gas And electricity may be pegged in price for a few months but the figure bandied around is an average one and for many people the cost will be much higher. Older people who need to keep warm and feed are finding it impossible and we hear distressing storiues daily. So what can we do?

Do you have an answer to any of these questions? Do you have a money saving idea? What are your views? Let us know. 

Mike Leahy  SwanTV