About
ABOUT US

Organisation Summary:

Avant Cymru are a forward thinking theatre company. Creating relevant, distinctive theatre, dance, Hip Hop and research activity with and for our community and championing this work at home and afar.

Vision Statement:

We’re working towards a future where we and our communities create cultural opportunities with hope, pride and ambition. 

Where we remember the past, discuss the present and create the future, together. 

And where our experiences and imaginations inspire people locally, nationally and internationally.

Mission Statement: 

We listen to and showcase the hopes, dreams, and stories of individuals and groups in our communities. 

We do this through co-creating new work, facilitating classes and workshops, discussions and performances, and providing work and training.

Conversation is central. We create anti-discriminatory, trauma-informed spaces to make sure that what matters, can be heard. We dissolve the divisions between artist, audience and participant to co-create original and relevant, compelling and imaginative, performances. 

We use the creative forms that are relevant to our communities - including theatre, dance, Breakin’, Hip Hop, film, visual art, and music and associated skills. 

We make in the Rhondda and Wrexham and nurture talent here in. We showcase through often unexpected community, arts, sporting, and heritage platforms. We inspire locally, nationally and internationally, and we grow and flourish together. 

Avant are a Freelance Collective - meet some of our Freelancers

Rachel Pedley

Rachel founded Avant in September 2015, having moved back home to the Rhondda, with the aim of providing further opportunities for professional artists to collaborate, create, teach in the Valleys and develop work to tour to showcase the valleys diverse stories.

Rachel is an actress, dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Rachel trained as a performer at Swindon Dance and then London Studio Centre, she was part of the Pineapple Performing Arts Troupe and has worked in TV, Film, the West End, and regional theatre professionally since 2006, for companies including the BBC, most recently Sony and Netflix. Rachel has a degree in Dance in Education for the Royal Academy of Dance. 

Rachel has a passion for the community which came from childhood when she would listen to her grandfather sing and perform in a Welsh Male Voice Choir. Rachel is neurodiverse and has epilepsy, as a young person she was anxious and had low confidence, often keeping her head down, in her dance classes her teachers reminded her to stand en avant, with her head up, eyes forward. This is the inspiration behind Avant's name, head up and look forward, feel more confident in ourselves and each other. 

Rachel is on the national committee for Equity, and one of Wales's Union Learning Reps, she is passionate about opportunities for all. 

Yannick Budd

Yannick has been a key member of the Avant acting team since 2015. Starring in Love Labours Won, Killer Cells, Rhondda Road, Forget Me Not, Twelfth Night, Henry V and most recently the lead in the "Scottish Play".

Yannick is an actor, he initially trained at The Bristol Acting Academy and then at the Identity Acting School. 

He has performed at the Bristol Old Vic as part of the Ferment Festival and also has  been featured in a film that has been included in the 2020 Canne Film Festivals short film corner. 

Yannick's favourite productions he has worked on so far with Avant have been  Forget Me Not and Rhondda Road: 

"what I loved most about these shows, which really somes up why I love working with Avant, is that the site specific nature of the shows meant that the audience were basically apart of it. In fact, they even engaged with us at points. As a performer that's really interesting and requires you to be as present as possible. No two shows were ever the same which is basically what acting is all about anyway. I can't wait to do again"

Yannick became a company director in 2018. 

Jamie Berry

Jamie joined Avant in 2018 as a dancer on People Picture Power Perception. For his performance he gained special mention in reviews. Since then he has grown with the Hip Hop Theatre side of the company, choreographing on the Open Art Surgery showcase and developing his show 'Dark Thoughts - How do you add your colour?" Jamie is passionate with using Hip Hop to improve health and well-being and we will be building hip hop for health and well-being opportunities, including regular classes and shows. 

Jamie works with UK Breakin' and Avant to develop Breakin' education, his aim is to raise standards and create opportunities for his students and to share his practice with other teachers, developing Breakin' for the future including the Olympic opportunities. 

Jamie was awarded Wales Creative Tutor of the Year Award 2020 and, he was shortlisted in the One Dance UK Awards for his Breakin' for Better Mental Health work.

Jamie trained at Swindon Dance, Circus Space and MHTC. He was one of the UK's first CAT scheme graduates from the YDA Urban course.  He has performed with companies such as Boy Blue Ent. He is an experienced BBoy, Hip Hop dancer and choreographer.  

Jamie became a company director in 2019 as the Hip Hop Theatre representative on the board. Join Jamie in his breakin' classes. 

Cler Stephens

Cler joined Avant as a director in 2022. She has worked with the company since 2017 in the production of Forget Me Not and in the outreach work for Hiraeth.
Cler Trained at Queen Margaret College Edinburgh.
She has had a varied career working for many companies around Wales. Recently, Fairygodmother - Sleeping Beauty - Torch Theatre dir. Peter Doran
Our Werth - Tales & Tea - Sherman theatre dir. Bethan Morgan
Mami/Gillian Anderson - Petula - NTW/TGC/aug012 dir. Mathilde López
Eira - The Return/Y Dychweliad - Re-Live dir. Karin Diamond
Nerys - Star Over Burma - Taliesin by/dir. Rhodri Hugh Thomas
35 Times - Mercury Theatre Wales dir. Bethan Morgan
Belonging - Re-Live by Karin Diamond dir.Peter Doran
Emily Davies - Forget Me Not - Avant Cymru dir. Rachel Pedley
Short film/video
Jeff by Alun Saunders - dir Carri Munn Claire Cage
Doorman by Rich Matthews - dir. Rich Matthews
Lastcall by Feral productions - dir. Estelle van Wormelo
Who Cares by Larry Allan - Chris McGaughey Likeanegg Productions
Fairygodmother digital - Bleinham Palace
Hen Fenyw Fach - Hewlfa Drysor - Avanti
Blue /Glas - by/dir. Heledd Wyn Hardy
Co founder and director of LaLaLa Productions
Associate Swank street theatre
Previous associate theatre Peña and Cardifferent Tours
Medical and training role-player UHW, Pharm. PRP, Interact,
Roleplay Reactors, Omidaze.
Drama workshops, facilitator and creative enabler for Hijinx Theatre
and associate practitioner with Re-Live.

Eric Kwesi

Eric joined Avant in 2021 as an actor in Henry V, joining us again in 2022 for the “Scottish Play”, and being involved in some research and development projects for Avant and East15. 

Having studied Law at university, his love of storytelling was very apparent, but the field just wasn’t the right for him. Starting their acting career in 2011 in a Masters students final , Eric developed their craft through short films, adverts and workshops. Prior to joining Avant, Eric had limited stage experience, but was keen to expand his repertoire.

Avant has created many various opportunities to freelancers (and continues to do so), an example being stage combat courses. Courses like these aren’t frequently run in Wales, and are often not affordable, however with Avant’s passion to develop performers, it’s allowed Eric to become an accredited advanced stage fighter. 

His inquisitive mind has pushed Eric to question and learn more about the various roles in the arts industry and beyond. Leaning into their background In learning and development, and as a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, Eric has brought some new perspectives when working with Avant. 

Collaborations

Breakin'

Avant Cymru's and our students from the breakin' classes are members of UK Breakin'. 
The teachers are safeguarded and DBS checked through the UK Breakin' membership. 
The breakers will be participating with upcoming CPD opportunities with UK Breakers, will be participating in UK jams to earn places in the league tables.  


Become a member of UK Breakin'


Dramatic Combat

Avant have performed dramatic combat during our performances since the first slap in Love Labours Won. The need for Actors to continue to train on specialist skills is important and in 2020 we used our ACW Culture recovery to make sure freelancers had the opportunity to upskill their dramatic combat skills. What better way to keep social distance than using swords. 

Since then we have continued to train with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat and gain the accreditations. 
Avant intend to continue to work with the BADC to offer further accreditations. 

We have 8 actors who are qulaified at intermediate level, with qualifications in Rapier, Unarmed, Single Arming Sword, Dagger, Sword and Shield, Long Sword, Axe and Shield and Rapier and Dagger. 

Upcoming Dramatic Course
Winter 2023 - keep an eye out on this space
proudly supported by

Get in touch

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