User:Iwanbrioc

Iwan Brioc is Artistic Director of Cynefin (est. 2000), a UK based platform for community activism through theatre. The activism takes on political, social, psychological or spiritual form, according to circumstance, and is always in the direction of greater awareness and freedom.

Iwan won a Creative Wales Award in 2006 for his work with Sensory Labyrinth Community Theatre, a new methodology which he is developing, inspired by the work of Theatre Anthropologist Enrique Vargas. This is after creating 12 Labyrinth performances with Cynefin colleague, Mike Hotson. All of which have had a profound impact on audiences and communities in Wales, Portugal, Ireland, Denmark and Bulgaria.

Cynefin’s 2005 project ‘Caerdroia’, saw the building of the biggest Labyrinth in the world in a forest in North Wales and is the training site for its Rites of Passage training for young people. It is also the site of regular performances by Cynefin with international casts.

Prior to this he was Co-Director of Theatr Fforwm Cymru (1997 – 2004), Wales national Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). Whilst there he developed the project ‘Rehearsal for Reality’, which was the first ‘national’ Legislative Theatre project in the world. Before that he worked as a freelance performer and production manager in Theatre in Education and over his career has had the privilege to study with several teachers including Augusto Boal, Adrian Jackson, Douglas Harding, Tony Wiseman, Ronald Eyre and David Bohm.

Iwan is a founding member of ‘Drums for Peace’ (est. 1999) an international network of artists and creative youth workers who bring together disadvantaged young people on youth exchanges with the challenge of creating a performance in 5 days. He also sits on the board of Wales Association of Community Artists, Voluntary Arts Wales and the National Youth Theatre of Wales Advisory Panel and is Chair of the charity Sound of Life.

Iwan has qualifications in film, psychology, youth work, dramatherapy and chi kung and is currently studying an MSc in Mindfulness based approaches to healthcare. He lives on the wild coast of West Wales with partner Louise and their three children Maia, Osian and Daniel.