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 Anna Gifford was the co-founder of Theatr Fforwm Cymru with partner in crime, Gill Dowsett. A disaffected art teacher and youth theatre fanatic, she was also a walking paradox. One day would see her driving a mini-bus (full of very colourful young people) to the Big Green Gathering, and the next day she would be expressing outrage at something, and using idiosyncratic phrases such as "Good heavens to Betsy" or "Oh my paws and Whiskers". We put it down to the fact that her parents met at the Royal College of Arts, and whilst her Dad was from the Gorbals in Glasgow, her Mum was from an aristocratic family of doctors in Oxfordshire. Somehow she managed to embrace the paradox with panache and this coupled with the fact that she toted the reddest hair in the West, meant that Anna was unforgettable.
However it wasn't just this that made her unforgettable, Anna had a passion for change and a passion for life. This passion clearly left it's mark on many thousands of people, many of them young. Indeed despite her untimely and tragic death, she is still very much alive and in the hearts and minds of many of us. In the world of Theatre of the Oppressed she has also clearly left her mark. She was courageous, creative, adventurous, funny and mischievous, what more could you ask for from a "Joker" and a Director. Anna is still hugely influential in the work of Theatr Fforwm Cymru. Thanks Anna, the work lives on.
Goodbye Anna Gifford.
 On Saturday January 22nd I drove with a heavy heart through cold, strong winds and driving rain to a small crematorium out in the country near Narberth to say goodbye to Anna Gifford. There was already a good crowd gathered shivering and sheltering from the rain - her husband Chris, her two daughters Bubsy and Deri and a number of her friends and work colleagues. All of us still sad and bemused and not quite believing this was happening.
The numbers swelled and we filtered into the chapel area. We filled that, we filled the gallery and the stairs and the foyer too. It was getting a bit crushed but still friendly and respectful. We were told that Anna had said recently in response to the question “Why do you do this work?” that she did it because “I want to work with lots and lots of people so that I can have a big funeral”. Well she got that right.
Then began a splendid - what do you call it - service, event, send-off, gathering? It certainly didn’t feel like a funeral. Perhaps it really was a huge, joint goodbye. I am sure Anna would have had us all in a huge circle saying how we felt and marking it out of ten.
The celebrant Rachel Matthews did a brilliant and difficult job leading the goodbye event . She adopted a friendly narrator-type style that immediately warmed everyone up and completely changed the feel of the whole procedure. It gave a special sort of context to all that followed. She even told jokes. We heard from Kez who told us of his work with Anna in the youth theatre; and Mike read beautiful pieces from Deri and Bubsy All of it not so much about what she had done but the person she always was; that straight forward, honest, see through all the nonsense, energetic get up and fix person that we all knew now that we could never replace.
Gill - her partner in crime for so many years - spoke beautifully about the beginnings of their work together. It was a tough thing to do and we all admired her for doing it. But we knew she would. Anna would have expected it. Clutching a small bag of props she stood in front of us, abandoned her notes, and spoke from the heart. As Anna would have said “You’ll be OK. Just wing it”. Gill placed a single flower on the coffin from all of those that had contacted Theatr Fforwm Cymru or the family who could not be there. A poignant moment.
Chris’ words were read by Rachel – his loss palpable as he finished with “There will only ever be one Anna”.
And then Anna somehow took over her own goodbye with that sense of irreverence that we all knew and respected. The coffin was committed - always a difficult moment - with an expression she might well have used herself - “Oh bugger” and we all sang the full version of the Monty Python song “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” with the words helpfully supplied in the service booklet. Anna was not a theatre director for nothing.
It was a tremendous event and one I shall remember for always. Many people then went back to Goodwick and shared stories, ate, drank, cried, hugged and remembered. I drove home in the rain. And I gave it a ten out of ten Anna. Maybe it should be eleven. I did feel better and we had all said our own goodbyes
Anna was a wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was a great director, forum worker, helper, advisor and counsellor. In the last few years she had adopted the policy of one new challenging activity per year and had become a good diver and rock climber amongst other things. She lived as she believed: this is not a rehearsal.
On the front of the goodbye booklet it said boldly “I ain’t dead”. Well she ain’t. She is just watching us all making sure we continue all the great work she had a hand in starting. She will always be there for me every time I start a new project or work on some issue with young people reminding me what this work is really about and who it is for.
I have started a new expression. From now on every time I stand up to make a point, to interfere and to shout against people talking a load of strategic, meaningless guff and bullshit and pleading with them to get on with the real work, I’m going to call it Doing an Anna.
Please join me in this to strengthen our memory of this great human being.
From Robin Hall, Arts Development Officer, city and county of Swansea. |
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