We’ve been delighted to see that Dylan Thomas has been the inspiration for some wonderful performances and creativity during our period of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and we thought we’d collect some to share on this page.
A wonderful socially distanced excerpt from Under Milk Wood performed by alumni of the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company. You might spot some familiar voices and faces.
On #R4Today some of the BBC’s best known voices will offer their favourite poems of #comfortandhope.
Here Jeremy Bowen reads the first and last verses of Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas – a poem which hung in his childhood home and reminds him of his father.https://t.co/RuQfBpgors pic.twitter.com/ZB5jr73MTu
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) April 3, 2020
Cerys Matthews has gone on to read further extracts from Dylan’s work for the PM programme.
A few weeks back, a PM listener asked for @cerysmatthews to read from Under Milk Wood for our daily moment of escape. Many of you said, could Cerys read a little more Dylan Thomas? So she has. On @BBCPM from Monday. Starting with Fern Hill @BBCRadio4 pic.twitter.com/R8nM9g8GhR
— Owenna Griffiths (@omrgriffiths) April 24, 2020
Actor Sam West has been recording requested poems each day during lockdown for a Pandemic Poems project. Fern Hill was his first recording of a Dylan Thomas poem. We would highly recommend West’s daily readings as a wonderful way to discover new poems and poets.
Today’s poem was the Reverend Eli Jenkins’ Prayer from Under Milk Wood. It feels even more appropriate at bedtime.
(I’ve loved it for years. My wife was born in Swansea & her mum & Dylan Thomas went to the same school.) pic.twitter.com/P8Q6jobh7n— Gyles Brandreth (@GylesB1) April 14, 2020
This is a lovely film shot during lockdown in Italy at the beautiful Gardens of Ninfa. It takes a look at the story of one of Dylan’s patrons, Marguerite Caetani, and includes two of Dylan’s poems beautifully read in Italian.
Swansea’s Lighthouse Theatre have produced this lovely adaptation of Dylan’s much-loved 1947 radio broadcast Return Journey.
Although recorded just before lockdown, we thought you might like to hear American poet Greg Brownderville’s talk on Dylan Thomas.
Recordings of Dylan Thomas’s words have been appearing regularly on social media, here are a few we’ve spotted.
Dylan Thomas’ powerful villanelle for his dying father.
Subscribe to the YouTube channel for more literature.https://t.co/PAvzejMHJQ#InternationalPoetryCircle @PoetrySociety @dylanthomasnews @DylanThomas_100— Poetry from the Shires (@ArthurLWood) May 1, 2020
Day 3 of #MayinVerse is The Hand That Signed The Paper, by Dylan Thomas. pic.twitter.com/8y6Pq0C5HJ
— Librarian Lizz (@LibrarianLizz) May 3, 2020
Couchcast: An apt and relevant quote from Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Read by Jason Couch.#couchtheatre #hamburg #theatre #readings #rehearsedreadings #couchcast #jasoncouch #undermilkwood #dylanthomas #disinfectant #llaregub #laugharne #englishlanguage #Wales #actor pic.twitter.com/qxx0jgbfev
— Couch Theatre (@_CouchTheatre) April 28, 2020
Happy #PoemInYourPocket Day! Let’s all take time today to read and share a favorite poem. Share a picture or video and be sure to tag @COREInc!
Kicking us off, Linda Diamond shares one of her favorite poems, a classic by Dylan Thomas. pic.twitter.com/TFtJvB8oLg
— CORE, Inc. (@COREInc) April 30, 2020
The final verse of Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas…”Time held me”… oooh I just love it.
Please feel free to listen and use it as you wish #IsolationLife #homeschool #homelearning #education #edutwitter #PrimaryRocks #readingrocks #EducationintheTimeofCOVID pic.twitter.com/0r1P6fLEMY— Emma from EmmisStories (@EmmisStories) April 15, 2020
Me reading Notes on the Art of Poetry by Dylan Thomas. pic.twitter.com/Bq5Ye87B2f
— Gareth L Powell (@garethlpowell) April 6, 2020
@SupportBritish @DylanThomas_100 #AfterLife2 pic.twitter.com/vwnD8wRkdM
— Kerry Wales (@kerrywales) April 27, 2020
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night-Dylan Thomas. A very popular selection. Thank you so much @patriciascoltock @small_time7 @sybs92 @mdbcarroll1 @meglouwatts and many more. Oodles of love, Tom x #justthetonic pic.twitter.com/5nZjjVOCpr
— Tom Read Wilson (@TomReadWilson) March 31, 2020
We hope there’ll be more Dylan Thomas inspiration to enjoy during these difficult times, particularly on May 14th, International Dylan Thomas Day. If you know of any we might have missed, perhaps add them as a comment on this post. Stay safe.