In 2015 I was approached by the prop department of the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff and asked to supply some hazel.

They were tasked with making a throne for the 'Queen of the Woods' character in Iain Bell’s adaptation of the epic poem by Welsh poet, writer and artist David Jones.

I had nothing to do with the making of the throne, unfortunately, but I did deliver the hazel personally and learned more about what they were aiming to achieve and had a brief tour of the prop department.  Very fascinating.

It wasn't a simple project as firstly the throne had to be lowered onto the stage with an actor sitting in it!  And, it also had to be fire proof to meet stage set design fire regulations, something wood naturally isn't!

The prop maker was hoping to produce something more natural looking but was forced to spray the whole chair with fireproof pain!  He REALLY disliked doing having to do this.  Which I totally understand, I'm not a fan of painted wood either.

But, I think he did a fantastic job.  The chair looks great sat outside the prop department but looks incredible in the photo of it being lowered onto the stage. 

I was very excited to have had a very tiny part in this project.