CORNISH-BASED artistic director Mydd Pharo has launched a new multi-disciplinary arts company following his departure from Wildworks.

Mydd joined the immersive theatre company at its inception 20 years ago, and, for the last five years, has served as Wildworks’ Artistic Director. Mydd’s new creative organisation is entitled Daur, which means ‘a form of dare, a dare to be courageous’ in the Celtic language.

Daur hopes to be an experiment in theatre and multi-disciplinary arts with a goal to create courageous productions and experiences that embrace fear, experimentation, innovation, collaboration and joy.

Mydd has been a vital part of Wildworks since it began in 2005, having worked closely with the founder Bill Mitchell. He became artistic director in 2020 and recently created and directed Stranger Beasts which performed to sold out audiences in the dramatic landscape of Geevor Tin Mine.

As artistic director he led all aspects of the creative vision, both of the company and of the productions, whilst the Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation worked through a careful evolution following the untimely death of Bill Mitchell in 2017.

Alongside his extensive Wildworks canon of work, Mydd has also crafted immersive work for the likes of Kneehigh, Punchdrunk, The National Theatre and the Globe. With every project, creation and story he has pushed himself to find the new, whilst exploding the ordinary.

Mydd said: “I have had the time of my life making work at the core of Wildworks for two decades, having started this journey with the legend that was Bill Mitchell, from whom I learnt so much over the years. I have loved being at the heart of growing, nurturing and provoking the creative vision and ambition of the company, which has been like no other.”

“From designing the 72-hour epic that was The Passion in Port Talbot to imagining and directing I AM KEVIN the performance and cinema film release. From the privilege of creating work alongside communities in Palestine, to the pleasure of conceiving and creating the We are Shining programme throughout Cornwall, culminating in Stranger Beasts, the company, the people and the work will hold a very special place in my heart forever. I feel very proud of the work I made alongside Bill, and also proud of the work we have created over my time as Artistic Director of the company.”

Mydd continues, “However, now, it’s time for me to carve my own path of work and experiment, with my new company Daur - a Celtic word meaning ‘dare to be courageous’ - which I am very much looking forward to feeding and growing. With Daur, it’s out with safe and in with courage, joy, radical kindness and wonder. We are already at work on our plans for 2025 and will be revealing details of the developments, and key collaborators, in the very near, and very exciting, future.”

Further details of Daur can be found at www.daur.co.uk