True story of mass prisoner escape inspires new Welsh dystopian play

Nation.Cymru Staff

A new play touring south Wales this autumn will use the true story of a mass escape by German prisoners of war to explore a fictional future in which civil liberties have been stripped away.

From Company of Sirens and Tanio, written by acclaimed Welsh playwright Tim Rhys and directed by Chris Durnall, Hut 9 is set in Bridgend, taking a story from the town’s past in a historical drama and combining it with a “deeply unsettling” version of its future.

On the night of 10 March 1945, 70 German prisoners of war escaped from Island Farm, tunnelling beneath the camp and disappearing into the darkness of the surrounding countryside.

More than 80 years later, Hut 9, where their escape began, has become something else. Island Farm has been rebuilt as a grim detention centre, civil liberties have been stripped away, dissent is dangerous, and freedom is but a memory.

As the stories of the 1945 escape and this terrifying future unfold alongside each other, the distance between past and present begins to collapse.

What starts as a story of prisoners escaping captivity becomes a much darker examination of power, extremism, political repression and what happens when ordinary people allow their freedoms to be taken from them.

Drawing on verbatim testimonies from local people and the history of Island Farm, the play explores political repression and resistance, exploring how quickly civil liberties can be eroded, what happens when dissent becomes a crime and how individuals might respond when their freedoms are threatened.

Cast and crew

The production will bring together a mix of established Welsh talent and emerging performers, including acclaimed actor Siwan Morris, returning to Company of Sirens following her performance in Ian Rowlands’ Water Wars, which was included in The Stage’s Best of Welsh Theatre 2025.

Welsh favourite Russell Gomer also joins the cast, bringing his “distinctive energy and mercurial style” to the production, as well as young Welsh performers Samuel Morgan-Davies and newcomer Gwern Phillips.

The production team is also providing opportunities for the next generation of Welsh creative talent, such as new graduate Lydia Durnall, who will take on the design, with lighting by Ceri James who brings a wealth of experience to the production.

An original live score by Welsh musician Stacey Blythe will create an atmospheric and immersive soundscape, adding another layer to the unsettling journey between past and future.

Community 

The production draws on the history, people and places of south Wales, while exploring wider social and political themes.

For Company of Sirens, the production continues the company’s work staging theatre across Wales and developing partnerships with local communities.

The production is being staged in partnership with Tanio Cymru, an arts organisation which works with communities across south Wales, particularly in disadvantaged areas across Bridgend county.

Tour

PORTERS, CARDIFF
Thursday 12th and Friday 13th November – 7 p.m.
Tickets: TicketSource

MAESTEG TOWN HALL
Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th and Friday 20th November – 8 p.m.
Thursday 19th  November – additional 11:30 a.m. performance
Tickets: Awen Box Office — Maesteg Town Hall

THEATR SOAR, MERTHYR TYDFIL
Saturday 21st November – 7.30 p.m.
Tickets: Theatre Soar

Suitable for audiences 14+ years. Contains scenes of violence and oppression. 

Hut 9 is supported by the Arts Council of Wales and the Awen Cultural Trust.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.