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Siôl (Shawl)
Siôl opened at Theatr Brycheiniog in September 2025. The play is currently being translated into Welsh and will tour in both English and Welsh in March 2027.
Siôl is a new play by Happy Dragons Theatre. The cast is bilingual, and the play can be performed in both Welsh and English.
Siôl draws on patients’ and nurses’ experiences of mental health care in the early twentieth century. Based on real historical events and recorded verbatim testimony, Siôl celebrates the strength, resilience and compassion of two remarkable Welsh women, Anwen and Mary. Siôl is theatre made for, with, and about the people of Wales and the stories of Anwen and Mary are rooted in the social history of this country.
The Story
In Senghenydd, 1905, Anwen eagerly anticipates the birth of her first child. In Cardiff, 1939, Mary passes her final nursing exam. Anwen and Mary are witnesses to Welsh history in the making: the religious revival, the Senghenydd Mining Disaster, the Dunkirk evacuations, the Cardiff Blitz and the birth of the NHS. They meet as patient and nurse at Pen-y-Fal Hospital (until 1948 known as the Monmouthshire Asylum and previously the Joint Counties Lunatic Asylum). A traditional Welsh nursing shawl, an emblem of caring and comfort, binds the friendship between Anwen and Mary.
The Inspiration
At the start of 2025, the writer and director, Rhona Richards, met Emma Bevan, the artist behind The Community Shawl, a project where the people of Abergavenny contributed fabric squares, each decorated to express something about the maker, to a ‘shawl’ inspired by the traditional Welsh nursing shawl. Emma used her grandmother’s nursing cape as a base for the squares; Emma’s grandmother began nursing in the 1940s and was a Matron at Pen-y-Fal Hospital.
Inspired by The Community Shawl, Rhona researched the history of Welsh nursing shawls and the experiences of patients admitted to Pen-y- Fal Hospital. The documentary evidence and verbatim recordings she discovered contributed to Siôl's narrative.
Meet the Creative Team - Siol September 2025
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Erica Eirian Actor
Erica has worked as a professional actor and director for over forty years. A founding member of Theatr Pena, an Arts Council of Wales-funded national touring company, she was the company’s Artistic Director from 2008 to 2019.
Most recently, Erica performed in The Gateway (a new play directed by Phil Clark) and in Morfydd, a film portraying the life of the Welsh singer and composer, Morfydd Llwyn Owen (directed by Andy Newberry for S4C). She is also known for playing Sian Davies in three series of the award-winning BBC comedy drama, The Indian Doctor.
Suzy O'Sullivan Actor
Suzy’s love of acting began when she performed at Christ College in Brecon. Her theatre credits include Jacqueline Picasso in Picasso’s Women, Chris in Calendar Girls, and Peggy in Lilies on the Land. Suzy also has experience in film and television, having appeared in Casualty, The Crown, Hidden, Sister Boniface and Father Brown.
When “resting” Suzy can be found roaming the hills in search of direction….
Marc Howard Williams Actor
Marc’s love of performing began at the age of 15, when he joined the Carmarthen Youth Opera playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Under the leadership of Elizabeth 'Liz' Evans (portrayed by Samantha Morton in the 2022 Sky Movie, Save the Cinema), the group stopped the demolition of the Lyric Theatre/Cinema in Carmarthen. Marc reprised the role of Judas in the BBC Wales documentary Youth Session, and also appeared as principal soloist on S4C's Christmas Eve broadcast Hedd y Byd.
After over 30 years as a primary school teacher, Marc recently returned to acting. Highlights include playing Glyn in the short film Pinch of Fantasy (Talu Studios) and, of course, appearing in Siôl at Theatr Brycheiniog.
Hannah Lloyd Actor
Hannah trained at the renowned Ivana Chubbuck studio in Los Angeles and gained a BA in Acting from Trinity University College. She has worked for National Theatre Wales, Company of Sirens, The Other Room, Winterlight Theatre, 3 Crate Productions, Living Pictures, Avant Cymru, Southbank Centre and Fluellen Theatre.
As a voice artist, Hannah was nominated for Best Audio Performance at the VOX Awards 2024 and recently recorded a new version of Under Milk Wood for Audio Café.
On screen, Hannah has worked with S4C, BBC Cymru, Treetops Films, Buffoon Media, Rockadove, Boom Cymru and Avanti.
Roisin Mellerick Actor
Roisin discovered her love of theatre, playing the role of Bottom at her school in Tunbridge Wells, and went on to study theatre at the University of Winchester. Roisin lives in Brecon and appears regularly in local productions and pantomime. She also directs for Brecon Little Theatre.
Roisin facilitates Theatr Wildcats, an inclusive company for adults with learning disabilities and also runs the youth theatre, Ghost Light Theatre Company. She is passionate about introducing Shakespeare to young people in a fun and accessible way and has directed several successful Shakespeare-ish productions.
Rhona Richards Writer and Director
Rhona is the Artistic Director of Happy Dragons Theatre, a professional theatre company based in Monmouthshire, Wales, committed to creating performance experiences for and with the community.
As an actor and director, Rhona has experience on stage and screen in the UK, the Channel Islands, and Luxembourg. Career highlights include performing Samuel Beckett's seminal works Not I and Footfalls, as well as premiering the improvised show The Virginia Monologues at the National Theatre of Luxembourg.
Rhona is passionate about theatre that is inclusive and accessible, and was previously an Artistic Associate with Side by Side Theatre, developing and producing theatre for learning-disabled and neurodiverse adults.