HUT 9: New Welsh play explores the dark parallels between a Second World War escape and a dystopian future
A powerful new play by Tim Rhys connects the real-life escape from Island Farm POW camp in Bridgend with a fictional future shaped by climate devastation, political oppression and resistance. HUT 9 tours South Wales this November, with performances in Cardiff, Maesteg and Merthyr Tydfil.
A daring escape from a Second World War prisoner-of-war camp becomes the starting point for a chilling vision of Wales's future in HUT 9, a new politically charged play written by Tim Rhys and directed by Chris Durnall. Blending historical events with dystopian fiction, the production explores the rise of authoritarianism, the erosion of civil liberties and the lengths people will go to survive under oppressive regimes.
Coming to venues across South Wales in November 2026, HUT 9 draws on verbatim testimonies from local people connected to the history of Island Farm POW camp in Bridgend. By bringing the events of 1945 into conversation with an imagined future in 2035, the play asks urgent questions about freedom, resistance and the warning signs of fascism.
From a historic escape to a dystopian Wales
On the night of 10 March 1945, German prisoners of war staged one of the most audacious escape attempts of the Second World War at Island Farm POW camp near Bridgend. Using a tunnel to break out of captivity, 70 prisoners escaped into the surrounding countryside, creating an extraordinary chapter in Welsh wartime history.
HUT 9 takes this remarkable event and reimagines its significance in a near-future Bridgend County, where the world has been transformed by climate catastrophe and authoritarian rule.
By November 2035, drones patrol the skies, oil has been outlawed and homes are partially submerged as rising waters reshape the landscape. As political control tightens, a group of people emerge into the harsh reality of a refugee camp. But this is no ordinary place of refuge. The historic prison camp has been rebuilt to hold a different kind of captive: people branded dissidents for challenging the ruling regime.
Moving between the two timelines, HUT 9 follows the experiences of guards and a prisoner, examining the psychology behind the rise of fascism and the ways ordinary people become complicit in systems of oppression. It also explores the quieter acts of courage, solidarity and survival that emerge when individual freedoms are under threat.
At the heart of the production is the infamous escape tunnel, which becomes a powerful theatrical connection between the past and the future. Linking imprisonment with escape, and oppression with resistance, the tunnel invites audiences to consider how history might inform our understanding of the present and the choices that shape our future.
Theatre rooted in Welsh communities
HUT 9 brings together Company of Sirens and Tanio, combining politically engaged theatre with strong community connections across Wales.
Company of Sirens follows the acclaimed all-Wales tour of Water Wars by Ian Rowlands, a production voted Best of Welsh Theatre 2025 and named among The Stage's 50 best productions in the UK. The company is recognised for creating topical, socially engaged theatre in collaboration with communities, arts organisations, local authorities and environmental groups.
Tanio brings extensive grassroots connections across Bridgend County, delivering high-quality arts experiences, particularly for communities in economically disadvantaged areas of South Wales. Its experience in community participation provides an important foundation for a production that draws on local history while exploring issues with contemporary relevance.
Through this collaboration, HUT 9 places Welsh history and community testimony at the centre of a story that reaches far beyond its geographical setting. The result is a production that connects a defining moment in Bridgend's past with questions about democracy, climate change and human rights that remain relevant today.
HUT 9 South Wales tour dates
Audiences can experience HUT 9 at the following venues in November 2026:
Porters, Cardiff: 12 and 13 November
Maesteg Town Hall, Maesteg: 18 and 20 November
Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil: 21 November
Combining historical testimony, dystopian storytelling and politically engaged theatre, HUT 9 offers a thought-provoking theatrical experience for audiences interested in Welsh history, contemporary theatre, climate change and the future of civil liberties.
By looking backwards to one of the most extraordinary escape attempts of the Second World War, the production asks audiences to look forwards, too. What happens when freedom becomes conditional, dissent becomes a crime and the institutions designed to protect people become instruments of control? And, when the walls begin to close in, what does it take to find a way out?
HUT 9 is written by Tim Rhys and directed by Chris Durnall. The production is presented by Company of Sirens in collaboration with Tanio and tours South Wales in November 2026.
