Author name: Diana Budge

The Woman on the Hill: A Story Rooted in Community and Climate Action Mercury Theatre Wales has long been known for creating powerful new theatre that reflects the voices and concerns of local communities. With The Woman on the Hill, the company turns its focus to one of the most urgent challenges of our time: climate change — and the ways it affects the people and places closest to home. Inspiration from the Coast For years, the company had wanted to explore climate change on stage, but as Artistic Director Bethan Morgan explains, “It’s such a huge topic that it was difficult to know where to start.”That direction came during their first Research and Development phase, when Mercury Theatre Wales held community discussions around the Welsh coast. “It wasn’t until we began those conversations that the problems of rising sea levels and flooding really stood out as a starting point for the play,” says the team. “People spoke passionately about how climate change was not just an abstract issue, but something already shaping their lives.” Meet Carys – Courage, Loss, and Hope At the heart of the story is Carys, a young woman from a small Welsh seaside village. By […]

THE WOMAN ON THE HILL Mercury Theatre Wales – ‘The Woman on the Hill – Y Fenyw ar y Bryn’ A brand new production about climate change Mercury Theatre Wales presents The Woman on the Hill, a new theatre production exploring the impact of climate change on Welsh coastal communities. The story follows 25 years in the life of Carys, a woman living by the sea, whose loss of her partner inspires her to educate her village about the challenges of rising tides and environmental change. The production features seven original songs by Bethan Morgan and Dan Lawrence, performed by an ensemble of actor-musicians, blending storytelling, theatre, and music to make the complex issue of climate change accessible and engaging. Performances: Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard – Thursday 30th & Friday 31st October, 7:30pm Join us for this thought-provoking and inspiring show, followed by a short post-show discussion. For more information, contact info@mercurytheatrewales.co.uk There will be a short post-show discussion. Book here

Big Sky Workshops: Creative Journeys for Children in North Pembrokeshire   SPAN Arts are delighted to announce a brand-new series of free creative workshops for children aged 8–13 years in North Pembrokeshire, supported by Children in Need. The Big Sky Workshops are designed to support children’s emotional wellbeing and mental health through creativity, fun, and connection. Living in remote rural and island communities can sometimes feel isolating – these sessions offer a safe and inspiring space for young people to explore their imagination, learn new skills, and make new friends. Workshops take place fortnightly on Thursdays, 5pm – 6.30pm at Newport Boat Club, Parrog, Newport (SA42 0RP). Each is led by a talented professional artist who will guide children through exciting projects, from willow weaving to clay work, sun printing, and even animation. Here’s the line-up: 25 Sept & 9 Oct – Daisy Buckle (Willow Work): Weaving stars & textile dreamcatchers  23 Oct & 6 Nov – Suzon Lagarde (Cardboard Cutouts): Inside the Picture – create your own 3D scenes  20 Nov & 4 Dec – Brook Morgan (Illustration & Animation) Stop Motion Animation  8 Jan & 22 Jan – Linda Norris (Cyanotype & Fabric Printing): Winter Light – sun

Love Stories to Nature – Community Call Out    Join us to take part in our latest Love Stories to Nature project ‘Trysor y Môr’ (Treasure of the sea). Artist Deryn May will create an immersive installation using seaweed, light, film and sound.Join Deryn for the following sessions: At the Seashore –Collecting seaweed – 8th October  At SPAN Arts Narberth –Sewing seaweed – 15th October  Exhibition opening – 19th November  Welcome Wednesday – 26th November  Let us know you’re coming by emailing:info@span-arts.org.uk Book Here Previous Commissions Songs Of The Land / Canueon Y Tir by James Williams Natural Consequences by Gillian Stevens, Geraldine Hurl, Jackie Biggs, Tina Gould The Voice of The River by Katie Jones The Gentle Painting Project by Rhiannon Rees Becoming Nature by Lou Luddington  Mothers of Nature by Hannah Darby, Meg Haines, Emma Stevens Date Nature by Emily Laurens.  A Gathering Tide by Bronwen Gwillum & Gilly Booth – film coming soon. Our Branch the Stopped Singing by Billy Maxwell Taylor Songlines by Charlotte Cortazzi & Sue Kullai The Pull by Sam Walton Seed to Flight by Sarah Sharpe & Louise Carey Support Arts for Social Change with a one-off donation! YOUR in person donations add up to enough to fund half of

Enjoy Every Minute / Mwynha Pob Munud Eight weeks of free creative workshops in Milford Haven for mothers with children 5 and under Hi there fellow mamma! Are you looking for a space to breathe, unwind, and connect in a supportive space with other local mums? Join us for 8 weeks of free, creative workshops designed especially for mums of children aged 5 and under. WHEN? STARTING WEDNESDAY 17th SEPTEMBER running weekly until 12th NOVEMBER  (with a break for half term on the 29th October) WHAT TIME? 10am – 12pm (with a break. Free tea, coffee & cake and drinks and snacks for your little ones) WHERE? First four sessions: MILFORD HAVEN LIBRARY Last four sessions: THE PILL SOCIAL CENTRE, MILFORD HAVEN Right, that’s all the boring bits out the way, phew! Let us introduce ourselves! We are Ceri & Angharad. Two mums who work in the arts and both struggled with our mental health after having children. Finding moments to still be creative whilst juggling the rollercoaster of highs and lows of the postpartum period helped us cope and stay well. We want to offer support by sharing  these skills with you, so we have created this project – ENJOY EVERY

SPAN’s Big Sing! SPAN’s Big Sing brings Songs of the Land and Street Art Opera films to the Saundersfoot harbourside schooner! Event Details: Date: 24th of May Time: 7:30pm onwards Location: Saundersfoot Harbour Price: FREE. No booking required. Please contact info@span-arts.org.uk to discuss access requirements. Join us for SPAN’s Big Sing at Saundersfoot Harbour on the 24th of May. In this celebration of music, performance and song, we are joined by Music Theatre Wales with their new Street Art Opera films, and composer James Williams with the final massed choral performance of his Love Stories to Nature Commission, Songs of the Land. Songs of the Land is the final performance for SPAN’s most recent Love Stories to Nature Commission. In this project, James Williams has composed a choral piece of music that celebrates the coming together of stories gathered from choirs across Pembrokeshire, reflecting our changing relationship to the land. In this massed choral performance, all of the choirs who contributed to James’ composition will perform the final piece at Saundersfoot Harbourside for the first time. Stay with us until after dark, where Music Theatre Wales’ new Street Art Operas will enliven the Saundersfoot Coastal Schooner with large-scale, cinematic projections. These new

Look back at The Narberth A Cappella Festival 2025 After another wonderful celebration of a cappella music, take a look back at the Narberth A Cappella Festival 2025 and re-live the joy of the Singing Feast, Workshops and Final Concert. We would like to extend a huge thank you to the artists, volunteers, committee members,  SPAN team and funders for their support of this year’s festival, contributing to the success of this much-loved celebration of a cappella music. Singing Feast The Singing Feast was a warm and inviting event with delicious food from our chefs Ifti Ahmed, Moomal Shah and Melissa Sharpe, with glorious bite-sized workshops from Helen Yeomans, Yasmine Latowski, Jamie Dawes-Hughes, and  Maya Waldman. We would also like to give special thanks to Molara, who compared the evening and delivered a wonderful vocal sharing workshop. Vocal Workshops The vocal workshops demonstrated the diversity of a cappella music. We would like to thank the exceptional vocal artists, Stacey Blythe, Yasmine Latowski, Pheobe Martha, Jay Okwulehie, Helen Yeomans and Jamie Dawes-Hughes, who delivered these workshops. https://span-arts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/NAF-Workshops-2025.mp4 Community Choirs Concert The Community Choirs Concert, provided an outstanding finale to this year’s festival, showcasing some of the best of community choirs from

Swyn: A Spellbinding Outdoor Circus and Dance Show Celebrating Women, Ritual and Rural Life Comes to Pembrokeshire this Summer BOOK NOW This August, SPAN Arts is proud to present Swyn, a breathtaking new outdoor performance from Collective Flight Syrcas, staged in the heart of the lush and tranquil Colby Woodland Gardens. Surrounded by towering trees, birdsong, and the magic of the Pembrokeshire landscape, this unforgettable show invites audiences to pause, gather, and connect. Event Details: Location: The Meadow, Colby Woodland Gardens, Pembrokeshire Date: Saturday 2nd August 2025 Times: Performance 1 – 1pm | Performance 2 – 4pm (each approx. 45 minutes) Tickets: Pay What You Can – starting at £5 For ticket holders who need access support to attend, we offer a free ticket for their companion, carer or personal assistant. Contact 01834 869323 to book your carers ticket. Swyn (the Welsh word for “spell” or “charm”) is an atmospheric, multi-sensory experience that honours the women and the work that came before us. Through a powerful fusion of contemporary circus, acrobatic dance, bilingual storytelling, and original song, this performance evokes themes of memory, ancestry, and belonging. The show is performed on an outdoor aerial rig, surrounded by symbolic props—pails of

  Love Stories to Nature Commissions From beach art and bugs, to circus and queer ecology the Love Stories to Nature Commission from SPAN Arts in Pembrokeshire has explored the county’s connection to the environment. The Love Stories environmental commission builds positive conversations around environment and climate change in our rural communities through artist-led creative projects. The project supports creatives to work locally and give platform to diverse voices and discussions .This multi-art form commission has supported films and mockumentaries, workshops and circus shows, photography exhibitions, textile projects, massed choral performance and natural paint making to name just a few of the diverse responses to the brief of the Environment.  Read about the commissioning process here. Previous Commissions Songs Of The Land / Canueon Y Tir by James Williams Natural Consequences by Gillian Stevens, Geraldine Hurl, Jackie Biggs, Tina Gould The Voice of The River by Katie Jones The Gentle Painting Project by Rhiannon Rees Becoming Nature by Lou Luddington  Mothers of Nature by Hannah Darby, Meg Haines, Emma Stevens Date Nature by Emily Laurens.  A Gathering Tide by Bronwen Gwillum & Gilly Booth – film coming soon. Our Branch the Stopped Singing by Billy Maxwell Taylor Songlines by Charlotte Cortazzi & Sue Kullai The