"The script is simply brilliant — dynamic, managing to be both comedic and poetic, whilst recognising the sober reality of the subtext."
A Younger Theatre

A Chippy Lane Productions Play

Blue

By Rhys Warrington | A Chippy Lane Productions and Chapter Cardiff Co-Production

And every so often I find something. Washed up on the shore. Something lost. Something old. Something broken. Something in need of repair.

Set on the Carmarthenshire coast, BLUE is a deeply personal debut play from debut writer Rhys Warrington, rooted in the financial and emotional toll of caring for someone with dementia — and the stories of those left behind that so rarely get told.

The Williams family feel trapped and isolated as they struggle to process the reality of their recent loss. Huw has retreated into a fictional online world, his sister Elin has found solace in alcohol, while their mother Lisa fights desperately to hold the family — and herself — together. But when an old acquaintance unexpectedly reappears, everything is thrown into jeopardy. Drawing on the tradition of great American classic drama and published by Methuen Drama, BLUE explores bottled secrets and long-harboured familial resentments — not without humour, because even in the darkest of times, the Williams family find moments to laugh.

This was funded by Arts Council Wales and The Carne Trust.

Writer

Rhys Warrington

Director

Chelsey Gillard

Designer

Oliver Harman

Lighting Designer

Ceri James

Composer

Tic Ashfield

Created by

Rebecca Jade Hammond

Stage Manager

Bethan Dawson

Marketing & PR

Chloe Nelkin Consulting

Cast

Nia Roberts — Lisa | Sophie Melville — Elin | Jordan Bernarde — Thomas | Gwydion Rhys — Huw

What the critics have said

4

"A damaged Carmarthen family are shaken by a newcomer in this smart and superbly acted riff on the American classic."

The Guardian

4

"A strong, poignant work, supported by a lucid insight on human behaviour."

Arts Scene Wales

5

"The script is simply brilliant — dynamic, managing to be both comedic and poetic, whilst recognising the sober reality of the subtext."

A Younger Theatre

0

"An intricate play of naturalism; weaving in subtext and character development artfully."

A Younger Theatre (Rehearsed Reading, 2020)

0

"Grief and the burden of care have been the play's concerns all along — it's so much better, more present and purposeful, for stripping its layers off."

Exeunt Magazine

4

"By turns a romantic comedy, a kitchen-sink drama and a comedy of errors, but with a sense of deep grief bubbling under the surface."

Buzz Magazine