I caught up with artistic manager Gaynor Lougher who directs one of the new plays - Flossie and Jet.

It stars Clare Parry-Jones and Kirsty Rosser as two sisters who grew up in a stately home yet now find themselves homeless. It is a non-verbal piece which involves traditional mask techniques.

She told me: “The inspiration for Flossie and Jet was really the two actors and how they interact. Clare has a lot of experience with clowning and working with the mask and I wanted to explore that further.

“We started with the idea of two bag ladies or hoarders but the sister dynamic worked really well. The idea of faded grandeur and these two women going out as innocents into the world, with their picnic baskets seemed to work really nicely.”

The show’s humour relies on the way the sisters’ personalities are conveyed non-verbally and how they convey the differences between their likes and quirks.

Some of the rehearsals even took place on a rain-soaked Penarth pier where Gaynor and a colleague observed the actors at work. They enjoyed an impromptu picnic in public and experimented with how they interacted.

The other new piece in the theatre’s repertoire is Snoutology for Beginners, a seminar for humans, delivered by dogs, which teaches the audience how to use their snout more effectively.

Both new shows will be touring alongside three existing interactive comedy pods: the popular Snooks Brothers Bank and Snooks Brothers Aquatic which have toured extensively in Europe, and The Waiting Room which premiered at Wales Millennium Centre in summer 2013.

The Snooks Brothers is inspired by Tellson's Bank in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, and is a comical offbeat play about the relationship between two brothers and their familiarity, contempt and painstakingly rigid routine. They previously featured in a when they performed in empty retail units in Cardiff’s Morgan Arcade.

Gaynor told me that the pods mark a new and innovative way of touring for the company which puts the audience at the very heart of the performance.

She said: “The pods are portable and have really enabled us to devise pieces with a particular actor with a learning disability in mind and pair them up with other actors whose skills complement theirs.

“It means we can perform the five shows as a sort of pick and mix, in a variety of combinations, everywhere from festivals to studio theatres, venue foyers, cafés, streets or fields without all the logistics and planning of taking a big theatre group on the road.

“It’s a really flexible way of working and enables us to continue being inclusive and put on really high quality work for audiences to see and enjoy.”

Prior to embarking on a UK tour, a preview of the brand new pods - Snoutology for Beginners and Flossie and Jet - can be seen free of charge at on Friday 14 February at 2pm and at on Saturday 15 February.

To book tickets please call 01970 62 32 32 or visit .

The interactive gig performance starring Neon Neon, , which was created for National Theatre Wales, written by Tim Price and directed by Wils Wilson has also scooped four nominations, including Best Director for Wils.

And Tonypandemomium, the debut play by Rhondda writer and Dylan Thomas prize-winner Rachel Trezise is also shortlisted in three categories, including Best Playwright. Another NTW production, it was staged as part of a month-long residency at the Park and Dare in Treorchy to mark the venue’s centenary year.

Baritone Gary Griffiths, who won the Male Opera Singer award last year, is shortlisted once more for his role in Welsh National Opera’s Roberto Deveraux. His co-stars, Leah-Marion Jones and Alexandra Deshorties, are in the running for Female Opera Singer.

The event hopes to raise the profile of Wales’ young critics while congratulating its actors, directors, lighting designers and sound technicians on their achievements over the past year.

The Theatre Critics of Wales Awards ceremony will be held at Sherman Cymru in Cardiff on 25 January where all the winners will be announced.

Guy O'Donnell, the Paul Hamlyn Club coordinator for Sherman Cymru, told me: “We were really pleased with the reception the awards got last year and the fact that it raised awareness of the talent we have here in Wales, particularly in Welsh-language drama, which sadly seems overlooked by so many of the UK-wide theatre critics.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate what’s going on in theatre in Wales and give a bit of publicity to all those hard-working companies and groups, be it an emerging company or a national set-up.

“The awards aim to reflect the depth and breadth of talent in all four corners of Wales and also show what an important voice young critics have.”

The Theatre Critics Wales is also running two people’s votes this year, so members of the public can choose their favourite performances in both languages.

The poll for Best Production in the English Language is being coordinated by while that for Best Production in the Welsh Language is being run through .

For reviews by members of the Young Critics Scheme, visit 

If you would like to get involved in the Young Critics Scheme email responsewales@gmail.com

At the audiences can enjoy a stage adaptation of one of the biggest tearjerkers of all time - festive favourite It's A Wonderful Life (19-22 December), directed by Richard Hull and featuring all the best belting Christmas carols.

The venue's more traditional panto fare comes in the form of the cunningly named Dick Whittington and the Pi-Rats of the Caribbean (9-24 January), where youngsters can join Dick and his amazing cat as they journey to London to make their fortune.

Meanwhile, Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold hosts its rock 'n' roll pantomime version of Beauty and the Beast (until 25 January) replete with jokes, slapstick and audience participation and starring Phylip Harries as Dame Bronwen Bigbreaths.

It features over 20 rock 'n' roll and soul favourites including Let Me Entertain You, Hot Stuff, Keep on Runnin', Without You and Love Train to really get the festive roar going.

The Sherman Cymru has commissioned Penarth writer Robert Alan Evans to adapt the traditional fairytale Sleeping Beauty for their Christmas show, but in his version there are in fact two beauties, best friends Dawn and Eve, played by Gwawr Loader and Bettrys Jones.

The Sleeping Beauties (6 December until 4 January) will also feature actress and 9Bach folk singer Lisa Jen Brown as a magical storyteller who will guide the audience on their journey with the two beauties, while performing songs composed by Lucy Rivers.

Children's book writer Elen Caldecott from Wrexham has penned her first ever children's play to entertain under-sevens at the theatre this Christmas.

Bilingual productions Corina Pavlova and the Lion's Roar/Corina Pavlova a'r Llew sy'n Rhuo opened at the in Cardiff on 8 November before touring a whole host of venues across Wales, including Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon, Pontardawe Arts Centre, the Beaufort in Ebbw Vale and the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl, before returning to the Sherman from 9 December until 4 January.

Just down the road at the Wales Millennium Centre, Hijinx Theatre's Odyssey theatre group present The Last Snow of Winter (5-7 December) inspired by stories of great journeys.

The centre, in partnership with Big Talent Show, also presents the Young Company Christmas Show (14 December), a charming tale about the finest Christmas puddings ever tasted and a little chimney sweep ordered to steal the recipe. To book call 029 2063 6464 or visit .

Anglesey-born soprano Llio Evans will be returning to her native north Wales on 7 December to perform in a celebration of Christmas at , Colwyn Bay.

Noёl, Noёl – The Sound of Christmas also stars tenor Matthew Sims and baritone Owen Webb with accompaniment from Annette Bryn Parri, and will be at other venues in Wales throughout the festive season.

To whet the panto appetite a production of Dick Whittington will run at the theatre from 21 December to 4 January featuring all the traditional pantomime ingredients such as songs, a live band, magic illusions, puppets and a big festive dollop of slapstick comedy.

in Cardiff will be running a darkly comic Christmas sequel to the award-winning musical My Name Is Sue.

Sue Timms, the piano-wielding prophet, returns for Sue: The Second Coming, a cabaret-drama featuring piano playing Sue and her alternative guide to Christmas.

It is a collaboration between the two award‐winning theatre‐makers responsible for National Theatre Wales' The Village Social: writer‐director Ben Lewis and writer‐composer Dafydd James.

The production opens for one-week runs at Chapter Arts Centre (3-7 December), the Soho Theatre in London and Bristol Old Vic.

Also at Chapter, Shock and Awe present adult-only satirical Christmas review of the year  from 16-18 December. Those who would like to contribute ideas for songs and sketches should contact .

From 18-20 December, the Leftfield Theatre Company will retell the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge in , a production that sees modern dance merged with theatre and explores beyond the themes of the Dickens original to a social analysis of a person’s place in modern society.

Meanwhile in Swansea, spectators can enjoy a fully immersive promenade performance of A Queer Christmas, a new show by Bethan Marlow with Mess up the Mess, which takes place at various locations along Swansea High Street.

The show is based on interviews with Swansea's LGBT community and also new writing from various workshops Bethan has held, and aims to give an accurate representation of LGBT life in the city.

The cast is a mixture of professional actors and local actors, dancers and performers, and includes Aled Pedrick (who recently directed Finborough Theatre's acclaimed Saer Doliau), Meilir Rhys Williams and Peri Thomas. It runs from 6-8 December, starting at the Kings Arms Pub, High Street, Swansea.

At the New Theatre in Cardiff the uplifting The Holly and the Ivy runs from 4-7 December and stars Stuart McGugan (It Ain't Half Hot Mum/Tutti Frutti), Corrine Wicks (Emmerdale/Doctors), Tom Butcher (The Bill/Doctors), Dean Smith (Waterloo Road) and Hildegard Neil (Anthony & Cleopatra).

Meanwhile, this year's panto is Jack and the Beanstalk which stars Julian Clary and Mike Doyle (14 December to 19 January).  For more info visit or call the box office on 029 2087 8889.

A few miles down the M4 at The Riverfront in Newport, Hiss and Boo present (3 December to 5 January) starring S4C Tag presenter and Pobol Y Cwm star Elin Llwyd, and Eastenders and Gwaith Cartref's Richard Elis. Over at it's Peter Pan with Jimmy Osmond, Kevin Johns and Liam Mellor, running from 13 December to 12 January.

Justin Fletcher from CBeebies will star as the magic mirror in The Grand Pavilion Porthcawl's Christmas panto Snow White (11 December to 5 January). While at in Milford Haven, audiences can enjoy Aladdin (20-28 December) as well as Cardiff trio The Siren Sisters in their Christmas show on 14 December.

Over at in Llandudno, Coronation Street's Vicky Entwhistle, Coach Trip's Brendan Sheerin and John Evans will star in Sleeping Beauty from 7-29 December followed by Tommy Steele in Scrooge from 6-11 January.

And at in Carmarthen, Owen Money stars in Aladdin (3-12 January) which is on a tour of Wales between November and February. 

Although this is just a snapshot of what theatres across Wales have in store this season, we hope we've found something to tickle your festive fancy among all these Christmas treats.

It also co-produced the (Tribe) with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, which has travelled around Wales three times, entertained audiences in London and Edinburgh and in August 2012 went to the Taipei Arts Festival in Taiwan and is now the subject of a documentary film.

Director of Sherman Cymru, Chris Ricketts, said: "Llwyth has been a fabulous production, enjoyed hugely by the thousands of people who have seen it. As such a landmark production it achieved so many aspirations for us as a company and it was incredibly fitting that its last outing included performances internationally."

Dafydd James said: "When I was writing the drama, I wrote what I wanted to see on stage in Wales. I didn't think for a second that it would be so popular."

And there have also been a whole clutch of awards including Fringe First, Amnesty Freedom of Expression award and The Stages Best Male and Female actor at the Edinburgh Fringe for Deep Cut in 2008, various awards for Llwyth and Best New Play at the Young Critics Award in 2012 for Kath Chandler's Before It Rains.

Nick Allsop, head of production at the theatre, said: "My favourite production has to be The Borrowers (in 2003).

"It had a great set design by Sean Crowley which placed Act 1 in the house with the Borrowers' world downstairs, filled with over-sized props and upstairs in the real world Arrietty and co were puppets.

"At the interval this was completely removed by stage management and the technical team to reveal an enormous outside space with hills, trees and giant bumble bees which always got a great reaction when the curtain went up."

For Kate Perridge, artistic co-coordinator, the shows the theatre has taken to the Edinburgh Fringe hold the fondest memories.

She said: "Particularly Deep Cut, which won several awards at the festival, and Llwyth, which was the first time that a Welsh language show had been included in the British Council Edinburgh Showcase, which then toured to Taiwan as a result of the appearance in Edinburgh.

"In a city where there are so many choices of shows to see during the festival, it was a great achievement that both these shows were a success."

Geoffrey Axworthy was one of the founders of the original Sherman Theatre in 1973. His wife Caroline was also a member of staff at Sherman until 1987.

She remembers: "Back in 1973 Cardiff was almost like a cultural desert. We had the lovely New Theatre, which had fantastic West End shows and also the Casson Theatre. Chapter had just opened on the west of Cardiff but there was no theatre on this east side of Cardiff that presented new work.

"We wanted there to be a place for new writing, new plays, new actors. We wanted a place for Cardiff, for everyone to use and bring the best of new writing from across Wales, the UK and around the world to Cardiff but back in the 70s there seemed to be more investment and supported opportunities in the arts."

She recalls meeting a young Danny Boyle when he started his career in theatre and was the stage manager for the Joint Stock theatre company who came to the Sherman in the late 70s.

She added: "Sherman used to have a light night cinema screening on a Friday night at 11pm, where we used to show things that wouldn't necessarily get screened in the big cinemas.

"I remember once we had a screening of Last Tango in Paris and the queue was from the front of the Sherman down to the Woodville Pub and we knew we wouldn't be able to fit everyone in.

"So we asked our projectionist Baz and spoke to the queue to see if anyone would want to come back for a 1am screening... and they did, and we sold out on that one too!"

As part of the theatre's ongoing 40th anniversary season, aspiring writers have been asked to submit a short play which will be performed as part of a special ScriptSlam script-held performance next week.

The Sherman has been running the event, which is aimed at giving new writers opportunities to showcase their work, for over seven years and it has acted as the starting point for many emerging writers over the years including Alun Saunders, who wrote for Dirty Protest's Plays in a Bag season performed at the Royal Court Theatre and Latitude Festival earlier this year.

 As part of the anniversary themed ScriptSlam, The Sherman has invited writers to submit a script inspired by the symbols for anniversary gifts during the first 40 years of marriage.

The shortlisted nine plays are: Together by Neil Bebber; A Very Modern Office by David Harris; 40 Love by Sara Hawys; Portrait of a Gordon Brown by Kelly Jones; Goodbye My Love by Ness Owen; The Gift by Kelsey Richards; Papers by Gareth Smith; Ruby by Owen Thomas and G&M by Neil Walden.

They will be performed as rehearsed readings over three nights from 26-28 November. Tickets are £3 and are available from Sherman Theatre on 029 2064 6900 .

I caught up with director Betsan Llwyd to find out just what it is about the play that engenders such a positive response. 

She told me: "According to Yasmina Reza, 'Theatre is a mirror, a sharp reflection of society'. So in truth a great deal of themes and issues are touched upon in the play like pretention, hypocrisy, sexism, racism.

"But for us the main issue explored was what lies just beneath the vulnerable and delicate 'skin' of politeness, and how easy it is to forget and ignore all 'social graces' when pushed. 

"The fact that Gareth Miles is a fluent French speaker played a great part in commissioning him to do the work in the first place, as he could translate directly from the original.

"His use of language is sublime. The rhythms and nuances of the Welsh language are carefully considered, and a delight to deliver and to listen to – a truly masterful translation." 

Llanast! was the first production Betsan was responsible for bringing into the company's repertoire. She thinks a section of the audience came to see the show as they wanted to know what sort of contribution she would bring to the company's overall vision. But she also admits the play's track record and success in London spoke for itself. 

"We felt inspired to put it on again because of the extraordinary response we received following our short tour last year and wanted to please the many disappointed audience members out there who didn't manage to get a ticket." 

Fortunately for Betsan, she has been able to secure exactly the same cast as last year, including Llion Williams, Lauren Phillips, Emlyn Gomer and Rebecca Harries (Belonging, Pobol y Cwm, Con Passionate) who scooped a Theatre Critics Wales Award for Best Actress in a Welsh Language Production for her role in the play. 

She said: "Rebecca is an extraordinarily truthful performer, always living in and reacting to the moment. I was very glad to have had the opportunity of working with her at last. 

"I have worked with Llion many times over the years and he is a consummate professional with a delightful way of engaging with the audience while Emlyn has a certain subtlety and stillness on stage, and is solid as a rock. What has always struck me regarding Lauren as a performer is her extraordinary physicality, and her ability to deliver the unusual." 

Because the cast is the same, and each actor is familiar with their role, the rehearsal process has been swifter and each has been able to explore the nuances of their character in far greater depth. 

However, elements of the staging will be different due to practicalities: "Though we have kept the same set, we have had to compromise somewhat on the staging due to the nature of the venues we will be visiting.

"When we performed in Caernarfon last year we had the audience sitting along two sides of the stage, which resulted in a remarkably intimate performance, but the call for tickets has been so great we decided to go for the more traditional theatrical venues, the majority of which call for a proscenium arch presentation." 

Llanast! will be at venues including Glanaethwy, Bangor, Theatr Fach, Llangefni, Sherman Cymru and Aberystwyth Arts Centre. For a full list of dates visit .

Katherine told me that the idea for the show came from wanting to explore how the character of Steph, who comes from a damaged background, may be judged by people who wouldn't understand or know her and her life, as well as the dramatic potential offered by the illicit relationship. 

She said: "I think it became about a teacher-pupil relationship as a way of bringing two separate worlds together in a realistic way. 

“The discussions in the workshops and then rehearsals have been really interesting and sometimes heated. 

"Steph's age seems to make a difference to a lot of people but then throw the fact that Simon is her teacher in the mix and everyone's opinions change. It's been fascinating.

"I also wanted to explore issues of class because I'm from a working class family and work in a middle class profession. It's something that people pick up on a lot so I think it must be interesting to people."

The company began workshopping the play in spring of this year and that process has led to the script being redrafted several times after both Katherine and Catherine tested out some aspects which worked better than others.

Katherine added: "It has the essence of the original draft. I've cut into it and sharpened the story and dialogue. 

"I've been left to write and rewrite on my own really with a bit of dramaturgy from Tim Price but I think it's refreshing to have that control over your own work. 

"I think Catherine and I work well together, we had great fun casting and she creates a lovely relaxed rehearsal room with masses of creative freedom so the actors and I have felt able to contribute to the process."

Catherine said she felt compelled to direct the play because of the quality of the writing and the strength of Kath's voice within it, as well as its exploration of truth, class and power in today's Cardiff. 

"The play is dramatic, contemporary, gripping and very funny - it's highly entertaining and I was on the edge of my seat reading the script, wanting to know what happens next, so I was excited by the opportunity to bring this to audiences. 

"I'm from Cardiff, as is Kath and Parallel Lines is a very Cardiff play: the Cardiff voice is strong throughout it and it feels very relevant to Cardiff audiences. It also has four roles and three of these are for women, something that is rare in theatre. 

"I love that the female, Welsh voice is so strong in this drama - both because this provides exciting opportunities for the amazing female talent we have in Wales and also for our audiences. 

"Our capital city is changing, as are all our urban centres across Wales and the UK. This play examines how we live together and interact. 

"With the recent news stories about inappropriate relationships between adults in positions of power, and children and young people, Parallel Lines examines these themes in a different, exciting way." 

The play is likely to create sides and will raise question marks for the audience about what exactly has happened between the pair.

As Catherine says: "It's the kind of play that pulls the audience along with it, through all the twists and turns and I hope they will be entertained, laugh and cry." 

The cast works as an ensemble and features recent RADA graduate Rachel Redford from Penarth as Steph, Casualty and Holby City actress Jan Anderson as Melissa, Stella actor and playwright Gareth Pierce as Simon and Newport-born Call The Midwife actress Lisa Diveney as Julia.

Parallel Lines is at Chapter until Sat 30 November. For more information visit the .

The production sees Shakespeare's text pared right back so that the audience never leaves the company of the couple and the three witches, and in Judith's own words is intense in the way it plays with theatrical language.

She told me: "I wanted to explore the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in a way that a traditional production just can't and really try to understand the journey they go on. There's something about them as a couple which means they go further together than they ever would go alone.

"Lady Macbeth disappears in the original play after featuring quite heavily early on. I wanted to join up the private moments the couple share and really observe their dynamic.

"At the beginning of the story they are happy and have everything they could possibly want but it’s not enough for them.

"In terms of the cast we just have them and the three witches who have the power to manipulate their form and turn into various key characters like Banquo and Macduff.

"The story is not told purely through dance but sees the actors interpret and explore the dramatic moment.

"Rather than begin with shapes I chose to begin the choreography with the text so every gesture is inspired by an emotional moment and the desires of that character in that moment."

In order to make it possible to tell the story, the production also utilises snippets of film which see the witches appear and disappear out of nowhere in their various guises.

The play is also fascinating in the way it plays with language - Lady Macbeth is a Welsh speaker but her husband isn't and the text sees acclaimed poet Mererid Hopwood's new Welsh-language translation interwoven with English, Polish and Hebrew.

Macbeth is able to understand her when she speaks Welsh, in part due to her physical expression.

The three witches all hail from different periods of time and different parts of the world and when under duress return to their native tongue, so when Macduff finds Duncan's body his horror is expressed in his own language.

Judith felt no need to include subtitles because of the emphasis placed on physical gesture.

She told me: "When a language is spoken that isn't English it is framed by enough English so the audience can understand what is being said.

"It has been very liberating working this way and filling in the air around the original scenes, so we learn a bit more about this fascinating relationship which is fiery and physical and very sexually charged."

The production also features a specially-created score by the Irish pianist and composer Conor Linehan which will be played live on stage by the Elysian Quartet at the shows in Cardiff and London.

Judith added: "It's a vibrant, exhilarating 90-minute show which runs straight through without an interval and is very beautiful visually. The actors are extremely passionate and create an energy in the theatre that is palpable."

The show also stars Gwyn Emberton, Matthew Harries and Sean Palmer as the three witches.

Judith set up De Oscuro in 2010 to step outside the existing paradigm which separates English and Welsh. She has found that Welsh and English can be integrated on stage and what emerges is a rich, resonating tapestry.

There will be a post-show Q&A session at the Dance House on Monday 4 November.

For information on tickets visit the .

The day also includes a promenade performance of Dirty Protest's Plays in A Bag that they took to the Royal Court this summer, and a rapid response scratch event, where eight writers will create plays in response to this week's Rhondda Leader. 

Playwright and Dirty Protest co-founder Tim Price said it was an event not to miss.

"Over the past six years we've unearthed and supported the finest talent in Wales, some of whom have gone on to great things like Brad Birch and Kit Lambert. We'll be celebrating Dirty Protest's success by reviving the short plays we've loved over the years.

"Normally we give writers four weeks to write a short play, but at Dirty, Gifted and Welsh we're giving eight writers two days to write a short play.

"The super-quick turnaround is because all plays will be inspired by this week's Rhondda Leader. So audiences can come along and see the best writing talent in Wales, writing about the local Rhondda stories."

He added that Nick Payne's participation marked a real coup.

"He is one of the finest writers of his generation. Constellations is a modern classic, which will be reproduced for the rest of our theatre-going lifetime.

"It's a real honour to have Nick coming to the Rhondda and imparting his wisdom. It's going to be a hugely exciting, busy, messy day of new writing."

Other events include work by the Write Stuff Young Playwright Project - which is supported by Literature Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Bridgend Country Borough Council Arts Development, scenes from Before I Leave by Patrick Jones and a reading of Geared by Matthew Trevannion, both of which are National Theatre Wales commissions.

Other writers taking part are Sandra Bendelow, Brad Birch, Rhiannon Boyle, Matthew Bulgo, Tracy Harris, Matt Hartley, Kelly Jones, Kit Lambert, Carmen Medway-Stephens, Benjamin Partridge, Hassan Panero, Aled Roberts, Alun Saunders, Frank Thomas and Roger Williams.

Tickets for the event and Tonypandemonium . Tickets for Dirty, Gifted and Welsh are £2.50 but if you buy a ticket to Tonypandemonium you get in free of charge.

Despite the specific setting of the play, Gary believes it holds universal appeal for audiences everywhere.

He said: "I spent a week in the New Forest meeting some fascinating people. Everything that happened to me that week and the people I met are in the play.

"The story is about a group of strangers who get trapped when a storm comes upon them very quickly - something that frequently happens in the New Forest because many of the entrances and exits involve travelling through fords which flood instantly and become impassable by car.

"The five characters take shelter in the home of Pearl, a character based on an amazing lady I met who has lived in the same house in the forest her whole life and has watched many of the trees grow from seed.

"The forest naturally lends itself to a thriller because there is something so spooky about the landscape. There are moments that it seems so empty and you feel so alone and that you have been transported back in time.

"It will be so still and quiet and then suddenly a horse will gallop past or a campervan will shock you out of the stillness.

"It's something I was very sympathetic to, having had a rural background and my family being from Pembrokeshire."

Although Free Folk has all the chills of a typical thriller, Gary has created plenty of moments of comedy to provide a release from the tension.

The play was shortlisted for the John Whiting Award for New Writing and initially toured locally in the New Forest in 2010, but the theatre company felt it was important to share it with a wider audience.

Director Kirstie Davis said: "Free Folk was my first commissioned play at Forest Forge and it was special to me because it meant at last I could work with Gary Owen.

"Gary came to the New Forest and met many people and listened in on conversations on buses. He took away a very strong sense of place - indeed the sixth character of the play is the forest itself.

"The first draft came back to me and I was immediately transfixed - he brought together five brilliantly imagined characters into one space and allowed them to collide.

"It is all about what freedom means and how we know what home is. Each character goes through a moment of decision that changes their lives forever.

"Gary's writing goes between black comedy to poeticism to real thriller and suspense.

"The very first audience for this piece really took it to their hearts and I knew then that we had a special play on our hands and that it should have another life. I am so glad that we have enabled this to happen."

During his research Gary was keen to meet people of different generations who lived in the forest and find out what they felt about their home. And he believes many of those he spoke to have been to see the play already.

"I hope they feel it’s an affectionate piece and sheds light on their lives and experiences," he added.

"For me, the test of a piece of writing about a specific area is if an audience who have nothing to do with that area also enjoy it - then it's a good piece of writing, and not just a successful evocation of a place.

"Free Folk has passed that test and I’m delighted that the piece will now be seen by both rural and urban audiences across the UK."

Alongside the play, Forest Forge are also running: an over 55s theatre group Act Your Age that will become a resident company; four open space forums for four different age groups that will explore the moments of change and decision at different stages of life; and What It Means To Be Free, an interactive digital platform for people to share their thoughts and memories about home.

The UK tour of Free Folk runs from 13 September to 26 October.

It will be at the Torch Theatre on 16 October and at Sherman Cymru on 17 and 18 October. Gary will also hold a post-show talk on 18 October.

For more information about the tour and the accompanying Creative Learning projects, visit

"Boeing Boeing is recognised as being one of the best French farces of all time and had a bit of a renaissance recently on Broadway and in London, so it is still relevant and making audiences laugh today.

"It has all the elements of a classic farce, with not just one but three objects of love interest and immense confusion."

The play sees young architect and lothario Bernard (played by Richard Corgan of the ������̳'s ) embroiling his reluctant housekeeper in a scheduled love life that enables him to enjoy the attentions of three women, while they remain in the dark about the sordid situation.

However, his plans are thrown into chaos when an old friend comes to stay, weather delays flights and a new high-speed plane turns his love life into a minefield.

Boeing Boeing will visit 16 venues around Wales from 1 October until 9 November, starting at Blackwood Miners' Institute.

It stars Gareth John Bale as Bernard's close friend Robert, Julie Barclay as house keeper Bertha and Sarah Jayne Hopkins as Gretchen, the passionate German air hostess.

Joining the cast direct from London's West End stage are Laura Clements as French air hostess Gabrielle, and Hannah Whittingham as the flamboyant American fiancée.

The play was first staged in London's West End at the Apollo Theatre in 1962 and went on to enjoy Broadway success.

Richard Tunley believes its appeal lies in the classic slapstick nature of the play, something Black Rat were keen to build on through their own brand of high energy, physical theatre and with the help of a set featuring seven doors which allows for a constant element of suspense about who might appear.

He said: "It's impressive from a design point of view as we have this set which we must somehow fit into every venue. There are also the authentic costumes of the air hostesses and we have added a musical element so songs from the late 50s and 60s pop up throughout the show.

"Over the last few years we have toured shows by John Godber like and Bouncers as well as Tim Firth’s Neville's Island, and we have really got to know what our audiences like.

"These productions are aimed at people who might be put off from travelling to bigger venues for shows because of cost and distance but want some good quality entertainment on their doorstep.

"We have teamed up with Blackwood Miners' Institute for this production because it is a collaboration that has worked so well in the past."

Further information about tour dates and tickets is available at

The company was set up by three Aberystwyth university friends - Hannah Wynn Jones, Nia Wyn Jones and Catrin Wyn Jones (no relation). It prides itself on developing original Welsh drama and resurrecting classics to encourage new audiences to choose the theatre as a source of entertainment.

Hannah told me: "This is our first national tour and we are really excited about it as it's such a wonderful play.

"Glenn has been acting with us for years and wrote a piece we took to the Eisteddfod in the past, so when we heard about his idea for Wyneb Dros Dro, we asked him to develop it.

"We then took it to the Eisteddfod and it got a really great response from the audience. Then we got the chance to work on the show further via the Incubator Project at the Wales Millennium Centre in 2011, where even non-Welsh speakers enjoyed it and understood what was going on.

"It's a comedy with a dark edge and centres on a newly divorced matriarchal mother with a surprising spring to her step, all thanks to the new young man in her life – and her son and daughter-in-law are about to meet him over the Christmas turkey.

"It really looks at how the family interacts over this pressurised time and will ring true for a lot of people and there is an element of farce about it as all families are farcical in some way.”

Glenn Jones, originally from Caernarfon, said: "I'm firmly part of the 3D family now. I've always loved their ethos of providing a platform for artists in Wales to showcase their abilities, and now I’m experiencing it first-hand."

Since 3D was set up, they have produced on average two shows a year, including six years of performances at the National Eisteddfod and a successful run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Nia said: "It's a huge thing for us to achieve, from contracts to casting to script to workshops... but it's a labour of love, always has been and always will."

The plays stars Manon Eames, Dyfrig Evans, Rhodri Trefor and Llinos Daniel, and will begin its tour on 8 October in Galeri, Caernarfon, before zigzagging down south and calling at Wales Millennium Centre's Weston Studio where it all began.

It will be at Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli on 9 October; Theatr Colwyn, Colwyn Bay on 10 October; the Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre on 14 and 15 October; Pontardawe Arts Centre on 16 October; Lyric, Carmarthen on 17 October; Gartholwg Lifelong Learning Centre on 18 October; Borough Theatre, Abergavenny on 19 October; Theatr Felinfach on 23 October; and Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan on 24 October.

For full details of tickets and timings visit .

He told me: "I would go there to work and have coffee and share stories and poems.

"The patients were really welcoming and were always talking about the sun outside, sharing happy memories or jokes rather than being preoccupied with death.

"It was heartening to see how they interacted and how each person dealt with the inevitable – it was a very warm and human place, like a microcosm of society where everything seemed democratic and decent.

"It really opened my eyes to learn that a hospice can be a place that is full of sparkling and special moments."

Patrick, who is the brother of Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire and lives in Blackwood, admits the subject matter feels somewhat rawer and personal this year, after they lost their aunt and uncle, and their father had a nasty fall and broke his pelvis.

"We were very close to them and it was very sad as my uncle had Alzheimer's and went into a home and my auntie was suffering from cancer. They died within three weeks of each other and that really brought it home to me about just how fragile life is."

When Patrick first sent the play off to theatres it registered little interest until director Michael Kelligan chose to present it as a script-held production at Chapter as part of his On the Edge series in 2009.

The performance went well and inspired Patrick to return to the script for a significant rewrite which Michael then agreed to take to a full production last year.

Patrick said: "Hopefully it's poignant and people will see their parents and grandparents in the characters.

"It is something tragic that we will all go through at some stage but it’s important to know that we do not experience these things in isolation.

"I really hope it creates a dialogue with the audience and provokes them to share their experiences."

In Dandelion the four main characters – Rachel, Mary, Ernest and Mrs Hartson – embark on different journeys and share their recollections and understandings of death as they near the end of their lives with some hilarious moments thrown in.

Patrick admits they are an amalgam of the inspiring people he met at St David’s and also through work at Velindre Hospital, where he was appointed Official Poet last year.

And the title, Dandelion? A beautiful piece of imagery handed to him by his mother who lost her own mother – Patrick's grandmother – to cancer when she was only 58.

He said: "She told me how in August every year she sees the dandelion spores flying around and takes comfort from it because it feels like a message from her mother reminding her that life carries on, but it is as if she is still here.

"I thought it was so beautiful I wrote a poem about it. I’m an atheist so it sort of fits in with my own beliefs and most people's hope that something does live on after they go.

"In the play the character Mary keeps dandelions in a glass of water and it is a very simple and domestic image that strikes me as a perfect metaphor for death.

The play is about allowing the audience to make up their own minds about how they feel about death - I hope there will be tears and laughter."

Dandelion stars Sharon Morgan, Anthony Leader, Olwen Rees and Lynn Hunter and has been directed by Michael Kelligan.

It will be at Chapter until this Saturday, 14 September, then at Taliesin Theatre, Swansea on 20 September; Galeri, Caernarfon on 24 September; The Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on 26 September; Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan on 2 October; Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli on 3 October; and Ffwrnes, Llanelli on 5 October.

For more details about performance times and how to book tickets visit the .

For more information about Patrick and his work visit .

The conference has been organised by the Rhys Davies Trust in partnership with Literature Wales and Swansea University and is the first event of its kind in the UK.

I caught up with DJ Britton amid rehearsals for the show, which stars BAFTA Cymru winning actors Richard Elfyn (who played Lloyd George in The Wizard) as Rhys and Eiry Thomas as Anna.

The play's characters are well known and celebrated for their work, Davies for his humourous depictions of Valleys life and Kavan for her dystopic modernist novels, described by JG Ballard as "somewhere between poetry and madness".

But for Britton the dramatic potential for the play lies in the question marks over each writer's personal identity and the secrets they held.

He told me: "With public characters such as these, I find the most dramatic interest in the spaces between what we know or imagine about them and the reality of their own private lives.

"What is absolutely fascinating about these two is the line between fact and fiction and the personas they created to present to the world."

Davies was a homosexual who never wrote publicly about his sexuality, while Kavan was a heroin addict, who took the drug for pain relief from a spinal condition. She made several attempts to end her own life, with Davies finding her at the crucial moment on more than one occasion.

Silverglass is set in the late 1960s when Davies has been awarded the Edgar Allen Poe prize for his writing as well as an OBE, Kavan has received major acclaim for her latest novel, homosexuality has been decriminalised and Kavan is soon to die tragically.

DJ added: "Their styles of writing were so different and they seemed such dissimilar people and yet they shared this long-term friendship and looked after one another as their lives progressed.

"I think they shared an understanding of one another's need for privacy and were mutually protective and supportive of one another.

"The play is set at a time when everything is happening for them and creates an imagined dynamic which is very interesting dramatically."

Britton is using the same development process for Silverglass that proved successful with The Wizard, The Goat and the Man Who Won the War.

Silverglass will be given a single pilot performance at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea, on 13 September, followed by a public discussion session for those who want to stay and take part. Britton says any feedback the audience gives will be invaluable in helping them grow and adapt the production.

The team will then return to rehearsal and develop the show before offering it for national tour next year.

"Giving an early audience a first chance to see, and comment on, the play worked well for The Wizard," said Britton.

"People seem to like to be in at the start of something, and, of course, by telling us what they think, they become part of the creative process. We've become committed to this way of working."

Britton, who now heads dramatic writing at Swansea University, said the two actors bring a unique chemistry to the roles.

"In rehearsal, Eiry and Richard do things I wouldn't have thought possible, switching from comedy to deep pain on the turn of a heel.

"It's a high-energy piece and in rehearsal they manage to combine pace with grace quite astoundingly.

"You will see Richard Elfyn as an opera diva past her best, which is extraordinarily funny, while Eiry assumes the guise of a miner at one point. Both really inhabit the stories they are telling.

"I hope the play will inspire people who have not read much of their works to go away and find out more."

The 13 September performance of Silverglass is part of the Rhys Davies Short Story Conference being held at Swansea University from 13-15 September.

The conference aims to bring short story writing to a national audience and will offer talks and workshops on topics ranging from the history of the short story form in Wales and its context in the wider international literary scene to the marketability of short story anthologies.

Lleucu Siencyn, Chief Executive of Literature Wales, said: "The short story form is becoming more and more popular – in the fast-moving world we live in, it might be said that this form is ideally suited to our hectic lifestyles.

"The Rhys Davies Short Story Conference is therefore a great opportunity to showcase Welsh writing on a national stage, and to do so in the name of one of Wales' best short story writers.

"This conference will aim to inspire and encourage more aspiring writers to experiment with the short story form and, who knows, it may even bring forth the next Rhys Davies."

The conference is one of a number of activities to be supported by the Rhys Davies Trust, a registered charity whose objectives are to promote the writer’s work and foster Welsh writing in English, especially in the valleys of south Wales and in the genres in which Rhys Davies wrote.

As well as showcasing a new play about the writer, the short story conference will also see the launch of the 2014 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition, where news of next year’s panel and an increased prize fund will be announced.

Tickets for the Silverglass performance only are available from the Taliesin box office on 01792 602060 or online at , priced at £8/£6 concession. They are free to Rhys Davies Short Story Conference ticket holders. 

For further information please visit the .

Nuclear Family is inspired by a character from the cult post-apocalyptic 1980 novel Riddley Walker by American Russell Hoban and is aimed at delighting audiences of all ages.

The tour will see the company's quaint truck and trailer rolling into villages and towns across Wales with shows planned everywhere from castles and abbeys to forests and beaches with live music to accompany the performance. But there will also be surprise shows in special locations planned en route.

The company was founded by Heather and Ivan Morison who represented Wales at the 52nd Venice Biennale.

I caught up with Ivan, just days after the current tour's first show in Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire.

He said: "This is our second tour as the company carried out their first tour across remote settlements in Tasmania from 2009 to 2012 so we got a real sense of what worked for audiences.

"The principle of Mr Clevver is that he arrives in unexpected places unannounced. It's that sense of an outsider coming into a community and arousing suspicion but then something really magical and wonderful happens and then he leaves with many things unexplained, thus keeping the mystery alive.

"Wales seemed like the right place for this sort of show because people are very open to that sort of idea and so far have been very welcoming."

The show was commissioned by National Theatre Wales and also has support from Cadw, who are allowing the company to stop at any of their sites to perform throughout the summer.

Ivan added: "The story reflects things people have to live through and responds to life in rural areas.

"The great thing about puppetry is you are able to say darker things that you wouldn't be able to convey in other modes of theatre, so there are bits that will make children laugh, but adults might be left thinking about something altogether different.

"Nuclear Family examines some fundamental human truths, while also poking fun at governmental and religious power structures.

"It sees a child learn to become an adult, but an adult struggling to remain afloat within the life he has made for himself."

Other fixed dates in the tour include: Friday 9 August, 6pm at Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion; Friday 16 August, 3pm and 6pm at Fairbourne, Gwynedd; Friday 23 August, 12 noon at Amlwch, Anglesey; Saturday 7 September, 3pm at Coity Castle, Bridgend; and Friday 13 Sept, 3pm at St Davids Bishop's Palace, Pembrokeshire.

There will also be a whole host of surprise performances popping up in undisclosed locations.

Tickets are available on the day, on site and are priced as a donation. For more information on the show visit .

The show was inspired by Christine's own research trip to the Arctic in 2010 with visual artist Maria Hayes, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, who is also involved in the production.

The pair were keen to see the Northern Lights from the Abisko Sky Station in Sweden but due to cloud cover on the day were unsuccessful in their quest.

However, Christine says they met so many interesting scientists, curators and artists along the way, with visits to the Swedish Institute for Space Physics in Kiruna, the Museum of the Arctic (Arkitkkum), Rovaniemi Arts Museum and Jokkmokk Museum, they saw an opportunity to capture a real sense of the experience through performance.

Christine said: "The research for the play followed several lines of enquiry. We were thinking about what the idea of 'north' means and its hold over the imagination.

"The show takes place in a run-down cabaret venue, The Polestar Club, and is an interwoven piece with live music and singing from the vocalist and violinist Sianed Jones, live performance art from Maria and stories from myself.

"There is an ongoing narrative involving three characters – a manageress, a musician and a stubborn regular - and they build into one another gradually, but as the show unfolds Maria will be documenting it live on stage and there will also be a range of projected images."

The show tells the story of a young girl in space, but also sheds light on life in the magnetosphere and involves a "non-scary" opportunity for audience participation.

Christine said: "At the moment the show is taking its first steps and we are seeing how it works. In Aber we saw how well the audience responded when it was shown in the round.

"We have been approached by a venue in Winchester with the opportunity to show it in a planetarium so we are just working out how we could tweak the production to suit it to that sort of venue."

Christine was keen to keep an element of science in the piece, exploring the physics of the auroral current along with the many myths about heavenly phenomena.

"I looked to find a bedrock of different stories within science where the mythic and personal narratives can resonate so they are not created in opposition to one another.

"The show is inspired by the idea of seeking, finding and understanding the earth we live in and how it fits into space and the way we feel about that."

But so as not to boggle the brains of her audiences, much of the scientific vocabulary and specific detail is carried through the song lyrics, visuals and music that Sianed and Maria have created specifically for the performance.

After Hours At The Polestar Club is at Chapter on Thursday 15 August and will show twice at the Green Man Festival from 17-18 August.

It is a collaboration between Christine's own company , which explores links between art and science, and the .

For more information about Maria Hayes' work visit . For more information about Sianed Jones visit .