Pontardawe is one of just 13 venues across Wales chosen to host Ledi’r Wyrcws (The Lady of the Workhouse), a new production uncovering the remarkable true story behind one of Wales’s most important folk‑song collections.
The drama, written by author and academic Jerry Hunter, explores the unlikely relationship between Lady Amy Parry‑Williams — wife of renowned scholar and poet T. H. Parry‑Williams — and a woman living in a workhouse in the 1950s, where Amy recorded traditional songs that were on the brink of disappearing forever.
A forgotten workhouse and a cultural mystery
Hunter says the idea struck him after giving a talk in Denbigh, when a member of the audience pointed out an old building across the road — once a workhouse where Lady Parry‑Williams had captured some of her most treasured recordings.
He was stunned to learn that a workhouse was still operating in the 1950s, years after the founding of the NHS.
The revelation sparked a series of questions that form the backbone of the play: Who was the woman singing in the workhouse? Why was she there? And what conversations unfolded between two women from completely different worlds, united only by their love of Welsh culture?
Hunter said the story “immediately captured” his imagination, leading him to picture the pair spending a day together — one a respected academic’s wife, the other living in poverty — yet both preserving the same musical heritage.
Touring Wales — with a key stop in Pontardawe
The production stars Morfudd Hughes, Owen Arwyn and Judith Humphreys, and will tour Wales from 4 March to 2 April.
Pontardawe Arts Centre will host the show on 25 March, giving local audiences a rare chance to see a drama rooted in real Welsh history and cultural survival.
Full tour dates
04–05 March – Galeri Caernarfon 07 March – Twm o’r Nant 10 March – Theatr Clwyd 13 March – Theatr Derek Williams 17–18 March – Theatr Arad Goch 19 March – Yr Egin 20 March – Theatr Felinfach 24 March – Theatr Soar 25 March – Pontardawe Arts Centre 26 March – Yr Olwg 28 March – Llanover Hall 01 April – Neuadd Dwyfor 02 April – Pontio
Tickets and more information are available via Galeri Caernarfon: https://www.galericaernarfon.com/eng/ledirwyrcws.html
