Hut 9

Bridgend, Wales November 1945.
On the night of 10th March, several high-ranking German officers carried out one of the most audacious escape attempts of the Second World War, tunnelling out of the POW camp at Island Farm. Seventy prisoners fled into the countryside around Bridgend.Bridgend County November 2035.
In a dystopian near-future where drones fill the sky, oil is outlawed, homes lie partially underwater due to climate devastation, and authoritarian rule tightens its grip, a group of people emerge into the harsh light of a refugee camp.HUT 9 interweaves these two timelines. Drawing on verbatim testimonies from local people about the historic POW camp at Island Farm, the play contrasts the real events of 1945 with a fictional future in which the camp has been rebuilt not for enemy soldiers, but for homegrown dissidents critical of a new regime.Through the eyes of guards and one of their prisoners, HUT 9 explores the psychology that allows fascism to take hold, the erosion of civil liberties, and the quiet strategies people use to survive under authoritarian rule. The infamous tunnel becomes a powerful theatrical link between past and future between incarceration and escape, oppression and resistance.Company of Sirens follows the acclaimed all-Wales tour of Water Wars by Ian Rowlands, voted Best of Welsh Theatre 2025 by The Stage. The company is known for developing politically engaged, topical work in collaboration with communities, arts organisations, local authorities and environmental groups across Wales.Tanio brings deep grassroots connections within Bridgend County, delivering high-quality arts experiences particularly for communities in economically disadvantaged areas of South Wales. Their experience in community participation makes them an invaluable partner in bringing HUT 9 to life.