STILL HERE Comes to London and Liverpool

Rhys wants to be a boxer while his father wants to learn Welsh. Yasmin is living with her nan while her mother wants to be looking over the plains of Uganda. The children can't speak to their parents, and the parents don't understand how their children are feeling.

In Mari Lloyd's moving and sharply funny play, we see the world through the eyes of two sparring 18-year-olds in a small Welsh ex-mining town as they try to comprehend the actions of their parents and begin to realise, they have bigger things to fight for.

Told through interwoven monologues, the play captures the uncertainty of growing up and the search for connection. It touches on themes of mental health, family struggles, and finding strength in unexpected places. Rhys sees boxing as more than a sport—it's his way of controlling his emotions and fighting for his place in the world. Yasmin feels lost, unsure of where she belongs. Their stories reflect a broader experience of young people searching for identity and purpose.

The play's minimalistic yet immersive staging highlights the emotional weight of their journeys creating a powerful production about youth, identity and resilience. 

Playwright Mari Lloyd, who grew up in the Rhondda Valley, brings a personal touch to the script and directed by Julia Stubbs, the production encapsulates its sharp writing, youthful energy and will draw audiences into the characters' inner worlds.

The play stays with you long after the final moment.

The Company

Playwright MARI LLOYD Mari Lloyd grew up in the Rhondda Valley and still has family living there. She is now based on Merseyside and after working in the NHS for more than 20 years, began writing. Mari has had her plays The Match and Last Tango at St. Leonards at the Liverpool Write Now Festival, Three Women at the Manchester 24:7 Festival, and Elegy at the Liverpool Fringe Festival. Her plays Evidence and Charity have also been in showcases on the London Fringe and Looking Out for Jack was longlisted for the celebrated Papatango New Writing Prize. Mari stays grounded and sane by engaging with a local boxing gym.

Director JULIA STUBBS runs 20 South Street, a creative space for collaboration in theatre and with Mari Lloyd runs Still Here Productions. Julia directed STILL HERE's premiere on the London Fringe in 2023 and the 2025 revival for its South Wales Tour. Her recent directing credits on the London Fringe include the revival of Sparks by Simon Longman (Upper Hand Theatre Company), the premiere of What I Really Think of My Husband: Thomas Hardy and his Wives by David Pinner (And Tomorrow Theatre Company) and the National Tour of Seven and a half Years by Mark Glentworth (OffFest Nomination 2023, MMGMUSIC Productions).

Once again playing Rhys is PHILLIP John Jones an award-winning Welsh working-class actor and writer who won an ‘It's My Shout' Best Actor Award for his role as Jack in Packaged for BBC Wales. Recent credits include Blood On Your Hands (Offie Nomination for Lead Actor in a Play 2024, Patch Plays/Southwark Playhouse). His debut film Bwl Boy was screened by BBC Wales in 2022 and was nominated for best screenplay and best drama and Dog Hair, his debut full-length play, appeared as part of Vaults Festival 2023.

Returning to the role of Yasmin is EMMA KALER an Indian/Welsh actress from Cardiff. Recent credits include the short film Grandfather Rights (BBC Wales), Shireen in Torchwood's radio series Suckers (BBC), Harper Collins Publishers audiobook The Halfways, BBC's Bitesize, and The Tuckers on BBC1. Emma also attended the 76th Cannes Film Festival in 2023 on their Young Performers Opportunity.

LONDON

Performance Length: approx. 70 minutes (no interval). 

2 – 6 September 2025

Golden Goose Theatre 146 Camberwell New Road, Camberwell, London, SE5 0RR

Book Online: www.goldengoosetheatre.co.uk

TICKETS: £15 (full) | £13 (concessions) Includes booking fee

LIVERPOOL

Performance Length: approx. 70 minutes (no interval). 

11 – 12 September 2025

The Hope Street Theatre, 22 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BY.

Book Online: www.hopestreettheatre.com/whats-on/ 

Box Office: 0344 561 0622 (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm)