If you only see one piece of theatre this year, or even this decade, make it Mercury Theatre Wales’ Finding Home: a heartbreaking, thought-provoking show about homelessness in the Welsh capital. The play is based on the real experiences and life journeys of people who have experienced homelessness for a variety of reasons and pays tribute to those who have died whilst homeless in the capital.

The backdrop provides a series of shocking statistics: for example, that life expectancy for homeless men and women is 45 and 43 years respectively, and that 80% of those living on the streets have been a victim of violent crime. The performance starts outside the theatre, with a New Year’s Eve party to celebrate 2019; thereafter, we’re led into the theatre to sit around the stage. It’s a truly immersive experience which gives the impression that you are living through the characters’ experiences with them, spanning NYE 1999 to pre-pandemic times: 20 years in the lives of a disparate group of people, all with differing reasons for their situation but who come together in a disused office-block and form a sort of dysfunctional family.

Each member of this family has a backstory which explains their homelessness, ranging from ex-army PTSD to mental illness, domestic violence and familial abuse. The play humanises homeless people, who are all too often marginalised and seen as a troublesome nuisance. Whilst not shying away from alcohol abuse, drug-taking and anti-social behaviour amongst the homeless community, the play explains why, in the face of public disdain, abuse and hopelessness, these behaviours occur. You will leave the performance with some understanding of how desperately hard and miserable the life of a person with no home can be – and maybe, feeling “there but for the Grace of God go I,” as I did. Many of us are just one paycheque away from life on the streets.

The cast is superb, with wonderful performances from the main characters. Bethan Morgan plays the feisty, hard-nosed yet warm-hearted Lola, with a spectacular Kairdiff accent; Nick Hywell is traumatised Bosnian war veteran Cobbit, Rhys Downing’s Henry (aka Baggsy) is a kind, troubled man with mental health problems. Sarah Pugh’s portrayal of Megan, the teenage Valleys girl fleeing sexual abuse in the family, is the rawest and most tragic performance, and sadly utterly believable. The final scene sees Megan sing with Mari Izzard, who plays her lost daughter Charlie and is absolutely heart-rending.

Dance scenes are choreographed beautifully by Sarah Rogers, with music composed by Rowan Talbot (who also plays kind outreach worker Jimmy), and perfectly capture the chaos and trauma of street life – particularly the sequence when Baggsy’s precarious mental health reaches a tipping point as he fails to source food for his friends from a foodbank due to having no fixed address. Through the theatrical telling of intimate and personal stories, Finding Home will draw you into the world of homelessness. 

Finding Home, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Fri 28 Apr

In Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on Tue 2 + Wed 3 May. Tickets: £14/£12. Info: here

words SARAH EDWARDS