Siana Bangura’s play follows three west African women in Coventry who are cajoled into the water – and find themselves surfacing from grief

There’s no shortage of smart ideas in Bethan Marlow’s drama of adolescent awakening in rural Wales, but they whiz by before they really develop

The action feels distanced in Nikolai Foster’s coolly striking new production of the Lloyd Webber-Rice musical, while turmoil stalks the Darling household in Cardiff

As the characters in the classic tales revolt against their narrative bounds, a zesty cast make this imaginative rewrite very nearly brilliant

Ian McKellen in Mother Goose, Robin Hood as a rock’n’roll panto, a circus spin on The Little Prince and glitter galore … it’s our selection box of festive theatre

While there are some strong performances and the conceit is intriguing, this modern-day version of the classic fails to convince

Sherman theatre, Cardiff
The drama may miss a beat, but the music, sleek production and talented ensemble provide a tempting treat for the soul

A comeback year saw standout productions up and down the country. Here’s your pick of the best

No details are spared in Rhiannon Boyle’s exploration of the sperm bank route to parenthood, starring the charismatic Bethan Ellis Owen

A pair of piercing performances give real depth to Lisa Parry’s smart two-hander about faith and community

Daf James follows up his sensational 2010 play Llwyth with a return to its characters a decade on

Complex women are imprisoned in a world of male buffoons in this rich and remarkably modern staging of the seminal drama – but only Hedda can escape

Katherine Chandler’s potent new play about hedonism, violence and toxic bantz confounds expectations at every turn

Jo Clifford’s inventive and playful production gives the characters new conflicts, complexities and genders

Two new takes on The Taming of the Shrew radically alter the dynamic by setting the play in a matriarchal society