For The Love of Merthyr

For the Love of Merthyr is set in 1948, post-war Merthyr Tydfil. A town that is recovering from the ravages of war and coming to terms with a brave new world. It centres around the early days of the NHS and the opening of the ‘new’ Hoover factory in the town. It especially deals with the role of women in shaping the NHS, alongside how immigrants came to Merthyr to work in the new NHS hospital and care system.

The play, written by Vic Mills is performed in English with music and original songs by Stephen J Preston & Kevin Mills. It is directed by Neil Maidman. Comprising a cast of 5, it will be staged at Theatr Soar in October 2025 and has been supported by Merthyr County Borough Council. Children from Primary and Secondary schools in the borough will get to see matinee performances free of charge, thanks to the MTCBC support. Public performances will be on Tuesday 7th October, Wednesday 8th October, Thursday 9th October , Saturday 11th October 2025. Tickets on sale via the Theatr Soar website now

There is a community focus with the production looking to work with local primary schools to produce an ‘Anthem for Merthyr’ that will be used in the play.

Alongside working with children, members of the community who have worked in the NHS or at Hoover will be interviewed for the project and it is hoped that a lasting legacy of the play will be produced for future generations to understand what post-war Merthyr Tydfil was like.