An original bilingual production from Theatr na nÓg, created by award-winning Welsh playwright Katherine Chandler, We Need Bees introduces important environmental themes to young audiences through music, storytelling and interactive performance. The lively production will tour across Wales, and will stop at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, with a Welsh and English show, thanks to ScottishPower Foundation’s Art for Climate Fund.

Fun, engaging and thought provoking, We Need Bees explores biodiversity loss, climate displacement and environmental responsibility through the fascinating world of insects. Using the lives of bees and other pollinators as a powerful lens, the production encourages children to explore empathy, resilience and the real-world impacts of climate change. Featuring striking oversized bee costumes and original songs, the show promises an entertaining and memorable experience for both school and community audiences.

We Need Bees Director Phylip Harries said: "It’s a privilege to be part of a production that shares such important messages with young audiences. Theatre is a brilliant way to entertain children while encouraging them to think about the world around them, and We Need Bees does exactly that.

“At Theatr na nÓg, we create productions that leave audiences smiling but also talking and thinking afterwards. Morgan, Catrin and Aled are fantastic storytellers who bring so much energy to the show. We’re delighted that the school tour has sold out, and I’d encourage families to come along to one of the public performances and enjoy it together."

Featuring original music by Barnaby Southgate and performed in both English and Welsh at selected venues, We Need Bees is a returning Theatr na nÓg production, having first toured schools in 2012. It was later adapted as an online podcast during the Covid pandemic and returned as an outdoor theatre production at Theatr Brycheiniog in 2021, as part of a Welsh Government pilot scheme encouraging audiences back to theatres.

Thanks to ScottishPower's Art for Climate Fund, We Need Bees will tour schools across Wales, reaching more than 1,200 children, ahead of the arrival of its brand-new companion production, Bug Hotel, in 2027. 

Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation, said, “The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and we know the arts have a unique power to make complex ideas accessible, emotional and impossible to ignore. 

“Through our new Art for Climate Fund, we’re backing bold, imaginative projects that give young people hope, confidence and a real sense of agency. Theatr na nÓg, a worthy beneficiary of this new fund shows how creativity can spark climate action in classrooms and communities across the UK, and we’re incredibly proud to support them as one of the first recipients of this new fund.”

The cast includes Morgan Llewelyn-Jones, whose theatre credits include The Trial of Elgan Jones for Theatr na nÓg and The Snow Queen at Sherman Theatre; recent musical theatre graduate Catrin Lewis; and Aled Herbert, who returns for his twelfth production with Theatr na nÓg. On screen, Aled was most recently seen in the popular television series Rownd a Rownd.

We Need Bees is suitable for families and children aged 4 and over, and can be seen at the Torch Theatre on Saturday 11 July: 11:00 (Welsh Show), 14:00 (English Show). Tickets: £10. Book tickets via the website torchtheatre.co.uk / Box Office: 01646 695267 or click here.

Image: John Tee