Performer Name: Still Here Productions Ltd in association with 20 South Street

Show Name: John Bevan: Team Player

Show Description

1971. At 20 years old, John Bevan is the youngest member of the British Lions team touring New Zealand to defeat the mighty All Blacks. What’s it like to live this dream? And what happens afterwards? Back in the real world, jobs and money are scarce. Can the film ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ inspire change? A new country. A new game. Will this lead to success or the end of a life in rugby? Mari Lloyd’s new solo play explores three significant years in the sporting career of the legendary Welsh rugby player. This new production follows the successful first collaboration of writer Mari Lloyd and director/producer Julia Stubbs on Mari’s debut play Still Here, which after a celebrated London premiere in 2023 where its two young Welsh actors were award-nominated, returned in a hugely acclaimed revival in 2025 touring to South Wales, London and Liverpool, and recently being named as one of ‘The Top 20 Shows We Saw Across Wales’ in 2025 by The Edit. Mari Lloyd says... I hadn’t set out to write a play about rugby or a rugby player, though my previous play Still Here was rooted in a boxing gym. Growing up in Wales, I was aware of the nostalgia surrounding 1970s rugby – a so-called golden era. But I began to question how accurate that picture really was. Interviewing John Bevan gave me rare insight into the physical and mental pressures of elite sport, and into his controversial decision to ‘go North’ to Rugby League. Rugby saved him, but it also forced him to grow up, from a fiercely competitive kid from the Rhondda to a true team player. Ultimately, the play explores how sport can shape identity, belonging and community.

Image for show
We will be bringing our own lighting on tour, so we won't need the use of the venue's lighting rig.
We will be bringing a MacBook on tour to run the soundscape used in the production, and so we will just need to connect to the venue's sound system or PA.
We supply A3/A4 posters, A5 flyers and a media pack with a press release and links to video promos, trailers, and production photography.
Still Here Productions is an independent Theatre Production Company focusing on new writing and innovative storytelling, led by director and producer Julia Stubbs and playwright Mari Lloyd. Their inaugural production of Mari's debut play, Still Here, premiered to excellent reviews from critics and audiences on the London Fringe in 2023 and received an award-nomination for its two young Welsh actors. The production was revived with its original cast in 2025 to further acclaim, touring to South Wales, London and Liverpool. Mari Lloyd, originally from the Rhondda Valley where much of her family still lives, is now based in Merseyside. After over 20 years in the NHS, she turned to writing and has since made a notable impact. Her plays include '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 featured in showcases on the London Fringe, and 'Looking Out for Jack' was longlisted for the esteemed Papatango New Writing Prize. Mari stays grounded and sane by engaging with a local boxing gym. Julia Stubbs is the Artistic Director of 20 South Street and a freelance theatre director. Her recent directing work includes a revival of 'Sparks' by Simon Longman for Upper Hand Theatre Company on the London Fringe, which earned multiple 4-star reviews. This followed the well-received premiere production of 'What I Really Think of My Husband: Thomas Hardy and his Wives' by David Pinner for And Tomorrow Theatre Company on the London Fringe, as well as a national tour of Mark Glentworth’s 'Seven and a half Years', which received an OffFest award nomination. Julia was formerly the Joint Artistic Director of the new writing/new work company Weaver Hughes Ensemble (1997-2009), whose acclaimed productions included work by Jack Thorne, Don DeLillo, Steve Waters, and Rhiannon Tise.