The Secret of Belonging

Extraordinary events brought Polish Artist, Josef Herman, to Ystradgynlais. The impact was such that he extended his original stay in the village from two weeks to eleven years.
The Secret of Belonging is both moving and comic and it explores the influence that the people and the place of Ystradgynlais had on Herman and how they helped shape and develop his work. It also examines the idea of identity; the events in our lives that shape and change us and what it means to belong. There is also a bilingual aspect to the play as Herman, a Jewish, Polish immigrant, finds himself thrust into a small Welsh speaking community where the differences and similarities of the two cultures are brought to light.