Seventeen years ago, everything changed. Three-year-old Shell was put into foster care, and her six-month-old sister Natalie was adopted. They’ve not seen each other since. So, Shell waited…
Any day now, Natalie turns 18 and is no longer under the guardianship of her adoptive parents. They can finally be together. At least, that’s what Shell believes. But nothing’s that simple in social services.
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| Poster Artwork by Anna Thomas. |
When faced with the latest roadblock, Shell decides to take matters into her own hands. But in the search for her sister, does she risk losing the family she’s found along the way?
Kid Sister is an exploration of the complications and joys of the social care sector in Wales.
We sat down with playwright Owen Lloyd Richards to learn more about the piece.
What can you tell us about Kid Sister?
17 years ago, Shell was put into social care. Her sister Natalie was adopted. Shell’s been waiting to be reunited ever since.
Kid Sister is a play about playing about the realities of fostering and adoption. It's funny, messy and hopefully, subverts expectations.
What inspired you to write the piece?
I've worked in the social care sector for over a decade. I've always been amazed by the way foster carers and social workers build relationships with children. It was a subject I wanted to write about, but never found the time.
Then COVID hit, and suddenly all my social care work went. I suppose this was my way of trying to recapture the chaos and magic I was missing.
What personal or societal experiences influenced your storytelling?
The experience of Shell and Natalie is common in foster care. If a child is under one, they’re far more likely to be adopted than a toddler. Over the years, I met a few children in care waiting to be reunited.
It feels unimaginably cruel to separate siblings, especially if all they have left is each other. What I wanted to do was to explore the greyness of this decision - impossible choices, and everyone left dealing with the consequences.
The relationship between Shell and Natalie is central to the play. How did you approach the dynamics of sibling separation and reunion in your writing?
For a long time, I wasn't sure how to approach the subject. Our protagonist just waiting to meet someone doesn't make for an exciting plot (barring one or two foundational exceptions of course…).
Shell has been waiting for Natalie all her life. She's built this whole picture of who Nat is and what their reunion will be like. It doesn't reflect reality, it reflects her own experience in foster care and what she thinks she needs to be complete again.
The interest comes from how Shell’s expectations are subverted and where the sisters actually connect. I wanted us to watch how their defences fall as they become comfortable, not just with each other but as themselves. Then blow it up, of course.
Your play touches on the challenges within social services. Did you encounter any specific research or stories that left a lasting impact on your perspective?
I’ve done a lot of co-production work with children in care, where we'd discuss their experiences and create a digital storytelling project together. This really inspired the relationships of the play.
You could be having a very normal conversation and they'd casually drop details about abuse from relatives. It wasn’t this big emotional outburst. It can throw you at first.
But in reality, a lot of foster children’s relationships are with carers, social workers, and other children in care. The challenging conversations and difficult decisions are made with the same people you socialise with. In the best circumstances, it creates this bantering equal playing field.
How did you aim to balance the themes of joy and complication within family relationships in Kid Sister?
I didn't want to create some kitchen sink drama, all morbid and pitying. The play is about the relationships Shell has and the one she wants. To feel like that matters, we need to enjoy those relationships!
So when we meet Shell and her foster carer Christine, they're like a double act. They run rings around social worker Mark. Then we add Natalie, and we see a different side to Shell - one that's more vulnerable, but more volatile for it.
Can you share some insights on the character development of Shell as she navigates her search for Natalie?
Shell makes a lot of mistakes, but it's all driven by this fundamental truth - what’s happened to her is not fair.
When we meet her, she's technically an adult but she's not given herself permission or space to mature. She's in a self-imposed stasis until she's reunited with Natalie. This makes her impulsive and petty at times.
But she's also funny and doesn't put up with bullshit. Deep down, I think we'd all like to be a bit more Shell.
How does her journey reflect broader themes in society?
The whole show is about making the best out of decisions made by other people. We all experience that in our lives. Social care is imperfect but vital. Shell is the product of the system that made her. This is what we get.
What role does the setting of Wales play in the narrative? How does it enhance the story you’re telling?
The show’s set in Wales because it’s where I live and work. I always pictured it in the Rhondda Valley, in one of those hillside terraces.
But beyond the introductory stage direction and some regional dialogue, it could be anywhere. This is a working class representation of social care in Britain - authentically Welsh, but not essentially.
In what ways do you think this story resonates with the current audience, especially regarding issues of family, identity, and belonging?
I think most people have had relationships they didn't expect to become so important. And maybe had family members who will never be who we want or need them to be.
Shell runs the risk of ruining the positive relationships she has for the potential of one that might not exist. Whether that's love, friendship or family, we can all recognise that.
As a playwright, what unique challenges do you face in bringing sensitive topics like the foster care system to the stage? How do you overcome them?
Accuracy - not so much in the technicalities (I'm sure there's about 20 major procedural violations) but in the representation. I wanted to accurately represent children in care.
Shell isn't an everyman; everyone's experience is unique. But I didn't want to write something that a care-experienced person would watch and say “bullshit”. After all, who am I to misrepresent them?
Shell isn't a victim and she isn't perfect. She’s funny, well-meaning and short tempered. She lies a lot, but very principled. A lot of contradictions, just like anyone else really.
What was the first piece of theatre that you remember having a big impact on you?
First piece? Probably a Pinter play - my high school drama teacher was an obsessive (shout out Mr Slack from Whitchurch High). He was constantly getting us to do scenes from The Dumb Waiter or The Caretaker. Really engrained that rhythm of dialogue in me.
But what inspired me to start writing again was a play called Blue by Rhys Warrington, staged by Chippy Lane Theatre in Cardiff. I loved how they blended a serious subject manner with moments of misunderstanding and farce. It was people living in the aftermath - which really helped me crack Kid Sister’s story.
What keeps you inspired?
I love stories about people in impossible situations, moving forwards no matter what. I love bringing light to difficult topics. I love exploring relationships and putting them under stress.
Which is why I could tell a hundred more stories in social care alone. It's the frontline of human experience. We will all come in contact with it, whether it's disability support, elderly care, addiction treatment or children's services. It's the unsung emergency service.
In exploring the social care sector, what do you hope audiences take away from your depiction of this complex environment?
It's not this other thing. It's not something scary or depressing. It can happen to anyone, and everyone in those situations could be you.
I hope that the next time an audience member meets someone care-experienced, or needs a social worker, they'll be a bit less apprehensive.
Kid Sister runs at The Bread & Roses Theatre in London from Tuesday 10th until Saturday 21st March 2026. Tickets are available from https://www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/
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