IF YOU only see one play this year, make it How To Be Brave.

Based on Newport writer Siân Owen’s own experiences as a mother in a fast-changing and confusing world, its mix of humour and sensitivity is utterly mesmerising.

Laura Dalgleish is captivating as Katie, a mum-of-one struggling to stay be the ‘grown-up’ she feels she should be.

But to call this a one-woman play would be misleading.

Dalgleish also takes on the role of all the important women in her life - her daughter, mother and grandmother, as well as a former bully who has “managed to turn bullying into a career” as a police officer - her face transforming as she flits from character to character.

Performed ‘in circle’ at the Torch Theatre, Dalgleish brought the five-metre circular space to life, painting a vivid picture of Newport.

The space worked well, representing the circle of support so many of us rely on, and how suffocating that can feel sometimes.

As she tours the city she loves, from its shiny new estates and shopping centres to its crumbling castle, she is taken back in time to explore the moments that shaped her, and how she came to be - as she calls it - ‘broken’.

The expectation for women to be good, kind, generous, to have a clean house, a happy family and perfect hair is overwhelming sometimes, and this was very relatable.

Women spend so much time being 'grown up' - caring for those around them, being responsible and reliable. 

But sometimes all we want is to be a child again, if just for a day.

Katie's love for her own little girl is unwavering - if at times terrifying to her.

All she wants is for her daughter’s experience of the world to be a happy one.

One not ruled by fear or shame, a world in which everyone - no matter their gender, class or background - can feel like a superhero.

And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is ask for, and accept, help.

How To Be Brave is on at Le Pub, Newport, from tomorrow (March 21), and at Galeri in Caernarfon on March 27.