Sherman Theatre’s Creative Engagement programme has announced a brand new bursary scheme for children and adults experiencing financial barriers to participation in the arts.
The scheme is made possible by fundraiser Mike Morgan’s Wild Horse 200 ultramarathon in April. Through a crowdfunder page, fundraising events and sponsorship, he raised £5,788 to establish the scheme.
In total, there will be nine bursary opportunities to join one of the Sherman’s Creative Engagement groups:
- one for Sherman Sherbets, which offers weekly creative sessions for children from Reception-Year 3;
- four for Sherman Youth Theatre, a weekly youth theatre programme for ages eight-18;
- two for Sherman Makers, a community theatre group for anyone aged 18+ who is Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted, disabled and/or neurodivergent; and
- two for Sherman Players, the company’s non-professional theatre group for ages 18+.
The announcement comes as Sherman Youth Theatre put finishing touches to their production, Clueless in Cathays (23-25 July), written by the members and Gwen Morris, and directed by Francesca Pickard and the youth theatre leaders. Sherman Players staged their production of buckets, written by Adam Barnard and directed by Duncan Hallis, earlier in July.
Mike himself has been a participant in Sherman Theatre’s Creative Engagement programme; a former Sherman Player and frequent Community Chorus member, he has performed in several productions on the Sherman’s main stage, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tales of the Brothers Grimm and Odyssey ‘84. In October 2025 he was one of a group of runners who completed the Cardiff Half-Marathon in aid of Sherman’s Share Your Passion Fund.
Mike told us……
“When I set out on this challenge, I hoped it would make a difference. To have raised almost £6,000 for a Sherman Theatre bursary is far beyond anything I imagined, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support, kindness and generosity I received. Knowing that these funds will help remove financial barriers and give more people the opportunity to take part in Sherman Theatre’s programmes makes the whole experience even more rewarding.”
Emma Tropman. Sherman Theatre’s Head of Fundraising and Development, said….
“We are delighted to be able to launch our bursary programme, something that would not have been possible without Mike’s fundraising and the generosity of all the people who donated and supported him. We now have capacity to offer bursaries from September and, in order to maintain the opportunity in the long term, will continue to fundraise into the programme.”
Francesca Pickard, Sherman Theatre’s Head of Creative Engagement added….
“We believe that access to creativity and self-expression is a right and we are constantly striving to remove barriers to participation. This bursary will go a long way towards our goal of ensuring everyone has the opportunity to be enriched by the art of theatre.”
For further information about the bursary scheme, including application and eligibility criteria, contact francesca.pickard@shermantheatre.co.uk. Applications will open in August.
