Following a successful 50th anniversary year – critically and at the box office – Sherman Theatre in Cardiff is starting 2024 in style, with a major, UK-wide award nomination and several critical accolades for its past work, its leadership and its upcoming programme.
The Sherman is shortlisted for the Theatre of the Year Award in The Stage Awards 2024, along with fellow nominees the Almeida Theatre, London; Birmingham Rep; Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London; National Theatre, London and Watermill Theatre, Newbury. Announcing the shortlist, The Stage described the Sherman as “a theatre making work that is both firmly rooted in its local community but of a genuinely world-class standard”. The winner of this, one of the UK theatre scene’s most prestigious awards, will be announced at the awards ceremony on Monday 29th January at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London.
There has been recognition too of the company’s leadership; last week The Stage named Sherman Theatre’s Artistic Director Joe Murphy and Chief Executive Julia Barry in its Stage 100 2024 list. The list of the most influential performing arts creatives in the sector is published annually, and this year included senior staff at Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Theatr Clwyd. It also named Rosie Sheehy, who starred in Sherman Theatre and National Theatre’s co-production Romeo and Julie last year, as a Rising Star.
Romeo and Julie was also included in The Stage’s Top 50 Shows of 2023, as was Housemates, the Sherman’s acclaimed co-production with Hijinx.
Looking ahead to the company’s 2024 programme, one production in particular is making waves already. The Guardian has named The Women of Llanrumney by Azuka Oforka (16 May-1 June 2024) one of The best theatre, dance and comedy tickets to book in 2024 and WhatsOnStage has included it in its Top Plays to See in 2024.
Artistic Director Joe Murphy said…..
“We’re delighted to start this year with so much high-profile recognition of both our recent achievements and our forthcoming ambitions. Working with some of Wales’ most exciting artists, this year’s programme presents a vision of south Wales that will resonate far and wide.”
Chief Executive Julia Barry added…..
“All of these endorsements are a credit to our team; the staff, trustees, volunteers and freelance community who bring incredible talent, commitment and energy to this theatre on a daily basis. What a great start to 2024. “This year does bring some uncertainty for our sector in Wales, and there’s no doubt that many challenges will have to be faced in the coming months. But we remain focused on creating work that really resonates with our audiences and it’s a welcome boost to our forthcoming programme to know that others are as excited about it as we are.”
So, with much to celebrate, Sherman Theatre have announced details of seven productions, including five brand new plays, that will form the company’s 2024 season.
Announcing the season, Sherman Theatre’s Artistic Director Joe Murphy said…..
“2023 has been an extraordinary year for Sherman Theatre, not just because we celebrated a remarkable milestone, but because our work to deepen and widen our engagement with audiences has paid dividends. To welcome audiences, community members and artists through our doors in such great numbers, especially after the pandemic, is a huge vote of confidence.
This, coupled with our tried and tested formula of telling local stories with a global resonance, gives us a fantastic platform from which to leap into the new year. Here are five exciting new plays – and the return of two old favourites – to whet audiences’ appetite for great theatre, which is as strong now as we’ve ever seen it.”
The seven productions are:
The Wife of Cyncoed by Matt Hartley – 7th to 23rd March
Set in the Cardiff suburbs of Cyncoed and Lakeside, this warm monologue introduces Jayne, a divorcee approaching a crossroads in her life. Directed by Hannah Noone, this is a tale of self-discovery and second chances, bursting with humanity.
The Women of Llanrumney by Azuka Oforka – 16th May to 1st June
A searing historical drama that confronts Wales’ colonial past head-on, this bold new work is set in a sugar estate in Jamaica, where Cerys and her mother Annie are enslaved by the wealthy Welsh Morgan family. It is written by Azuka Oforka, a 2022 alumnus of Sherman Theatre’s Unheard Voices artist development programme, and will be directed by Sherman Theatre Associate Artist Patricia Logue (Lose Yourself, Sherman Theatre, 2019).
Couple Goals (working title) by Rhiannon Boyle – May 2024 – exact dates tbc)
This will be Sherman Theatre’s ninth collaboration with its nearby neighbours, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and is the company’s 2024 commission for the college’s NEW festival.
Iphigenia yn Sblot by Gary Owen – August to September 2024 – exact dates tbc
Gary Owen’s award-winning, international, smash-hit one-woman play is brought vividly to life in Branwen Cennard’s new Welsh language adaptation, directed by Alice Eklund. Since its premiere at the Sherman in 2015, Iphigenia in Splott has become a theatrical phenomenon; a furious yet compassionate state-of-the-nation play that shames a nation. Still startling, shattering, deeply human and shockingly relevant, it is a play that resonates deeply.
Iphigenia yn Sblot is supported by funding from Arts Council of Wales.
Odyssey 84 by Tim Price – 11th to 26th October
Staged during the 40th anniversary year of the 1984 Miners’ Strike, this new play written by one of Wales’ most successful writers will follow the story of a married couple caught up in the conflict, told through the lens of Homer’s Odyssey. Domestic meets epic, local meets global in this ambitious new work that sheds light on women’s role in one of the most explosive chapters of Wales’ history. Odyssey 84 will be directed by Sherman Theatre’s Artistic Director, Joe Murphy.
Little Red Riding Hood / Yr Hugan Fach Goch by Katie Elin-Salt – 1st & 2nd November then 25th November to 4th January 2025
Supported by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru
Following Sherman Theatre’s tradition of staging English and Welsh versions of a brand new festive show for younger children aged 3-6, this festive treat will tour venues across south Wales before returning to the Sherman Theatre for a six-week run.
A Christmas Carol by Gary Owen – 23rd November to 4th January 2025
A revival of the company’s 2021 smash-hit festive show for older children, starring Hannah McPake as Ebenezer Scrooge, adapted by one of Wales’ greatest playwrights and writer of the Sherman’s recent hit Romeo & Julie.
The season announcement is made 50 years to the day since Sherman Theatre was officially opened, on Friday 23rd November 1973.
The following productions are now on sale: The Wife of Cyncoed, The Women of Llanrumney, Odyssey ’84, A Christmas Carol and Little Red Riding Hood / Yr Hugan Fach Goch. Full details and to get tickets, go HERE.
