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Rachel O’Riordan announces her first season as Artistic Director of Sherman Cymru. |
Sherman Cymru’s new Artistic Director, Rachel O’Riordan has announced her first season following her appointment, which sees her directing both a bold, contemporary version of Romeo & Juliet and directing Sherman Cymru’s main house Christmas production, Arabian Nights. 
Headlining her first season of work is an exciting contemporary version of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet (2 – 18 October) which will be directed by Rachel O’Riordan and designed by Kenny Miller, reviving the successful partnership that created Perth Theatre and Tron Theatre’s Macbeth in 2013. Rachel will also direct the main house Sherman Cymru Christmas show, Arabian Nights (5 December 2014 – 3 January 2015) with an original score by Conor Mitchell, who also composed Ten Plagues and The Dummy Tree, and has worked with O’Riordan on Grimm Tales (Library, Manchester) and Animal Farm (Theatre Royal, Bath). Rachel said: “Romeo & Juliet and Arabian Nights are exciting and visceral texts. As a director, I am inspired by human endeavour, passion and how theatre helps to understand each other. I look forward to sharing these stories with Cardiff audiences.” Welsh playwright, Katherine Chandler (Sherman Cymru and Bristol Old Vic’s Before It Rains, and National Theatre Wales’s Silly Kings) will be writing a new version of The Ugly Duckling / Yr Hwyaden Fach Hyll for Sherman Cymru’s Christmas show for under 7s. Welsh Poet, Mererid Hopwood, who made history in 2001 by becoming the first woman ever to win the bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, will be translating into Welsh. Sherman Cymru will be producing The Ugly Duckling / Yr Hwyaden Fach Hyll in partnership with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and will tour across Wales during November before returning to Sherman Theatre during December and January. Alongside Sherman Cymru’s produced programme of work, the autumn season has been carefully curated to bring some of the UK's most invigorating and relevant companies to Cardiff. Productions include Birds of Paradise Theatre Company and Random Accomplice’s hilarious sex comedy Wendy Hoose (9-12 September); National Theatre of Scotland’s revival of Joe Corrie’s classic play about the struggles of a mining community in Fife In Time O’ Strife (23 – 25 October); Dot and Ethel’s Match (27 - 29 October); Music Theatre Wales’s The Trial (7 November) and Dance Touring Partnership present Boy Blue Entertainment’s The Five and The Prophecy of Prana (14 & 15 November). Ruby Wax’s new show, Sane New World (28 October) and Mark Watson’s Flaws (1 November) will also be on the main stage at the Sherman this autumn. Under Rachel O’Riordan’s new artistic leadership, Sherman Theatre will transform and re-connect the relationship it has with Cardiff, its surrounding communities, the city and beyond. Sherman Cymru is dedicated to working with other theatres, independent producers and some of the most distinctive, original talent around. O’Riordan is keen to forge new relationships and partnerships and has invited a number of creatives to join the organisation in a voluntary capacity. Katherine Chandler who has been invited as Playwright in Residence, Mared Swain as Associate Artist: Director, Kenny Miller as Associate Artist: Designer and John Williams as Associate Artist: Producer, who will all bring passion and expertise in their field to the Sherman. Rachel said: “I want to establish Sherman Cymru’s position as a major producing house in Wales. I want to support and generate new writing, and produce classic texts which resonate with our audiences. We will foster new creative partnerships both in Wales and beyond, widening the reach of Sherman Cymru’s work and sharing resources. We will curate the best of Welsh and UK wide touring work, offering our audiences a varied and stimulating programme. The Sherman Theatre has a significant role to play in Cardiff and beyond.” Rachel O’Riordan joined Sherman Cymru as Artistic Director in February following a three year tenure at Perth Theatre during which time she was credited with reviving the theatre. In 2013 Rachel and her team won Best Director and Best Ensemble at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) for The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, a co-production with Perth Theatre and Lyric Theatre, Belfast which was also nominated for the Theatrical Management Association 2013 UK Theatre Awards for Best Director. 
 She has worked in collaboration with, among others, the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Oran Mor and the Tron Theatre in Glasgow where her critically acclaimed sell-out production of Macbeth played in 2013. Prior to joining Perth Theatre Rachel was the Founder/Artistic Director of Ransom, one of Northern Ireland’s most successful UK and international touring companies, specialising in ground breaking new writing. At Ransom she toured productions throughout Europe as well as at The Brits off Broadway Festival in New York and most notably created Hurricane, which transferred to the West End. Her freelance directing work includes Miss Julie and Animal Farm for the Peter Hall Company, Theatre Royal Bath, Everything is Illuminated at Hampstead Theatre; The Absence of Women at the Tricycle; Gates of Gold at the Library Theatre, Manchester; and several plays at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Sherman Cymru’s autumn programme will be on sale from 20 June. For full details and listings of shows please visit www.shermancymru.co.uk or contact Sherman Cymru’s Ticket Office on 029 2064 6900 |
| Sherman Cymru web site: www.shermancymru.co.uk |
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Friday, June 20, 2014 |
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