| Theatre Anniversary Commemorated |
Theatre History |
| Fifty Years Recalled , Sherman Theatre , November 20, 2023 |
Nick Smurthwaite wrote for the Stage an article headed: “Sherman Theatre at 50: the story of Cardiff’s new-writing powerhouse.”“Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre has a long history of championing new work from Welsh creatives. As it celebrates 50 years, Nick Smurthwaite looks back at its inception, evolution and influence “Cardiff was not badly served by theatre in the early 1970s, but none of its existing playhouses – the New Theatre and the recently opened Chapter Arts Centre – was overly interested in producing new work by Welsh writers and creatives. “Enter the Sherman Brothers, Abe and Harry, local philanthropists whose fortune came from Sherman’s Football pools. “In 1968, the brothers had pledged £380,000 towards the provision of a new theatre attached to University College Cardiff. Another £500,000 was added to that by the University Grants Committee, Housing the Arts Fund and the British Film Institute. “Following a review of performing arts provision in Cardiff, academic and theatre director Geoffrey Axworthy reported back to University College Cardiff – now Cardiff University – that what the city really needed was a producing theatre that could reflect the voices of contemporary Welsh creatives, including plays written in the Welsh language. "Given that it would be administered by the university, Axworthy, who became the Sherman’s founding director, felt it was essential that the theatre’s programme should appeal to a younger audience than, say, the New Theatre. “Prince Philip performed the official opening ceremony on November 23, 1973, and the inaugural production in the main auditorium (seating 452) was The Government Inspector, Gogol’s timeless satire on local government, by the now defunct Welsh Drama Company. “A letter from Axworthy in The Stage in March 1978, rebutting an accusation that the Sherman wasn’t doing enough to support Welsh talent, reads: “In the past 44 weeks, we have presented 500 paying performances at an average of 12 a week and, of these, 290 were professional. One hundred and forty were from 13 Welsh-based companies.” “Fifty years on, financial constraints may prevent the Sherman from boasting that many home-grown shows but, according to artistic director Joe Murphy, the accent is still very much on serving the community and nurturing the creativity of South Wales. "He says: “For emerging Welsh artists, we’re a gateway, a safe place, somewhere people can express themselves and feel comfortable. Most importantly, we are a civic resource for the people of Cardiff and South Wales.” “In a typical year, the Sherman produces four new plays by writers who are either Welsh-born or based in Wales, revisits a classic play, produces a Christmas family show in the main house and stages a bilingual show for very young children before touring it around Wales. It also offers a range of creative development schemes to support artists at different stages of their careers, as well as playwriting workshops throughout the year. “In the 1990s, the Sherman, having been abandoned by the university due to its own funding problems, came under the wing of the Arts Council of Wales, which decided to restyle it as a young people’s theatre. The man charged with overseeing this change of direction was Phil Clark, formerly associate director of Sheffield’s Crucible and a born-and-bred Welshman. "In his 16-year tenure, Clark commissioned 148 new plays, mostly from Welsh writers, and established strong broadcasting and TV links with BBC Wales. “There was another Arts Council-led step change after Clark’s departure in 2004, which decreed that the Sherman should concentrate on new writing across the board. “I thought it was short-sighted,” says Clark, then still a working director. “The energy and excitement comes from young people. What we were doing was nurturing a generation of young artists.” “The job of fostering talent continued under Chris Ricketts, producing, among others, one of the most powerful plays of the noughties – Philip Ralph’s Deep Cut, about the young female soldier who died at the Deepcut army barracks in suspicious circumstances. It won a Scotsman Fringe First award in Edinburgh in 2008, two acting awards from The Stage and successfully toured the country. “Another big success for the Sherman was a revival of Educating Rita, starring Ruth Jones and directed by Clark in his final year as artistic director. “Soon afterwards, the Sherman closed for redevelopment, creating a more distinctive look both inside and out when it reopened in 2012. The technical infrastructure was also upgraded, with new backstage lifts, a public address system and lighting desk. "Its overarching effect was to separate the theatre once and for all from its university connections so that it could forge ahead in its own right. “Landmark productions in recent years have included Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott, directed by former artistic director Rachel O’Riordan and f eaturing a tour-de-force performance from Sophie Melville. "The production transferred to the National Theatre, toured the UK, ran in New York and Berlin and last year returned to London to run at O’Riordan’s current home, the Lyric Hammersmith. “In August this year, the Sherman marked its 50th anniversary with a special show, Love, Cardiff: 50 Years of Your Stories, combining the talents of the Jewish Association of South Wales, Cathays Day Provision, members of Cardiff’s D/deaf Community, the Kurdish All Wales Association, Waulah Cymru and the Welsh Ballroom Community. Woven into the production was the story of the Sherman brothers, children of Eastern European immigrants, who made generous donations to many communities in Cardiff. "Cardiff would not be the city we love without its rich and diverse mix of communities,” says artistic director Murphy. “Due to our scale, we are all closely connected, and there is a real relationship between our audience, artists and our team.” Extracts with thanks and acknowledgement to the full article for subscribers at: https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/sherman-theatre-at-50-the-story-of-cardiffs-new-writing-powerhouse |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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