The Sherman Theatre () is a venue in the

Cathays Cathays ( ; standardised ; sometimes , 'the constant meadow') is a district and community in the centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is an old suburb of Cardiff established in 1875. It is densely populated and contains many Victorian ter ...

district of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from University College Cardiff (now

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

). Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Theatre between 2007 and 2016 when the name changed back to Sherman Theatre. The theatre is named after the Sherman brothers, the founder of Sherman's Football Pools, who financed its construction.

History

C. W. L. Bevan Cecil Wilfrid Luscombe "Bill" Bevan, CBE (2 April 1920 – 19 April 1989) was a Welsh chemist, academic, and academic administrator. He was Principal of University College, Cardiff from 1966 to 1987. He was additionally Vice-Chancellor of the Uni ...

, principal of University College Cardiff (now Cardiff University) worked on the original proposal, and funding was from the Harry & Abe foundation. The Sherman Theatre opened on 3 October 1973 with a screening of

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

's ''The Savage Messiah''. It was officially opened on 23 November 1973 by the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

. Between 1990 and 2006 the artistic director of the Sherman was Phil Clark. Between 1993 and 1997 some plays were filmed for television by HTV under the series title ''The Sherman Plays''. The current artistic director of the theatre is Joe Murphy. The Sherman Theatre Company and Sgript Cymru merged in April 2007 to form a new company, called Sherman Cymru, based at the Sherman Theatre.

Building and facilities

The theatre was originally designed by

Alex Gordon and Partners Sir Alexander John Gordon, CBE (25 February 1917 – 12 July 1999) was a Welsh architect. Born in Ayr, Scotland, he was brought up and educated in Swansea and Cardiff. After World War II he designed several major buildings in Cardiff and Swans ...

in the same dark-brown brick as the

Cardiff University Students' Union Cardiff Students' Union (CSU, Welsh:''Undeb Myfyrwyr Caerdydd'') is the Students' Union for Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff Students' Union supports over 200 student societies and 60 sports clubs with more than ...

building next door, and was completed in 1973. It was modernised and refurbished in 2010–12 by Jonathan Adams, internally reorganised and with a distinctive new metal-clad facade. There are two performance spaces: the main auditorium with 452 seats, and the studio / arena which seats 100.

Awards

The Sherman won the UK Theatre Award for "Best New Play 2015", for Gary Owen's ''Iphigenia in Splott''.

Sophie Melville Sophie Melville (born 1991) is a Welsh actress of stage and screen from Swansea, Wales. She has been the recipient of best actress at the Stage Awards for Acting Excellence and nominated for the Outstanding Solo Performance at the Drama Desk A ...

's performance in this production received ''The Stage'' Award for Acting Excellence at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

in 2015. The production transferred to the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

's Temporary Theatre in 2015, making this the first Welsh play to transfer straight to the National Theatre. ''Iphigenia in Splott'' won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Drama in 2016. Gary Owen and

Rachel O'Riordan Rachel O'Riordan (born 1974) is an Irish theatre director. She is the artistic director at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. Early life and education Born in Cork, Ireland to poet and novelist Robert Anthony Welch and Angela O'Riordan Welch, O ...

’s next collaboration,

Killology David Allen Grossman (born August 23, 1956) is an American author and trainer who conducts seminars on the psychology of lethal force. He is a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Early life and military career Grossman was bor ...

, won the award for Outstanding Achievement at an Affiliate Theatre at the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

s in 2018. The Sherman won the

Edinburgh Fringe First The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

award and a Herald Angel Award in 2008 for their touring play

Deep Cut Deepcut is a military village in England. Deepcut or Deep Cut may also refer to: * Deepcut Barracks, the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut * ''Deep Cut'' (play), 2008 play by Philip Ralph * Deep Cut (band), a British rock band * Operation Dee ...

, which dramatised the real-life deaths of four trainees at Deepcut Army Barracks. Sherman Theatre won Regional Theatre of the Year Award at The Stage Awards 2018.

Artistic directors by year

* Geoffrey Axworthy: 1973-1988 * Mike James: 1988-1989 * Phil Clark: 1990-2006 * Chris Ricketts: 2006-2014 *

: 2014-2019 * Joe Murphy: 2019-present.

References

External links