Connor Allen Leads the Cast of His New Autobiographical Play Forgiveness of a Monster
Award‑winning writer, actor and poet Connor Allen returns to the stage this spring with Forgiveness of a Monster, a bold new autobiographical production running at Sherman Theatre from 8–23 May 2026.
In this deeply personal work, Allen reflects on the mistakes of his youth and the personal and generational traumas that shaped them, tracing a journey toward self‑acceptance and compassion.
The production reunites him with composer and sound designer Oraine Johnson, who also collaborated on Allen’s first autobiographical play, The Making of a Monster, produced by Wales Millennium Centre in 2022. The BBC Radio 4 audio version of that earlier work went on to win the prestigious Imison Award.
“Who’s the man you see when you look in the mirror?”
Driven by a live soundtrack blending hip hop, soul, R&B and reggae, Forgiveness of a Monster promises a poetic and pulsating theatrical experience. The cast features Allen, Johnson and Mya Fox‑Scott, with direction by Tonia Daley‑Campbell and design by Ebrahim Nazier.
Allen is a former Children’s Laureate of Wales (2021–2023) and an Associate Artist at The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre in Newport. His performance work spans many of Wales’ leading creative organisations, and his screen credits include The Outsiders, The Rapture and Casualty. His writing explores identity, masculinity, love and grief, and his poetry collections Dominoes and Miracles were both published in 2023. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the University of South Wales.
His relationship with Sherman Theatre is long‑standing: he has mentored emerging writers through the theatre’s Introduction to Playwriting programme and, in 2023, joined the Sherman’s Explode development initiative, designed to support established writers in creating work for larger stages and wider audiences. Through seed commissions, dramaturgical support and R&D time, Explode enabled Allen to develop Forgiveness of a Monster—his first full‑scale Sherman production and the first Made in Sherman show of 2026.
Reflecting on the new play, Connor Allen said: “Forgiveness of a Monster brings together a journey of growth and empathy that I’ve been on over the past few years. People say you don’t always realise you’ve been on a journey until you pause, look back and see all the footprints that led you to where you are now. Forgiveness is me sharing some of those footprints as I follow on from the success of my first autobiographical show.
“Everything I create is an attempt to get closer to the root of the human condition and Forgiveness is another step in that pursuit. Another chapter in my library of work. As a child of two cultures and two worlds, I grew up existing in a grey area, never quite feeling black enough or white enough. This show is part of the journey of making peace with that … of understanding my own story and the story of those who created me.”
Sherman Theatre Chief Executive Julia Barry added: “Connor has not only been a part of the Sherman family for many years – including as an actor and even a staff member – but he’s also a significant voice in Wales’ cultural scene; a huge talent on paper, on stage and screen and in person, and with an extraordinary personal story to tell. It is an absolute delight to share this powerful new play of his with our audiences.”
Forgiveness of a Monster
Sherman Theatre
8 May 2026 – 23 May 2026
Jerwood Photoworks Awards 5 Thursday 7 May – Saturday 4 July 2026 Ffotogallery, Cardiff Public Preview: Thursday 7 May, 6–8pm
The fifth Jerwood/Photoworks Awards bring new work by Roman Manfredi and Sayuri Ichida to Ffotogallery as part of a UK touring exhibition. Using expanded photography across still and moving image, sound and installation, both artists explore how landscapes shape — and are shaped by — the communities connected to them.
Roman’s series TRA inhabits a space of transition, evoking “motion without destination” and a merging of identities where “masculine and feminine converge and dissolve.” Through portraits, film and fragments made in Napoli, Roman reflects on intuitive ties between people, memory and place.
Ichida’s project 空席 (Kūseki), meaning “empty seats”, responds to Japan’s rapid population decline. With nearly 9,000 schools closing between 2002 and 2020, and hundreds more each year, she traces how abandoned school buildings quietly disappear from rural life. Her installation spans photography, collage, sound and sculpture.
Established in 2015, the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards support early‑career UK artists working with photography to create ambitious new work. Previous awardees include Joanne Coates, Heather Agyepong, Silvia Rosi, Theo Simpson, Alejandra Carles‑Tolra, Sam Laughlin, Lúa Ribeira, Matthew Finn, Joanna Piotrowska and Tereza Zelenková.
Under Milk Wood — A Fresh, Vivid Revival of Dylan Thomas’ Classic
“This show has everything – it’s deeply funny but emotionally deep, quirky and eccentric but resonant and relevant. You’ll love it.” — Kate Wasserberg, Director
To begin at the beginning…
Audiences are invited to step into the dreamlike world of Llareggub, where the villagers slumber and secrets stir just beneath the surface. Their nights are filled with memories of lost loves, shipmates long gone, and marriages frayed at the edges. As dawn approaches, time slips, stories intertwine, and the extraordinary reveals itself in the everyday.
This vibrant new staging of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood brings renewed energy to the beloved text, immersing audiences in a community alive with romance, fantasy, scandal and song. Both playful and poignant, the production honours the richness of Thomas’ language while offering a warm, accessible gateway for newcomers and long‑time admirers alike.
SHERMAN THEATRE
Times & Tickets:
Thu 30 Apr, 7.30pm
Fri 1 May, 7pm
Sat 2 May, 2pm
Sat 2 May, 7.30pm
Tue 5 May, 7.30pm
Wed 6 May, 7.30pm
Thu 7 May, 2pm
Thu 7 May, 7.30pm
Fri 8 May, 6.30pm
Sat 9 May, 2pm
Sat 9 May, 7.30pm
Ffotogallery Announces Ffoto Cymru 2026: Wales’ International Festival of Photography Returns
Ffotogallery is pleased to announce the return of Ffoto Cymru – Wales’ International Festival of Photography, taking place throughout October 2026 in galleries, public spaces and cultural venues across the nation. Building on the success of its inaugural 2024 edition, the festival once again brings together artists whose work challenges, reimagines and expands the possibilities of contemporary lens‑based practice.
At the centre of the 2026 programme is the theme “There’s More to Life”—an invitation to question the systems that shape how we see and make meaning in the world. The festival will examine how dominant Western frameworks, including capitalism, ableism and patriarchy, influence our ways of looking, and how photography can open pathways to alternative modes of living, understanding and relating.
Ffoto Cymru 2026 foregrounds matriarchal traditions, spiritual perspectives and diverse forms of knowledge that have long been pushed to the margins. Through exhibitions, installations, public sharings and events across Wales, the festival creates space for voices and experiences that broaden our collective imagination and encourage audiences to reconsider their assumptions.
The full programme will be announced later this summer, featuring new commissions, re‑presentations of significant contemporary works, and experimental approaches to photography and lens‑based art.
Ben Dawson is thriving in his growing journey as an artist. He shares the inspiring reactions to his work, the encouraging note from his mother that sparked his passion, and the chance to spot him kitesurfing over the sea if you look closely!
