Azuka Oforka has won a prestigious Best Writer award at The Stage Debut Awards 2024 for her first full-length play, The Women of Llanrumney, which Sherman Theatre produced earlier this year.
The Stage Debut Awards are the only awards dedicated to recognising breakthrough theatre talent across the UK. The winners were announced on Sunday 29 Sept in London.
The Women of Llanrumney - a devastating historical drama set on the Llanrumney sugar plantation in 18th century Jamaica - was commissioned by Sherman Theatre and made its debut in a sell-out run at the Cardiff theatre in May 2024 to rave reviews (★★★★★ “blistering… marks Oforka as an urgent and important voice in Welsh theatre”, The Guardian; “A scorching writing debut… marks the arrival of an exhilarating new voice in Oforka”, The Stage).
The production will transfer to Stratford East in March 2025 before a second run at the Sherman (26 April-10 May 2025) to meet huge popular demand. Tickets for the second Sherman Theatre run go on sale today (Thurs 3 Oct).
Azuka is an alumna of the Sherman’s Unheard Voices programme for emerging writers and was one of two Best Writer Award winners at the ceremony, alongside Sam Grabiner for Boys on the Verge of Tears.
Azuka said: “I’m thrilled to have won Best Writer at the Stage Debut Awards for my first play; a win that would be in no way possible without the Sherman Theatre.
“It is really hard for emerging playwrights to get a foot in the door in this industry, so I know how incredibly lucky I am to have been championed and mentored by the amazing team at the Sherman. This whole experience has felt like a dream.”
There was further recognition on Sunday evening for artists who’ve worked with Sherman Theatre; actor Gareth John was nominated for Best Performer in a Play for his performance in Tim Green’s Housemates; a Sherman Theatre and Hijinx co-production staged in October 2023.