The Merry Adventures of Maid Marian: Sherman Theatre confirms cast of eight

Official artwork for Sherman Theatre's Christmas show. Illustration: Emily Jones.

Sherman Theatre in Cardiff has announced the full cast for The Merry Adventures of Maid Marian, its Christmas show for 2026. The production is a brand new take on the Robin Hood legend, set in south Wales, and runs from 27 November 2026 to 2 January 2027.

The show is produced in association with Theatr Iolo and is aimed at everyone aged seven and over and their families. All eight performers will play as actor musicians throughout.

Who is in the cast?

Leading the company in the title role is Rebecca Hennessey, who is from Cardiff and graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2026. The role marks her professional debut at the Sherman.

She is joined by three performers returning to the theatre's Christmas shows. Keiron Self has previously appeared in Alice: Return to Wonderland and Peter Pan. Elin Phillips has appeared in Hansel and/a Gretel and Alice in Wonderland, and Owen Alun returns after A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan and The Frog Prince/Biwti and Brogs. Self and Phillips are also currently performing in Balloon Girl, a Sherman Theatre and Tilt production running from 9 to 24 October.

Four more performers are making their professional debuts at the theatre. Ariadne Koursarou is an alumnus of Sherman Players and Sherman Youth Theatre. Carwyn Jones has credits including Pijin / Pigeon for Theatr Cymru, Llanast for Bara Caws and Tidy/Taclus for Theatr Iolo, and appeared alongside Koursarou in Dosbarth Miss Prydderch a Lleidr y Lleisiau for Theatr Cymru. Ai Kumar has appeared in Sleeping Beauty at Theatr Clwyd, and Kayode Shoboyede, a 2026 graduate of Rose Bruford, takes his first professional role.

Who is behind the production?

The show is written by Paul Dodgson, with music and lyrics by Lucy Rivers. It is directed by Lee Lyford, Artistic Director of Theatr Iolo, who previously directed Peter Pan at the Sherman in 2023.

The creative team also includes set and costume designer Carl Davies, musical director Tom Elstob, lighting designer Andy Pike and sound designer Sam Jones.

What have the theatre and director said?

Announcing the cast, the theatre's Chief Executive Julia Barry said: "This is a cast to die for; three who have a proven track record of drawing huge belly laughs from our festival audiences, and five exceptionally talented newcomers who'll be performing with us for the very first time."

She added that working with Lee Lyford in association with Theatr Iolo, which she described as Wales' leading children's theatre company, "is the icing on the cake. This will be a cracking night out for audiences of all ages this Christmas."

Lyford said: "I am delighted to be working with Sherman Theatre again, and on such a spectacle of a show. These characters are familiar to most of us, but this is a brand new adventure with an incredible cast. I can't wait to share the joy and excitement of this fresh take on an old classic with audiences of all ages."

Are there accessible performances?

Yes. BSL interpreted performances with Julie Doyle are on Saturday 5 December at 2pm, Friday 11 December at 6.30pm and Saturday 19 December at 2pm. Relaxed performances with Michelle Perez are on Saturday 5 December at 2pm and Thursday 17 December at 2.30pm.

There is an audio described performance on Saturday 12 December at 2pm, and captioned performances with Erika James on Saturday 12 December and Saturday 19 December, both at 2pm.

What else is on for families this Christmas?

The Sherman has staged Christmas productions for more than 40 years. Alongside Maid Marian this year, it is producing a new co production of Pinocchio in English and Welsh for children aged three to six and their families. It will be performed in the theatre's Studio before touring south Wales.

Listings and ticket information are on the Sherman Theatre website. For more theatre news from around the country, see our latest stories.