SHOUT!

Azuka Oforka is a playwright and screenwriter, born and raised in London, who relocated to Cardiff in 2012. Experience includes Critical Mass Writers Group and Invited Writers Group (Royal Court Theatre), R&D commission from The Other Room Theatre for The Last Bastion, BBC Writersroom Drama Room 2021 shortlist, Sherman Theatres Unheard Voices and BBC Writersroom Welsh Voices 2022, BBC Studios/Thousand Films Thousand Stories longlist. She is a participant in the inaugural Jed Mercurio Mentorship Programme, where she will develop an original TV pilot under the mentorship of writer and showrunner Emma Frost. She is passionate about telling stories that centre complex women and shine a light on underrepresented, marginalised communities in both contemporary and historical settings.

Connor Allen is the current Children’s Laureate of Wales and associate artist of The Riverfront in Newport. He is a former member of the BBC Wales Welsh Voices and Welsh Royal Court writing groups. He has written for Wales Millennium Centre, BBC Radio 4 and more. Connors work is heavily inspired by elements of his own life such as grief, love, masculinity, identity, and ethnicity. He was a Jerwood Live Work Fund recipient, won the Rising Star Wales Award 2021 and was the 2023 winner of the Imison Award for his Radio 4 audio drama ‘The Making Of A Monster’

Enfys Clara is an actor, assistant director, captions operator and is now taking the plunge into the world of writing. They had their professional stage debut in 2021 as the apprentice actor in the Sherman Theatre's A Christmas Carol, after many years of doing youth theatre there. Most recently Enfys was assistant director on Imrie, an award winning Welsh language play that toured across Wales. Enfys is excited for their writing to first be performed at the Sherman, as its been a place of development for them throughout their life.

Leila is a young comedian, actor, presenter and writer from South Wales. She recently made her Edinburgh Fringe debut with a sellout run of her musical comedy hour Composition. It was met with critical acclaim – ‘an eye-catching introduction to a comic of promise’ (Guardian). It will transfer to the Soho Theatre later in 2023.

Described as ‘the actual future of comedy’ (LMAOnaise), her television and radio stand-up credits include BBC New Comedy Awards 2022 (BBC) Live at Aberystwyth Pier (BBC), Stand-up Sesh (BBC), Stand Up in My House (BBC) and The Leak (BBC). She is bilingual, with Welsh Language credits including Ffyrnig (S4C) and Ni y Nawdegau (BBC Cymru).

In 2021, she co-wrote and starred in the BBC iPlayer series Vandullz. It was met with acclaim, dubbed ‘an engaging character-driven comedy’ (Chortle). In 2022, she voiced the role of Claire in the hit channel 4 comedy series Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. As a presenter, she hosts the CBBC series Don’t Blame Me, Blame My Brain alongside fellow comic Ken Cheng. Since being invited into BBC Writersroom – Welsh Voices in 2017, she has written on shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks (Sky), Yesterday, Today & The Day Before (Comedy Central), United Kingdoms (BBC Radio 4), BAMESHOW (BBC Radio 4) and Tourist Trap (BBC One Wales). Her Radio 4 drama I’ve Been So Touched was broadcast in Winter 2022. Recently named a ‘breakthrough writer’ by BBC comedy, she recently wrote on Jack Whitehall’s Bad Education and Spencer Jones’ new ITV comedy series Deep Fake Neighbour Wars.

Jafar is a creative producer and freelance artist based in Cardiff. Recently, he has produced Idle, They Yammer and Baba Joon on behalf of The Other Room; co-produced a podcast for the British Council about his trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe; and recently started working on Phase 2 of Scene/Change, the first ever playwriting programme for Welsh and Wales-based writers of South Asian heritage.