Theatre offers ‘Pay What You Want’ previews of newest family show
Nation.Cymru Staff
Theatre-goers are being given the chance to choose how much they pay to see the first previews of a new family show inspired by the true story of a Victorian teenager who died in a hot air balloon stunt.
Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre have said they are “really pleased” to offer a Pay What You Want ticket system for their previews of Balloon Girl, which will take place on 9 and 10 October,
Tickets for the show from writer and director Hannah McPake, celebrated for creating irreverent, fantastical and relevant theatre shows, will be priced at £5, £10, £15, £20, or £25.
Though it is based on the tragic story of 14-year-old Louisa Maud Evans, who lost her life in a hot air balloon stunt in July 1896, Balloon Girl celebrates Louisa’s legacy and bravery, and the city that pooled its resources to honour her.
The balloon took off from Cathays Park on 21 July, with Louisa due to demonstrate the latest in parachute technology in front of a crowd of 100,000 as part of Cardiff’s Fine Art, Industrial and Maritime Exhibition.
Louisa’s body was pulled from the mud at Nash Point, Newport, three days later, and following a crowdfunded funeral she was laid to rest in Cathays Cemetery near Sherman Theatre.
The story, which was reported by local journalists and horrified the world, became the catalyst for radical changes in UK child labour laws.
In the new Sherman Theatre and Tilt co-production, Louisa’s ghost takes tech billionaire Carol Gaudron on a journey through 2,000 years of Welsh history in an attempt to persuade her to cancel a potentially dangerous mission to Mars.
The cast includes:
- Elan Davies (Imrie (Sherman Theatre and Frân Wen) Plays From Ur Notes App (Royal Court)),
- Elin Phillips (Hansel and/a Gretel,Alice in Wonderland),
- François Pandolfo (Odyssey ‘84, The Taming of the Shrew),
- Keiron Self (Alice: Return to Wonderland, Peter Pan),
- Oliver Wood (Alice: Return to Wonderland, A Christmas Carol),
- Mari Fflur (Alice: Return to Wonderland, Hansel and/a Gretel),
- Rebecca Wilson (Imrie, A Midsummer Night’s Dream),
- Seren Vickers (The Turn of the Screw (Torch Theatre), The Great Gatsby (Theatr Clwyd)).
Hannah McPake said: ”The political shifts in the 1890s – from women’s suffrage to LGBTQ+ awareness, from workers’ rights to children’s labour laws – were seismic. And as history has shown time and again, those shifts were borne from the casualties of some of our greatest industrial, technological, and scientific achievements.
“I hope that Balloon Girl will show audiences young and old how history repeats itself and how alongside our limitless capacity for learning and discovery, we must ensure we take everyone with us.”
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Julia Barry, Chief Executive at Sherman Theatre, added: “Louisa’s story – which started so boldly and ended so sadly less than a mile from here – is exactly the sort of local story with a global resonance that we love to bring to life on our stages.
“And Hannah McPake, with her extraordinary success as an actor, writer and director here at the Sherman, has written a play that does justice to Louisa but also salutes this city and its people. This is a spectacle not to be missed.”
With a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, humour and history, celebrating curiosity whilst being rooted in real south Wales history, the show is aimed at audience members aged 8 and above.
The Balloon Girl previews will take place on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October 2026, before the main run from 19 to 24 October 2026. More information and tickets are available here.
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