My name is Connor Allen and I'm a 23 year old actor from Newport. I initially got introduced to National Theatre Wales’ TEAM by auditioning and eventually winning the first ever Cardiff MonologueSlam hosted by TEAM and Triforce Creative. MonologueSlam is a competition where performers perform selected monologues in either 1 or 3 minute rounds to a panel of judges who then select a winner of each round and an overall winner. As the overall winner I had the chance to represent Wales at the winners edition of MonologueSlam in London which was fantastic.
I have recently began writing and I wrote my first play for another TEAM event called Stories of the Streetz run by Kelly Jones. Since then I have been fortunate to have help and advice from many talented writers as I look to develop my writing further.

Being accepted onto TEAM Panel this year is a great privilege and one I'm hugely excited about. Not just because it's the first year for me as a member but also because I am still young so I'm excited to give a younger opinion on matters and I feel that I can learn so much from the other members that will only benefit me and my career. Individually we have strength and talent but only together can we achieve the change that we all crave and that's what makes it more exciting for me is to delve into a mixture of creative backgrounds and see the beautiful ideas that are sprung from this mixture. Together these complicated ideas CAN and hopefully WILL reshape the future of creativity in particular areas in Wales. I want to, over the next year bring my individuality and passion to Panel and let that infest and help contribute to the many ideas others will bring up during our meetings. I want to go on a journey with these guys over the next year and explore the possibilities of creativity and what that can awake in people and communities all over Wales. I feel if I can engage with and wake up more of my generation that don't engage with the arts for whatever reason then during my time with Panel I will feel I have achieved what I set out to do. A quote I always go back to is one from Theaster Gates and he said that ‘Culture can be a catalyst for social transformation in any city, anywhere.’
Culture is exciting. Well at least for me it is haha. I find it manifests itself in so many different ways and forms that it's interesting and if I can over the next year engage with and light a spark in chosen unrepresented areas and generations in Wales and bring the excitement of culture and creativity with me then I will have achieved my aim for this year.
It's a process and I know that you can't change the world overnight and that ‘Rome wasn't built in a day’ blah blah blah but if I can start off going in the right direction and building the correct foundations then it will mean that I can leave a stable structure to be built upon for future members.
Ultimately I want to get more people reinvested in the arts.
Hopefully with the help and guidance of the other wonderful Panel members I can achieve this…. And have some fun along the way :)

2016 is going to be an interesting year if I say so myself ….