About Us
Formed in 2025, Lonely Shepherd Productions is a brand-new theatre company based in South Wales. Born out of a desire to create theatre to amplify voices in our valleys, we seek to bring our shows back to the communities that informed their creation.
Lonely Shepherd was founded by Sam Rees, a University of Warwick graduate from the small village of Seven Sisters in Neath Port Talbot. Sam’s passion for theatre began relatively late at his sixth form college in Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera. From there, he quickly developed a love for both acting and writing.
At university, he enjoyed an abundance of opportunities to create and perform both within and outside of his course modules. These experiences later led to the creation his third year dissertation, Cyn, a play set in 1995 which served as an exploration into the socio-political effects of colliery closures in South Wales. For Sam, the creation of Cyn was the first step in his theatrical vision; to extract stories from within our villages and towns and create something that is raw, evocative and, most importantly, accessible. As an extension of this, Lonely Shepherd Productions are now enrolled in the Night Out scheme, whose goal is to make it possible for community venues to host quality theatre and music.
Sam currently acts as the writer and director of Lonely Shepherd Productions. In December 2025, he was shortlisted in Buzz Magazine’s ‘Ones to Watch’ for stage in 2026, promising an exciting first year in the business for Lonely Shepherd Productions.
Sam Rees (He/Him)
Company Co-Director
Born in 2003 in Swansea, South Wales, Sam grew up in the village of Seven Sisters, where he honed his creative writing skills from a young age in both Welsh and English. He developed an affinity for Drama in sixth form college, although did not try his hand at acting until he attended the University of Warwick from 2022-25. Here, Sam took advantage of the abundant theatrical opportunities to improve his skills as an actor, writer, and director. All the while his love for drama deepened and his creative voice developed. Sam graduated in 2025 with a First Class honours in Theatre and Performance Studies and his debut project, Cyn, in his pocket. Now, Sam looks to make inroads into the creative scene in Wales with Lonely Shepherd Productions, which will be the platform for both his own future works and collaborative projects. He now jointly runs Lonely Shepherd Productions alongside Jed Kain.
Jed Kain (He/Him)
Company Co-Director
Jed was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where he spent the first 12 years of his life before relocating to Liverpool, England, in 2014. A few years later he began to explore his growing interest in culture and the arts, developing a particular passion for acting, which he trained in at LIPA Sixth Form College. He then went on to complete a music internship in Chicago in 2022, just prior to attending the University of Warwick to continue achieving his aspirations. Developing his skills as a musician and actor, he graduated with a First Class honours in Theatre and Performance Studies, alongside Sam Rees, with whom he collaborated on the creation of Cyn. Now based in London, Jed continues to partner with Sam through the creative endeavours of Lonely Shepherd Productions, in addition to pursuing his own acting goals.