Grime and theatre may be two worlds which rarely if ever meet, but Connor Allen does the job so well in his debut production The Making Of A Monster, it made me hungry for more of the winning combo. Showing at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre, the story is based around Connor’s childhood experiences in Newport: singled out at school for being mixed-race, and with an absent father.

The autobiographical performance of the Children Laureate’s life, directed by Conrad Murray, tackles themes of race, gender, family and age in a unique approach. To start, the backdrop displays dreamlike graphics, with sounds of ducks quacking and children giggling, settling on a backing image of some stairs. Allen immediately immerses the audience into his early life, as he sits endlessly on the steps, waiting for his father to take him to feed the ducks for his sixth birthday.

The absence of his father takes on an important part in this play, but themes of racism take centre stage. Allen exemplifies this off the bat, with thesaurus in hand, exploring the contrast in connotations for different words for ‘white’ and ‘Black’, and even playing a meaningful game of pass the parcel with the audience. There are lessons in microaggressions, and the history of black hair, all the while containing the protagonist’s hard-to-dislike demeanour and informal discourse.

Allen’s way with words is not only in scriptwriting though, as he and co-star David Bonnick Jr burst into a rap battle parodying the style of video game Street Fighter. The amusing back-and-forth with Johnny, the “wasteman” bully from school, is backed by grime instrumentals from the likes of Lethal Bizzle and Wiley; the tracksuit-donned duo are great fun to watch as they leap and kick about the sparse stage. There’s also excellent live drums by Oraine Johnson, complimenting the backdrop’s urban music and graffiti collage graphics.

As The Making Of A Monster‘s plot thickens, from high-school beef into darker themes of domestic violence, we are given a clearer picture of how Allen was made into the monster of the title, with contrasting recurring motifs of duck quacks echoing around. The protagonist’s identity crisis and lack of a father figure spiral into a deep pit of emotional teen turmoil as he faces the legal system. Touching – yet amusing – recordings of Allen’s mother and nan are played occasionally, expressing a crucial connection with his family and the importance of the women in his life, there for him when others weren’t.

What started as a simple, urban set design, with two curved parallel platforms akin to skate ramps, then transformed into a greasy spoon-style cafe after closing in on the audience. As Allen faces his dad (also played by Bonnick Jr) in a difficult conversation, he begins to question his lifestyle. Harrowing facts are presented to the audience, including the percentage of black and mixed-race men in prison and university respectively; whereupon Allen imparts a valuable message – second chances do exist, and extraordinary things can grow from the darkest of places.

The most appealing part of The Making Of A Monster is its ability to take the audience through an eclectic journey – encompassing music, prejudicial issues, and life story – whilst keeping matters captivating. In a recent interview with Buzz, Connor Allen said, “You don’t have to be mixed-race [or] have an absent father” to relate to his production; here, this is very much proven, as these themes of challenge and self-discovery can connect to everyone.

The Making Of A Monster, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Thurs 10 Nov

On until Sat 19 Nov. Tickets: £10-£15. Info: here

words INDIA MUNDAY