Michael Sheen Will Serve as Artistic Director For Welsh National Theatre

Michael Sheen will fund new theatre company, the Welsh National Theatre, which has officially launched in the wake of the folding of The National Theatre Wales. As BroadwayWorld reported last month, the company announced the closure of its current form after losing Arts Council Wales funding. 

Now, Sheen will serve as Artistic Director of this new venture. The Welsh National Theatre is a new organisation, separate but complementary to Theatr Cymru, which was established in 2003 as the Welsh language national company.

Michael Sheen said: “This is a new dawn for theatre in Wales.  We’ll be a home for our greatest talent, bringing them together to create ambitious theatre which makes our national story come alive.  That’s what national theatres should do.

“Wales has such a rich storytelling history but our stories are underexplored in the English language, both at home and internationally.  I’ve spent much of the past year on stage playing Aneurin Bevan in Tim Price’s Nye to packed houses, both in and out of Wales.  Audiences have a huge appetite for our stories if we give them the chance to experience them.

 “Our plays and performances will tell the stories of Wales' past, present and future, as well as classics seen through a Welsh lens.  They’ll be produced on the grandest stages around the world, by world-class Welsh talents.  We want truly ambitious writing from Welsh playwrights for the best actors in Wales, to be the pinnacle of our creative talent, raising the bar for excellence in entertainment.

“We want to help create a world where the stories of Wales help us make sense of tomorrow. Where the people of Wales understand their power to change society thanks to the spark of a performance on our stage. Where Wales is respected as a nation with a powerful voice and a story to tell.”

 Announcements on the new theatre’s first production will follow in due course.

Photo Credit: Welsh National Theatre

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