Michael Sheen is fast transforming himself into an enthusiastic philanthropist. Although his recent TV appearances have caused controversy, very few on the western side of the Severn Bridge will have anything but praise for the actor’s determined efforts to boost Wales’s profile.
His latest venture came to fruition with the launch of the Welsh National Theatre earlier this week. This is a brave decision, given that its predecessor, National Theatre Wales, struggled with funding and was eventually forced to close its doors despite critical artistic acclaim.
As the press release announcing the project explains, “at the start of 2025, artistic director Sheen shared a vision to create world class work from Wales and take it to the world, bringing together Welsh talent to create ambitious theatre which makes the country’s story come alive.”
Wales has a long tradition of theatrical excellence exemplified the likes of Emlyn Williams and Dylan Thomas. There is also a strong batch of contemporary Welsh writers who will embrace the opportunity to work with their own national company.
Tim Price is already on the team, while the opening season welcomes a new play from Gary Owen. Abi Morgan now seems to be concentrating almost exclusively on film and TV work, but perhaps she could also be tempted back into the fold?
It seems unlikely that the new National Theatre Wales will be able to find a permanent home in the near future, but with the Wales Millennium Centre and Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and Theatre Clywd in Mold, amongst others, finding spots to stage work should not be too difficult.
It will be interesting to see whether Sheen’s role as Artistic Director limits his screen work, and we will probably never know the extent to which he is helping to shore up the finances of the theatre. If nothing else, there can be little chance that in his Artistic Director role he will be able to receive remuneration equivalent to that available to film and TV stars. Instead, the main attraction will undoubtedly be to spread the Welsh word as widely as possible, if not necessarily its language.
The opening season commences with a revival of Thornton Wilder’s American classic Our Town, adapted and relocated to a Welsh setting. Russell T Davies is listed as the creative associate and therefore will presumably be heavily involved in the adaptation, while Sheen takes on the central role of Stage Manager.
In case those in England might feel deprived of opportunities to see the company and its star, not only is the National reviving its production of Tim Price’s Nye featuring Sheen in the title role, but both of the opening National Theatre Wales productions will be visiting the Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames.
He remains at the forefront of the company in its second production, Owen’s Owain and Henry, an epic new play in blank verse exploring Owen Glyndŵr’s rebellion against the English crown.
In future, there is likely to be significant Welsh input into the programming, since not only is Tim Price literary manager but new plays are to be commissioned from Azuka Oforka, Sian Owen, Rhys Warrington and Emily White.
National Theatre Wales will benefit from transitional funding from the Arts Council of Wales and the principality and theatregoers more widely should welcome a courageous new attempt to put Wales back into the heart of the theatrical discussion.