The Welsh actor Michael Sheen has announced he has taken on a new role as the artistic director for the new institution, Welsh National Theatre. On Friday, January 10, the Port Talbot-born actor, who is known for his role as Tony Blair in the 2006 film The Queen and as Brian Clough in the 2009 film The Damned United, launched the new English language national theatre company in Wales.
He described the move as a “new dawn for theatre in Wales”. It comes after the National Theatre Wales officially came to an end in December of last year, several months after its £1.6m a year Welsh Government funding was pulled in its entirety. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
The former head of collaboration at the company, described the loss as “devastating”, but confirmed it would transition into a new company called TEAM (Theatre, Engagement, Music, Arts), which would focus on grassroots work with various communities and educational settings in Wales.
The company was established back in 2009, with early successes including the groundbreaking Passion play, which starred Michael Sheen performing in his hometown in 2011. The performance lasted for three days and attracted around 25,000 spectators. You can read more about this company’s closure here.
The Welsh National Theatre will be a new organisation, described as “separate but complementary” to Theatr Cymru, which was established in 2003 as the Welsh language national company. According to Michael Sheen, he aimed to make Wales a “respected nation” with a “powerful voice and a story to tell” through the new venture.
His comments come after he recently starred in the highly praised Tim Price play Nye, which explored the life of Welsh politician Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the National Health Service (NHS). While launching the Welsh National Theatre the actor 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.”