| “Canon of Great Welsh Plays Waiting to be Discovered" |
Welsh National Theatre |
| Timeline of Events , New National Theatre Launch and Development , November 24, 2025 |
January is not supposed to be a month to enthrall. Culture in Wales in January in 2025 started with a event to be noticed. On 9th January a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation was registered. The trustees of the charity are Rakie Ayola, Michael Sheen, Dyfed Alsop, Helen Protheroe, John Frost and Rachel O'Riordan. The organisation's name is Welsh National Theatre. The charitable objects are: “The objects of the CIO are for the benefit of the public, the advancement of the arts and Welsh culture by, but not limited to, the promotion of theatre, plays, stories, artistic performances and programs in Wales and throughout the world primarily through the medium of the English language.” * * * * 13th January: The Stage responded to the announcement: “Actor Michael Sheen has unveiled his ambitions to "buck the trend" in Wales with the launch of his recently announced Welsh National Theatre, revealing plans to commission original work and "galvanise" the sector. “He said that ideas were already "bubbling away" for the new company, announced last week, which he added would be "lean" and not subservient to external funding. “Sheen said that his new organisation was set to unleash "a canon of great Welsh plays just waiting to be discovered" on "the grandest stages around the world" following the closure of the National Theatre Wales in its current form. “Speaking to The Stage on the day of his company’s launch, Sheen said that although behind-the-scenes planning long pre-dated the announcement in December that NTW had ceased operations, the precarious state of the Welsh performing arts industry had compelled him to take action.” “...Asked if the jeopardy facing Welsh theatre made him nervous for his venture, the actor said: "I’d be very foolish to not take on board what the climate is like, but I’m using that as a springboard to go in the other direction. "It’s because of the situation, because of the circumstances and how difficult and bleak they’re looking – that is my incentive." “...Now Sheen is to finance certain elements of a new Welsh National Theatre as well as running it as artistic director. "I’m a unique position in some ways," he told The Stage, "I have my own resources. And I don’t just mean financially, although that is part of it. I can buck the trend, or at least try to change the current a bit. I don’t have to go cap in hand to people right now. "There are enough people who want to work with me as an individual that I can say: ‘Okay, how about working with us as a company?’ I can convene people, I can get doors opened, I can commission playwrights and hopefully I can galvanise and catalyse things in a way that maybe other people are not in a position to do. I want to make the most of that while it’s still the case." “Despite ongoing discussions with public sector organisations, there is, as yet, no confirmed external funding stream for the Welsh National Theatre. However, Sheen has said that this tighter way of operating suited him. "In my experience of things I’ve done outside the acting world around activism, supporting community development projects, I’ve found that keeping things very, very simple and lean allows you to focus on your actual incentive and ideals," he told The Stage. "I’m hoping that what we can do is create work of quality and that is popular enough for people to come in high enough numbers to be sustainable so that we’re not relying too much on outside funding and, if we are, that it’s diversified so that we don’t leave ourselves vulnerable by being too dependent on any one source of funding." “...Wales-focused storytelling, Sheen continued, was the company’s key focus, something that he said had been under-programmed and under-nurtured in recent years. "There are a lot of writers out there who are itching to write the big plays and just don’t feel that there’s the support for that," he said. "[Their plays] are not going to get a production – they’re going to get put on, if at all, for two nights in a studio. And, obviously, people write for what they’re going to get put on. "So I want to create an environment for writers to be able to take a big swing, and feel supported in that – both new writing and looking at classic plays through a Welsh lens, picking out things that really resonate with Welsh culture and identity. I want to build up that canon." "...If the people who have the levers of power and who hold the purse strings don’t actually believe in it, or understand what it represents, then it’s pointless getting into arguments about funding. Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement,from the full article which can be read, by subscription, at: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/michael-sheen-i-will-galvanise-welsh-theatre-with-my-new-company? * * * * 12th January: David Owens wrote: “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.” https://nation.cymru/culture/michael-sheen-i-have-considered-a-political-career/ * * * * 18th July: “TV production company Bad Wolf has become the first private sector investor to partner with the new Welsh National Theatre. “...Now the Cardiff-based production company behind Welsh-shot shows including Industry, His Dark Materials and Doctor Who is partnering with the theatre to develop the next generation of writing talent for stage and screen in Wales. “Bad Wolf’s investment will offer seed funding to commission writers and theatre makers with bold ideas to develop Welsh stories which could play on the biggest stages in the world or be developed into screen content. “....Tim Price, literary manager of Welsh National Theatre, said: “We want Wales’ writers to think big and write boldly. We want stories that will reach the biggest audiences and that means our writers have to start thinking commercially. "The Bad Wolf seed commissions will help buy the writers’ time to incubate their big idea and grow it into something worthy of a full commission. This new partnership is just one of the many ways we want to engage with the next generation of storytellers.” * * * * 22nd September: “BBC Studios is investing in the new Welsh National Theatre as the two organisations partner to create opportunities for new Welsh voices for creative roles in theatre and television. “Founded by the actor Michael Sheen at the beginning of 2025, the theatre’s vision is to develop a platform for Welsh talent in the creation of large-scale plays to resonate in Wales and across the world. “The investment from BBC Studios Drama Productions will fund the recruitment of a lead talent scout for the Welsh Net, a scheme envisioned by Sheen to identify and develop talent and create pathways to roles on and off stage and in front of or behind the camera for actors, writers, directors, technical crew and those not yet working in the sector. “Casting their eyes across Wales, the lead culture scout will watch youth, amateur and professional theatre, performances and shows, with a view to identifying and developing talent with the potential to work for both Welsh National Theatre and BBC Studios. “...Michael Sheen said: “Where the Welsh Not stifled Welsh expression in the 19th and early 20th century, the ambition of the Welsh Net is to be its champion, creating pathways that have vanished, or never existed, to help talented theatre makers across Wales overcome barriers they face in the industry. “Growing up in Port Talbot, playing football on a pitch next to the A48, I always knew there was a chance that a ‘scout’ might be watching. Someone from the local area tasked by professional clubs to keep an eye out for burgeoning talent. It meant that, no matter how tough that road might ultimately prove to be, the possibility of a pathway to the top flight existed. "I want every youngster, amateur and professional performing or working behind the scenes in Wales to have that same potential pathway to the creative top flight.” “..The lead culture scout will play a key role in setting up Sheen’s vision for the Welsh Net, designing and building the framework to help create a Wales-wide network of scouts over the coming months and years. "Culture scouts will identify talent and support their development via a number of pathways, including access to training and opportunities in the film, TV and theatre sector in Wales, and beyond. Scouts will identify talented people for roles such as directors, producers, writers and other specialist roles –not just for on stage and on camera talent. The recruitment for the role is open from today and can be accessed here.” From: https://nation.cymru/culture/bbc-studios-invests-in-welsh-national-theatre-to-find-new-welsh-talent/ * * * * 16th November: “Playing Burton” opened at the Old Vic Theatre. |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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