Michael Sheen Will Fund & Launch a New Welsh National Theatre
Michael Sheen, Roger Evans and Sharon Small in "Nye" at the National Theatre
(Photo: National Theatre/ Johan Persson)
Anglophiles who love Wales and all things Welsh (or who at least watched the National Theatre production of Nye when it was streaming free on YouTube) have probably heard about the many ways the country has dedicated itself to preserving and promoting its culture and language. This has taken many forms, from the Cymraeg 2050 initiative, which aims to have one million Welsh speakers by the 50th anniversary of the 1957 act that banned the language, to the increasing numbers of Welsh (or dual) language productions in film and television.
With that established, Anglophiles who love Wales and all things Welsh are also probably already aware that Good Omens star Michael Sheen not only hails from the land of Cymru but is essentially a walking billboard for national pride. The actor constantly talks about his Welsh heritage and the importance of Welsh culture*; his television directorial debut (The Way) was set in and heavily influenced by the story of his hometown of Port Talbot. So it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that he's once again quite literally putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to supporting Welsh arts and storytelling.
(*If you haven't seen his motivational speech for the Welsh football team, please fix your life immediately. It's ok, we can wait.)
The actor is funding a new theatre company to fill the gap left by the 2024 closure of National Theatre Wales, which said it had "ceased to exist" last month after facing a £1.6 million funding cut. Sheen will serve as the Artistic Director for the new Welsh National Theatre, which will aim to tell "big stories on big stages for big audiences," grounded in the culture and history of his homeland.
“Our plays and performances will tell the stories of Wales' past, present, and future, as well as classics seen through a Welsh lens," Sheen said in a statement. "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."
The company's first production, featuring Sheen himself, is reportedly due in late 2026 at Cardiff's Millennium Centre. His recent starring role in Nye played to sold-out crowds in both London and Cardiff; the success of bringing the show — written by a Welsh playwright and based on the life of Welsh icon and NHS founder Aneurin Bevan — home to Wales was apparently a big part of what inspired Sheen's decision to launch this venture. “Wales has such a rich storytelling history, but our stories are underexplored in the English language, both at home and internationally," Sheen said. "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."
The question of what those stories will be will be answered in due time. However, if one of the theater's first productions isn't about Owain Glyndŵr, the Prince of Wales and Medieval Welsh nationalist leader who organized a rebellion against Henry IV, I'll be very surprised.
Learn more about the theater's mission and future plans at the recently launched WelshNationalTheatre.com. Good Omens' finale special will stream on Prime Video sometime in the latter half of 2025.
