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.
The plays
Today, that vision was realised with the reveal of the company’s first two productions: Owain & Henry is an epic new play by Gary Owen, his blank verse breathing life into the 15th century rebellion against the English crown by the outlaw Owain Glyndŵr. Michael Sheen will play the last Welsh-born Prince of Wales, clashing with King Henry IV in a battle which could lead to freedom for Wales and the end of England.
A Welsh National Theatre co-production with Wales Millennium Centre, Owain & Henry will run in its Donald Gordon Theatre - the second largest stage in Europe-in November 2026, with Pádraig Cusack as executive producer. Tickets will go on sale on 4 August 2025 for WMC Members and 8 August 2025 to the general public.
Earlier in 2026, Welsh National Theatre, in a co-production with the Rose Theatre, will present Our Town, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, fitting an intimate Welsh setting perfectly. Michael Sheen will take on the leading role of Stage Manager, with Swansea-born Francesca Goodridge directing, Russell T Davies as the creative associate and Pádraig Cusack as executive producer.
The production will play the Swansea Grand Theatre (Friday 16 January-Saturday 31 January 2026), Venue Cymru in Llandudno (Tuesday 3 February-Saturday 7 February 2026), Theatr Clwyd in Mold (Wednesday 11 February-Saturday 21 February 2026) and the Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames (Thursday 26 February-28 March 2026). Tickets for the Rose Theatre will go on sale today, with all three Welsh venues on sale later this month.
Michael Sheen said: “The vision of Welsh National Theatre is writ large through these first two productions. Owain & Henry is one of the origin stories of our nation, as relevant in today’s complex world as it was when Glyndŵr declared Wales an independent nation six hundred years ago. Gary Owen’s play is one of the most ambitious Welsh plays I’ve read; and is the biggest and boldest of Gary’s career. That’s the creative benchmark and ambition we want to set with Welsh National Theatre.
“Playing the iconic Welsh prince on one of Europe’s biggest stages in our capital city will, I hope, be a defining moment for us as a people, and a culture. This is what Welsh National Theatre is all about.
“The first time I worked on a stage with Russell T Davies was with the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company in the 1980s. Since then, Russell has become one of the greatest writers our nation has ever produced. It feels apt to come together again, 40 years later, on the first Welsh National Theatre production. The pathway laid down for us by the Youth Theatre’s founder Godfrey Evans is something we’re aspiring to recreate with this company and that’s why it’s a privilege to have Welsh, working class director Francesca Goodridge at the helm of this show.”
The productions are announced as Arts Council of Wales confirms transition funding to help the new theatre develop its structures and vision.
Michael continued: “The confirmation of transition funding from Arts Council of Wales to enable Welsh National Theatre to develop in these early days is an important step. Additionally, our co-production model suits our early stage of working and it’s a thrill for Wales Millennium Centre and the Rose Theatre to join us on this journey. One truly ambitious play about the question of Wales’ very being on the biggest stage in the country. One Welsh interpretation of a classic which tours our nation and takes our voice to London, giving Welsh talent a platform to perform. We can’t wait to meet audiences and welcome them to our world.”
Gary Owen said: “I knew that to tell Owain’s story on stage would mean a epic show, at huge scale. I’d tried writing smaller versions of the story and they didn’t work. They didn’t give you a sense of what was at stake. Owain’s play, like Owain’s struggle, would have to be all or nothing.
“Huge plays cost money, so they’re a huge risk for producers - that’s why we hardly ever do them in Wales. We don’t dare. Until one day, Michael emailed me. And told me he that he dared. And so here we are, presenting this huge story on the epic stage of the WMC. All or nothing.”
Graeme Farrow, Artistic and Creative Director of Wales Millennium Centre, said: “Wales Millennium Centre is dedicated to working with artists to tell powerful stories that captivate and inspire. Owain & Henry builds on our commitment to producing high-quality theatre and supports Welsh and Wales-based artists in being ambitious in their work. In 2024, audiences from 28 countries came to see Nye and 25% of the total audience had never attended a show at Wales Millennium Centre before. This co-production with Welsh National Theatre will share another iconic story deeply rooted in our national identity and history; we can’t wait for audiences worldwide to experience it.”
Christopher Haydon, Artistic Director at the Rose Theatre said: “I can’t think of a better actor to lead this remarkable piece than Michael Sheen. And I am especially thrilled that Francesca Goodridge will direct - she is fast establishing herself as one of the smartest directors of her generation. I am proud that the Rose will be partnering with Welsh National Theatre to launch their inaugural production, as I’ve always believed that it’s essential that the work The Rose makes resonates far beyond our Kingston home. This is a show with a universal message about love and the importance of community. It will speak to our local audience and to all those across London who hold these values close. And I will, of course, be especially excited to welcome many of London’s own Welsh community through our doors for the first time!”
Russell T Davies said: “I started writing my very first scripts as a teenager for the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre, and that's where I met the amazing Michael. He was exceptional back then, and remains so to this day - the man’s a hero of mine, and he takes my breath away with his energy and ambition! And in this strange and maddening world, the emergence of a Welsh cultural force is exactly what we need. I’m so proud of being part of the Our Town team, a wonderful play which fits an intimate Welsh setting instantly and perfectly. And I hope I can be part of the WNT for a long time to come.”
Tappan Wilder, Manager of the Wilder Estate said: "In 1938, my Uncle Thornton wrote a play he described as an 'allegorical representation of all life'—in other words, a drama about one small town that was really about all of the Grover’s Corners in every part of the world. We in the Wilder Family are thrilled that audiences in Wales will get to experience Our Town in a production led by one of their own, the great Michael Sheen. We’re sure it will be a beautiful demonstration of the play’s timeless, global appeal."
Francesca Goodridge said: “Relocating Our Town to Wales is a perfect match because at its heart, the play celebrates community and explores the close-knit nature of small-town life that we all recognise as it journeys through life, love and death. “Hiraeth” is a Welsh word without a perfect English translation, but it describes a kind of longing for a place, person or time that you can’t get back to. A feeling we all know but can’t put into words. Our Town brings this feeling to life by showing us, even in the most uneventful days, how precious life is and forces us to live in the present.
“Now more than ever the world is an uncertain and often scary place. Our Town reminds us of the little things that make life meaningful – it’s a wake-up call for all of us to think more deeply about our lives as we are living them, not after it is too late. I feel privileged to be directing the Welsh National Theatre’s inaugural production alongside The Rose Theatre and am thrilled to be retelling this world-renowned classic through a Welsh lens.”
The people
Sharon Gilburd is the Welsh National Theatre’s founding Chief Executive Officer. Sharon brings a wealth of experience from working internationally early in her career for the United Nations agencies and the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, later founding a digital marketing agency and consulting with organisations including HBOS, Visa and Barclaycard. She was co-chair of National Theatre Wales’ board of trustees, and advisor to, and past student of, the London Film Academy. She is the chair of the Centre for Digital Public Services, a ministerial appointment reporting to Cabinet Secretary for Economy. Sharon has been integral in the formation of the new company alongside Michael Sheen.
She said: “I’ve been in Wales for 20 years, have learned the language and am passionate about Wales as a bilingual nation, which makes it a truly exciting place to live and work. For Welsh National Theatre to take Wales to the world, we need a sustainable funding model. The company was launched thanks to early funding from Michael and we’re thrilled to have now confirmed transition funding with the Arts Council of Wales. Our continued focus in this next stage is on developing relationships with public sector organisations, private sector and philanthropists into solid support.”
Tim Price is the Welsh National Theatre’s founding Literary Manager. Tim is the acclaimed stage and screen writer of Nye (National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre), Protest Song (National Theatre), The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning (National Theatre Wales) and much more. Like Sharon, Tim has been integral to founding the Welsh National Theatre alongside Michael Sheen.
He said: “We’ve seen with Nye the appetite people have for big, bold Welsh storytelling and that’s our challenge to Wales’ writers: we want plays which stand up against the best in the world, work which examines our past, present and future in a way Wales deserves, stories which audiences crave. Our society needs artists, needs narratives that help us make sense of Wales and the world. With Welsh National Theatre we now have the company to do that.”
The commissioned playwrights
Welsh National Theatre is commissioning new plays from Azuka Oforka, Sian Owen, Rhys Warrington and Emily White- four of the most exciting voices in Welsh theatre today. All four writers are already hard at work, creating the next large-scale plays of national significance for future seasons of the theatre.
The Welsh Net
The ambition of the Welsh Net is to build a network of talent scouts across Wales. Casting their eyes across Wales, the scouts will watch youth, amateur and professional theatre, performances and shows, with a view to identifying and developing talent. Viv Buckley is the first scout.
Where the Welsh Not stifled Welsh expression, the ambition of the Welsh Net is to be its champion. The Welsh Net aims to create pathways that have vanished, or never existed to help talented theatre makers across Wales overcome barriers they face in the industry.
Michael Sheen said: “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.”