A year ago, actor Michael Sheen pledged to launch a new national theatre for Wales using his own money. He's now preparing to star in its first full production and says he wants the company to be a major force in Wales, the rest of the UK and beyond.
When a "window of opportunity" opened to start a new national theatre in Wales, Michael Sheen was, by his own admission, the only person who could make it happen.
"I don't mean because of any innate brilliance that I have," he explains hastily, "but just because of the position I was in.
"I could kick-start it myself financially, I could pay for things to begin with, I had a profile, I could get media interest, I could open doors in terms of getting people involved."
Indeed, as one of Wales's (and the UK's) most admired actors, he has the requisite profile and powers of persuasion, and has pockets that are deeper than most.
