When funding cuts closed National Theatre Wales, the actor saw it as an emergency, and set about building a replacement. As its first show comes to the stage, he explains his plan to bring big productions back to his homeland
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ince Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town in 1938, it is said that not a day has passed when the Pulitzer prize-winning show hasn’t been performed. “Every time I read it, I come away with the feeling of having been woken up,” says Michael Sheen, star of the upcoming touring production of Wilder’s play about a close-knit community in small-town America. “With this urgent sense of ‘I have to not waste this.’”
Transposing the heart of the American classic to Wales, this new production also marks the launch of Welsh National Theatre, a hugely ambitious company formed – and financed – by Sheen in response to the collapse of the former National Theatre Wales. “Opening night is going to be more than just the opening night of a play,” says Russell T Davies, the show’s creative associate. “I think in 10 years, we’ll be having a marvellous celebration that all began with Our Town.”
The creation of Welsh National Theatre is a galvanising statement of intent, particularly given the increasing number of theatres in Wales facing cuts and closures. Aiming to champion big stories on big stages, the new venture stands up against the continual devaluing of the arts, with a recent cross-party report finding that Wales spends less on culture than almost every other European nation (the only country lower is Greece). Alongside the closure of National Theatre Wales, recent years have seen significant cuts to beloved institutions including Welsh National Opera, Theatr Clwyd and Theatr Na nÓg. Despite an abundance of talented writers and performers in Wales, the theatrical ecosystem has not been blossoming with hope.
