Michael Sheen to Launch Welsh National Theatre

Hollywood actor Michael Sheen is stepping up to fill the void left by the collapse of National Theatre Wales by funding a new theatre company. Sheen, who will be the artistic director of the Welsh National Theatre, aims to tell "big stories on big stages for big audiences."

The first production, set for autumn 2026 and starring Sheen himself, will be announced in the coming months. National Theatre Wales announced it had "ceased to exist" last month following £1.6m in cuts to its core funding from Arts Council Wales.

Sheen told BBC Wales that he was putting "everything behind" the venture, which would have "Welsh theatre makers, Welsh stories and Welsh actors" at its core. While the company is seeking private and public funding, Sheen said self-financing initially would allow it to stand "on its own two feet."

"I want it to be something that represents the rich culture that we are and always have been in this country," he said. "We want to please ourselves but thrill the world. I want to be able to tell big stories on big stages for big audiences."

The news of National Theatre Wales folding was "incredibly sad, but not a surprise," Sheen told BBC Wales. This prompted him to take action. "[I realised] if we don't find a way to reimagine the way forward, it may be a long time - if ever - that we have the opportunity to have a national theatre in Wales again."

Sheen's announcement comes a day after the Senedd Sports and Culture Committee published a report showing Wales is near the bottom of Europe in public spending. Sheen said Welsh National Theatre is open to working with other theatre makers and had already been in touch with Theatr Cymru, formerly Theatr Genedlaethol, about possible collaborations.

Sheen was inspired to dream big after the success of "Nye," where he played NHS founder Aneurin Bevan. The play, written by Welsh playwright Tim Price, was co-produced by the National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre. "Welsh writers and Welsh theatre makers have to be at the forefront of this. And our Welsh stories have to be the heart of it," Sheen said. "I think if you put that on with ambition and audacity, with creativity and innovation, then people will respond to it."

He recounted his role as the teacher in National Theatre Wales's 2011 production "The Passion" as a formative experience. Like that production, he wants Welsh National Theatre plays to attract non-traditional theatre audiences, citing "Gavin and Stacey" as another inspiration. "You know, we've just seen over Christmas, 'Gavin and Stacey' getting massive figures. That's because that's reflecting our life, what we recognise, and not only that, but offering us something positive and hopeful, and people will respond to that."

Last month, the Welsh government increased funding for the culture sector in its draft budget for 2025-2026 and, together with Arts Council Wales, provided a £3.6m jobs fund for the sector. Dafydd Rhys, chief executive of Arts Council Wales, said it had provided National Theatre Wales with both transition and resilience funding to support reimagining and restructuring its operations.

"It is exciting that the organisation is now able to move into this new phase at the beginning of a new year, and we look forward to seeing how both Team Collective Cymru and Welsh National Theatre develop their new creative programmes," Rhys added.