01/11/2025
Actor Michael Sheen has announced that he will fund a new national theatre company in Wales after cuts were made to the National Theatre Wales. The Good Omens star will be the artistic director of the new Welsh National Theatre, which aims to share “big stories on big stages for big audiences.”
The company’s first production will take place during the autumn of 2026, with Sheen starring in the project, which will be revealed in the coming months. This venture came after National Theatre Wales announced that £1.6 million in budget cuts were made by Arts Council Wales, threatening the future of the company.
Sheen stated to the BBC that he was completely invested in the venture, sharing the goal to have “Welsh theatre makers, Welsh stories and Welsh actors” at the core of the company.
While the theatre company is pursuing multiple avenues of public and private funding, Sheen has said that initially self-funding the project will allow it to stand “on its own two feet”, saying, “I want it to be something that represents the rich culture that we are and always have been in this country. We want to please ourselves but thrill the world. I want to be able to tell big stories on big stages for big audiences.”
Regarding the news of National Theatre Wales’ potential collapse, Sheen said it was “incredibly sad, but not a surprise”, spurring him to take matters into his own hands. “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.”
The announcement of Sheen’s new theatre came alongside an official report from Senedd Sports and Culture Committee showing that Wales nearly comes in at the bottom of Europe in their public spending.
In recent years, many discussions have been had about this impact on education and funding of the arts, with many creative organisations experiencing cuts. However, with the arrival of Sheen’s new venture, perhaps this symbolises a new beginning for artists in Wales.
