Michael Sheen’s Bold Vision: Funding a New Welsh National Theatre and Staging ‘Our Town’

In a powerful testament to national pride and artistic conviction, acclaimed actor Michael Sheen has not only championed the creation of a new Welsh National Theatre but has also put his personal finances on the line to ensure its inception. Following the closure of the previous National Theatre of Wales in late 2024 due to significant funding cuts from the Arts Council of Wales, Sheen stepped into the void, launching the new institution at the start of 2025 and assuming the role of its founding artistic director.

Sheen’s motivation, as he explained to BBC News, was born from a realization that his unique position offered a rare opportunity to defy prevailing skepticism. ‘I don’t mean because of any innate brilliance that I have,’ he clarified, ‘but just because of the position I was in.’ He recognized that his vision for a revitalized national theatre, initially met with doubt about its feasibility, could only materialize if he personally drove it forward. This wasn’t merely about lending his name; it was about investing his own capital to provide the crucial financial guarantees needed to kickstart major productions.

A Universal Story with a Welsh Heart: ‘Our Town’

The inaugural production of the Welsh National Theatre is a bold choice: Thornton Wilder’s 1938 American classic, Our Town. Far from being an arbitrary selection, Sheen and director Francesca Goodridge saw in Wilder’s depiction of small-town community life a profound resonance with Welsh identity. The play, set in the fictional Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, is believed to have inspired Dylan Thomas’s Welsh masterpiece, Under Milk Wood. This deep-seated connection provided the perfect canvas for a Welsh reimagining.

‘Me and Fran both felt instinctively that it could work really well with Welsh actors in a Welsh setting,’ Sheen elaborated. Goodridge added, ‘Because it’s a fictional town, Grover’s Corners can be any town. You’ve got things that instantly [make] you go, ‘I know this place.’ It’s a universal story.’ By transplanting the narrative to a Welsh context, the production aims to explore universal themes of life, love, and loss through a distinctly local lens, making it both relatable and deeply meaningful for audiences across Wales and beyond.

The production of Our Town began its run in Swansea, the new company’s home city, on January 16, 2026, continuing until January 31. It is then set to embark on a tour across North Wales and England, concluding in South-West London at the Rose Theatre by March 28. This extensive tour underscores the theatre’s ambition to reach diverse audiences and establish its presence across the UK. Sheen describes the emotional impact of the seemingly gentle tale as ‘like being woken up,’ highlighting its power to provoke introspection and connection.

Michael Sheen’s Personal Investment and Broader Ambitions

Sheen’s commitment extends far beyond his artistic direction and performance. Describing himself as a ‘not-for-profit actor,’ he has personally funded crucial setup expenses, including commissioning scripts for future plays. More significantly, for major productions like Our Town, he pledged his own funds as a guarantee, stepping in to cover costs ranging from £200,000 to £400,000 if other funding sources were not immediately available. ‘So I had to say, ‘Yeah, OK, I’ll do that,” he recalled, acknowledging the substantial personal risk involved.

This financial backbone has allowed the theatre to secure partnerships and move forward with confidence. The initiative has also garnered support from other Welsh luminaries, with actor Matthew Rhys partly funding Our Town through a one-man tour. Sheen, however, emphasizes that this is not about charity but about creating an exciting and vibrant platform for Welsh actors and artists. His powers of persuasion have also secured sponsorship from major entities like BBC Studios and Doctor Who production company Bad Wolf for new talent schemes, further cementing the theatre’s foundation.

Forging a New Cultural Identity for Wales

The Welsh National Theatre’s mission is multifaceted and ambitious. Sheen envisions a company that produces ‘bold and ambitious’ works of various scales, cultivating an ‘identity internationally.’ Crucially, the theatre aims to stage work that ‘is resonating with a Welsh audience, but compelling for a non-Welsh audience as well,’ thereby enriching Welsh culture while expanding its global appeal. A core objective is to create a ‘canon of Welsh work,’ developing and promoting plays that reflect the nation’s unique stories and perspectives.

Furthermore, Sheen emphasizes the importance of collaboration, aiming for the new theatre to be ‘very connected to the other companies’ in Wales. This collaborative spirit is vital for fostering a thriving and interconnected theatrical ecosystem. The context for this initiative is particularly poignant given that cultural funding in Wales was identified as among the lowest in Europe just a year prior, although the Welsh government has since increased its investment. Sheen’s personal intervention, therefore, arrives at a critical juncture, offering a powerful boost to the nation’s cultural landscape.

A Gamble for the Future of Welsh Theatre

The establishment of the Welsh National Theatre by Michael Sheen is more than just a new theatrical company; it is a profound statement about the value of culture, the power of individual initiative, and the enduring strength of national identity. Sheen’s willingness to commit his own resources and reputation to this venture demonstrates a rare blend of artistic passion and civic responsibility. His strategic choice of Our Town as the inaugural production, reimagined through a Welsh lens, serves as a powerful metaphor for the theatre’s broader mission: to take universal narratives and imbue them with the distinctive spirit of Wales, making them resonate globally.

This ambitious undertaking, blending personal sacrifice with a clear artistic vision, represents a significant gamble for Sheen. However, it is a calculated risk that promises to not only revitalize Welsh theatre but also to firmly establish a contemporary platform for Welsh voices, stories, and talent on both national and international stages, potentially inspiring a new generation of artists and audiences.