National Theatre Wales

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This article is about the English-language national theatre of Wales. For its Welsh-language counterpart, see Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.
National Theatre Wales
FormationMay 2009
HeadquartersCardiff, Wales
Coordinates51°28′56.9522″N 3°10′15.4378″W / 51.482486722°N 3.170954944°W / 51.482486722; -3.170954944Coordinates: 51°28′56.9522″N 3°10′15.4378″W / 51.482486722°N 3.170954944°W / 51.482486722; -3.170954944
Official language
English
Artistic Director
Lorne Campbell
Websitenationaltheatrewales.org

National Theatre Wales (NTW) is a theatre company known for its large-scale site-specific productions and its grassroots work with diverse Welsh communities.[1] It is the English-language national theatre of Wales, and refers to Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, the Welsh-language national theatre of Wales founded in 2003, as its sister company.[2]

NTW's current artistic director is Lorne Campbell, and its executive producer is Lisa Maguire. Its previous artistic directors are John E. McGrath and Kully Thiarai.

Notable productions[]

Among the company’s productions are:

  • The Persians (2010) by Kaite O’Reilly, Mike Pearson and Mike Brookes. A reimagining of one of Europe’s earliest recorded plays on a military training range in the Brecon Beacons, which won the 2010 Ted Hughes Award.[3]
  • The Passion (2011). A 72-hour secular passion play created by Michael Sheen, which won the UK Theatre Award for Best Director.[4]
  • The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning (2012) by Tim Price. A fictionalised account of whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s teenage years in Pembrokeshire, which won the 2013 James Tait Black Prize for Drama.[5]
  • CORIOLAN/US (2012) by Mike Pearson and Mike Brookes. A multimedia reimagining of Coriolanus in a World War II aircraft hangar in St Athan, produced with the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the World Shakespeare Festival.
  • In Water I’m Weightless (2012) by Kaite O’Reilly. A provocative exploration of disability and the human body combining movement and live projections, co-produced with Unlimited for the London 2012 Festival.
  • De Gabay (2013). An immersive production created by a group of young Welsh-Somali performers in Butetown, Cardiff, which was shortlisted for a Gulbenkian award.[6]
  • Mametz (2014) by Owen Sheers. Play commissioned as part of 14-18 NOW, which transformed an ancient woodland near Usk, Monmouthshire into the trenches and battlefields of the Somme.
  • The Gathering/Yr Helfa (2014) by National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, and Louise Ann Wilson. An exploration of the annual cycle of sheep-farming on a working hill farm on Snowdon.
  • Bordergame (2014). An interactive production exploring migration and contemporary border regimes, which won the first Space Prize for Digital Innovation.[7]
  • Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected (2016). A Cardiff-wide celebration of Roald Dahl with 7,000 people performing, making and volunteering, billed as “Wales’ largest-ever cultural event.”[8]
  • We’re Still Here (2017) by Rachel Trezise and the people of Port Talbot. A co-production with Common Wealth Theatre sited in a disused steelworks which won a 2018 Nesta/The Observer New Radicals Award.[9]
  • NHS70 (2018). A season of one-person plays celebrating the NHS taking place in intimate settings all over Wales, including new work by Maria Fusco, Alan Harris and Elis James.
  • Tide Whisperer (2018) by Louise Wallwein. An acclaimed immersive production on the shores of Tenby tackling the global phenomenon of displacement and mass movement.
  • On Bear Ridge (2019) by Ed Thomas. A co-production with Royal Court Theatre which was named one of the U.K.’s five best new plays of 2019 by The Stage.
  • Refrain (2019) by Sean Edwards. A radio play produced with Wrexham’s as part of the Wales in Venice presentation at the 58th Venice Biennale.
  • Mission Control (2019). A fantasy musical co-produced with Hijinx Theatre and created with Seiriol Davies, staged at the Millennium Stadium.

References[]

  1. ^ Gardner, Lyn (2017-05-01). "From Tata to the NHS: how Kully Thiarai is making theatre for Wales". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  2. ^ Moss, Stephen. "National Theatre Wales' roving revolution". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Army range play wins poet award". BBC News. 2011-03-25. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  4. ^ "PORT TALBOT'S epic Passion play has earned directors Michael Sheen and Bill Mitchell one of the top accolades in British theatre". Wales Online. 30 Oct 2011.
  5. ^ "Bradley Manning play scoops British drama award". Reuters. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  6. ^ Forsbrook, Amelia (2011-06-14). "National Theatre Wales receives Calouste Gulbenkian performance grant". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  7. ^ "Bordergame". The Space. 2016-05-22. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  8. ^ "The City of the Unexpected: Cardiff celebrates Roald Dahl | British Council". www.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  9. ^ "We're Still Here". nesta. Retrieved 2020-04-06.

External links[]

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