Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from

Mold, Flintshire Mold ( cy, Yr Wyddgrug) is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the county town and administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, as it was of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996. According to the 2011 UK Census, it had a ...

, in North East

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name.

History

Theatr Clwyd opened in 1976. It forms part of the County Civic Centre at Mold (Yr Wyddgrug), being immediately adjacent to the County Hall (the administrative offices of the former administrative county of Clwyd, now the offices of the

Flintshire County Council Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at County Hall in Mold. Elections take place every five years. The last election was on 5 May 2022. Histor ...

). It was built at the instigation of the former Flintshire County Council before that was abolished in the local government reorganisation of 1974 and replaced by Clwyd County Council. The complex was opened by Queen Elizabeth II under the artistic direction of George Roman.

Toby Robertson Sholto David Maurice Robertson (29 November 1928, London - 4 July 2012, London), known as Toby Robertson, was the artistic director of the Prospect Theatre Company from 1964 to 1978. He was recognised as having "re-established the good name and ...

was the theatre's artistic director between 1985 and 1992. Robertson introduced several leading actors, including

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

, Sir Michael Hordern and

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...

, to the theatre. Robertson was succeeded as artistic director by

Helena Kaut-Howson Helena Kaut-Howson is a British theatre director. Early life and education Helena Kaut-Howson was born (as Helena Kaut) in 1940 in Lviv, which was then in Poland. She grew up in Wrocław, Poland. Her training as a director was first at the Po ...

, followed by Terry Hands from 1997 to 2015. Hands' successor, Tamara Harvey, was appointed in June 2015.

HTV Wales ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom. There is no channel, past or present, named "ITV Wales ...

had offices and a studio at the site from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, but production was scaled back following the opening of the company's new studio complex at

Culverhouse Cross Culverhouse Cross ( cy, Croes Cwrlwys) is a district straddling the boundary between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, in the community of Wenvoe. The district is centred on a major traffic roundabout that links West Cardiff to the M4 mo ...

in Cardiff. A small news operation remained in Mold until the late 1990s but closed when HTV moved its North Wales news operations to Colwyn Bay and Wrexham. The name of the complex was changed to Clwyd Theatr Cymru in 1998 to reflect the reorganisation of local government at that time which abolished Clwyd as a county and brought Flintshire back into existence, although defined by different borders from the original ones. However, in 2015 the complex reverted to its original name. Apart from hosting visiting theatre companies, Theatr Clwyd is home to Wales' major drama producing theatre company, under the artistic direction of Tamara Harvey, which stages their own productions throughout the year (including one of the longest-running pantomimes in the country) and also regularly performs on tour around Wales and the UK. In 1980, Theatr Clwyd hosted the second stage performance of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

''.

Auditoria

The complex contains five auditoria: *''The

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

Theatre'' (570 seats) *''The

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flints ...

Theatre'' (adaptable studio space, up to 250 seats) *''Studio 2'' (adaptable studio space, up to 120 seats) *''The Clwyd Room'' (multifunction area, up to 300 seats) *''Cinema'' (120 seats).

Artistic directors

* George Roman (1976–1985) *

(1985–1992) *

(1992–1995) * Terry Hands (1997–2015) * Tamara Harvey (2015–present)

References

External links

* * Buildings and structures in Flintshire Tourist attractions in Flintshire Theatres in Wales Year of establishment missing Mold, Flintshire {{UK-theat-stub