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

Mold, Flintshire Mold ( ) is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the historic county town and was the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council from 1996 to 2025, as it was of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996. According to the 2011 ...

, in North East

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. 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 Clwyd ( , ) is a preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English cerem ...

, 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 Tŷ Dewi Sant, Ewloe since 2025. It was previously based at County Hall in Mold. Elections take place ...

). 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 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. The complex was opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

under the artistic direction of George Roman.

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

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. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...

Sir Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern (3 October 19112 May 1995) was an English actor. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially King Lear. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor to leading roles; by the time of his death ...

and

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. He gained international prominence as the fourth actor to portray fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, starring in '' The Living Dayli ...

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

Helena Kaut-Howson Helena Kaut-Howson (born 1940) is a Polish-born British theatre director. Early life and education Helena Kaut-Howson was born (as Helena Kaut) in Lviv, a Polish city which was recently forcibly incorporated into Soviet Union. She is a child ...

Terry Hands Terence David Hands, (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; ...

as artistic director 1997 to 2015 raised the profile and status of the theatre greatly. Hands' productions of classic dramatists, principally Shakespeare, were critically acclaimed. He worked closely with Associate Director Tim Baker, who was responsible for much of the theatre's work for young people throughout this period as well as directing many other dramas and musicals, along with visiting/trainee directors Phillip Breen (directing classic and modern drama) and Kate Wasserberg (directing revivals of modern dramatists including Brian Friel, Terry Johnson, Arthur Miller and Arnold Wesker). In 2014 Terry Hands directed a revival of "Under Milk Wood" to mark the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. It was critically acclaimed, and toured Wales and England to an audience of 44,000. Hands' successor, Tamara Harvey, was appointed in June 2015. Notable productions included ''"Uncle Vanya"'', ''"Pavilion"'' and ''"Home, I'm Darling"'', a co-production with the National Theatre, which won an Olivier award and starred

Katherine Parkinson Katherine Parkinson (born 1977 or 1978) is an English actress. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy series ''The IT Crowd'' as Jen Barber, for which she won BAFTA's British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2014. Par ...

and Richard Harrington. "''Home, I'm Darling''" transferred firstly to the National Theatre and then the West End and a UK tour. Harvey was joined by Executive Director Liam Evans-Ford who together were instrumental in driving the venue's major capital redevelopment. Whilst major redevelopment of the theatre building took place in 2023/4 a temporary facility was created on an adjacent site with foyer, "actor's village" and a temporary theatre called "The Mix" which allowed the theatre to continue operating as a producing and presenting venue. In 2022 Theatr Clwyd took over the running of Wrexham's William Aston Hall, ensuring that the venue remained open and viable as a community resource. In 2023 Kate Wasserberg became Theatr Clwyd's sixth Artistic Director, replacing Tamara Harvey who became joint Artistic Director (alongside Daniel Evans) at the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

Auditoria

The complex contains five auditoria: *''The

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

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, Flintshi ...

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) *

(1997 – 2015) *

Tamara Harvey Tamara Harvey is a British-based theatre director. Background Tamara Harvey was born in Botswana and grew up in Massachusetts and Brighton. She became co-artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon with Danie ...

(2015 – 2023) * Kate Wasserberg (2023 – present)

References

External links

* Reviews of Theatr Clwyd productions since 2001 at http://www.theatre-wales.co.uk/reviews/reviews_details.asp?reviewID=5126 * * Buildings and structures in Flintshire Tourist attractions in Flintshire Theatres in Wales Year of establishment missing Mold, Flintshire {{UK-theat-stub