The Dylan Thomas Theatre is a theatre in the Maritime Quarter, in the centre of the city of

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

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 ...

. The theatre officially opened under its present name in 1983, but was home to the Swansea Little Theatre from 1979.

Swansea Little Theatre

The Swansea Little Theatre is an amateur drama group based at The Dylan Thomas Theatre and was the first Little Theatre in Wales. The theatre group began performances from 1924 and was based at various different locations during its early years. In the early 1930s, the poet

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

became a member of the troupe after first reviewing plays by the Little Theatre for the ''South Wales Evening Post''. In 1932, he appeared with the group for a production of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...

'', taking the role of Simon. A local critic wrote that Thomas was "an artist with an explosive temper and untidy habits". Thomas appeared in plays with the theatre for the next two or three years. The group maintained its link with Thomas' family when his daughter,

Aeronwy Thomas-Ellis Aeronwy Bryn Thomas-Ellis (3 March 1943 – 27 July 2009) was a poet, writer and translator of Italian poetry. She was the second child and only daughter of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife, Caitlin Macnamara. Life Born in London, Th ...

, became president of the theatre. In 1979, Swansea City Council offered the Swansea Little Theatre the derelict former Oscar Chess showroom and garage, in an area which had been earmarked for development, as a permanent home. On 29 September 1983, Sir

Harry Secombe Sir Harry Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, mos ...

officially opened the theatre, now named the Dylan Thomas Theatre.

Notes

External links

Dylan Thomas Theatre

Swansea Little Theatre
Dylan Thomas Theatres in Swansea {{Swansea-struct-stub