Sheen to Play Glyndŵr in Major Welsh History Play — SkimNews
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- Michael Sheen will star as Owain Glyndŵr in "Owain & Henry," staged at the Donald Gordon Theatre at Wales Millennium Centre — the second-biggest stage in Europe — by his company Welsh National Theatre, co-producing with the Centre
- Sheen said he was never taught Glyndŵr's story growing up in south Wales, noting the rebel was voted the second most important Welsh person of all time (after NHS architect Aneurin Bevan) yet had never been depicted at this scale on stage
- Playwright Gary Owen, an Olivier award winner, wrote the sweeping version during Covid lockdown when he assumed no one would ever see it, allowing him to ignore the usual constraint that Welsh plays are written for small studio spaces
- Sheen described Glyndŵr as an unlikely rebel — a privileged landowner who served English noblemen and fought for Richard II in Scotland before a land dispute with neighbour Reginald de Grey escalated into treason charges
- Sheen tied the production's themes to Plaid Cymru's recent Senedd election win that ended 100 years of Labour rule, saying the play speaks to debates over Welsh identity and nationhood "in a more urgent way than I could ever have imagined"
- Sheen said he invited the new Plaid-led Welsh government to discuss toxic waste dumping in Wales — a subject of his documentary — but has received no response, adding "when you actually get into power, then it's not about talk any more"
Why it matters: Welsh National Theatre is betting that a landmark production staged at Wales' largest theatre can catalyse a national conversation about identity and power at the exact moment Plaid Cymru takes office for the first time. Sheen has put the new administration on notice that symbolic support for the arts must translate into action — including on the toxic-waste issue he has campaigned on.
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