Theatr Clwyd facts for kids
Theatr Clwyd (pronounced THEE-a-ter CLOO-id) is a big arts centre and theatre in North East Wales. It's about 1 mile from Mold, Flintshire. The theatre first opened in 1976. For a while, between 1998 and 2015, it was known as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, but then it went back to its original name. It's a place where you can watch plays, musicals, and even movies!
The Story of Theatr Clwyd
Theatr Clwyd first opened its doors in 1976. It's part of a larger building complex in Mold, right next to the local government offices. The idea for the theatre came from the old Flintshire County Council. They wanted to build a special place for arts before the local government areas changed in 1974.
The theatre's name changed to Clwyd Theatr Cymru in 1998. This was because the local government areas changed again, and Flintshire became a county once more. But in 2015, everyone decided to go back to the original name, Theatr Clwyd.
When the theatre first opened, Queen Elizabeth II visited for the special event. George Roman was the first artistic director, which means he was in charge of all the creative shows. Later, Toby Robertson took over and brought famous actors like Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Dalton to perform there.
From 1997 to 2015, Terry Hands was the artistic director. He made the theatre very well-known. His shows, especially plays by Shakespeare, were highly praised. He worked with Tim Baker, who created many shows for young people.
In 2014, Terry Hands directed a famous play called "Under Milk Wood." It was a huge success and toured around Wales and England. After Terry Hands, Tamara Harvey became the artistic director in 2015. She helped create popular shows like "Home, I'm Darling," which even won an award and moved to London's West End!
Recently, the theatre building has been getting a big makeover. While the main building was being worked on, they built a temporary theatre nearby called "The Mix." This allowed the theatre to keep putting on shows. In 2022, Theatr Clwyd also started running the William Aston Hall in Wrexham, helping it stay open for the community.
In 2023, Kate Wasserberg became the newest artistic director of Theatr Clwyd.
The Different Stages
Theatr Clwyd has five different spaces where you can watch performances or movies:
- The Anthony Hopkins Theatre: This is the biggest stage, with seats for 570 people.
- The Emlyn Williams Theatre: This is a smaller, flexible space that can hold up to 250 people.
- Studio 2: Another flexible studio space, perfect for smaller shows, with room for up to 120 people.
- The Clwyd Room: A multi-purpose area that can fit up to 300 people.
- Cinema: A cozy cinema with 120 seats to watch films.
Who Has Been in Charge?
Here are the people who have been the artistic directors of Theatr Clwyd:
- George Roman (1976 – 1985)
- Toby Robertson (1985 – 1992)
- Helena Kaut-Howson (1992 – 1995)
- Terry Hands (1997 – 2015)
- Tamara Harvey (2015 – 2023)
- Kate Wasserberg (2023 – present)
See also
In Spanish: Clwyd Theatr Cymru para niños
