For the first time in its 87-year history, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Our Town will be staged by a full company of Welsh actors and creatives. This American classic, exploring universal themes of love, life and death, will star Michael Sheen as the Stage Manager and will be directed by Swansea-born Francesca Goodridge, with Russell T Davies joining the team as Creative Associate. The production marks the inaugural outing of the newly formed Welsh National Theatre and is presented in association with Rose Theatre, Kingston. To mark the announcement, Rose Theatre has released a new block of tickets for its South West London performances.
The all-Welsh cast joining Sheen includes Rithvik Andugla (Death Valley) as Howie Newsome, Peter Devlin (Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning) as George Gibbs, Aisha-May Hunte (Mudtown; Death Valley) as Wally Webb, Rebecca Killick (Nye; The Life of Pi) as Rebecca Gibbs, Alfie Llewellyn (Mr. Burton) as Joe & Si Crowell, Rhodri Meilir (Nye; Odyssey ‘84) as Mr. Webb, Christina Modestou (Tick, tick … Boom!; Brief Encounter) as Mrs. Soames, Yasemin Özdemir (The Merry Wives of Windsor) as Emily Webb, Glyn Pritchard (The Crucible; Rinoseros) as Constable Warren, Sian Reese-Williams (Dreams) as Mrs. Gibbs, Nia Roberts (Hedda Gabler; Still Waters) as Mrs. Webb, Kingdom Sibanda (Stranger Things: The First Shadow), Gareth Snook (Ragtime; The Crucible) as Professor Willard & Joe Stoddard, Matthew Trevannion (A Streetcar Named Desire) as Dr. Gibbs, and Rhys Warrington (The Mousetrap; Great Expectations) as Simon Stimson.
The creative team brings together Francesca Goodridge (Director), Russell T Davies (Creative Associate), Hayley Grindle (Designer), Jess Williams (Movement Director), Ryan Joseph Stafford (Lighting Designer), Dyfan Jones (Composer, Sound Designer & Musical Director), Sam Jones CDG (Casting Director), and Dena Davies (Stiwdio Clwyd Assistant Director).
Our Town will open at Swansea Grand Theatre from 16–31 January 2026, before touring to Venue Cymru, Llandudno (3–7 February), Theatr Clwyd, Mold (11–21 February) and Rose Theatre, Kingston (26 February – 28 March). National Press Night will be held at Swansea Grand Theatre on Wednesday 21 January.
Francesca Goodridge said: “Bringing Our Town to life with a fully Welsh cast and creative team is a gift. ‘Hiraeth’ is a Welsh word without a perfect English translation, but it describes a kind of longing for a place, person or time you can’t get back to. Our Town shows us, even in the most uneventful days, how precious life is and forces us to live in the present.”
Michael Sheen, Artistic Director of Welsh National Theatre, added: “This is an incredible opportunity to present a Welsh interpretation of a classic which tours our nation and takes our voice to London, giving Welsh talent a platform to perform. We can’t wait to meet audiences and welcome them to our world.”
Christopher Haydon, Artistic Director of Rose Theatre, said: “I can’t think of a better actor to lead this remarkable Welsh company than Michael Sheen. This is a play with a universal message about love and the importance of community. I’m also excited to welcome many of London’s own Welsh community through our doors and to share with them whispers of home.”
Tickets are on sale now and can be booked via:
STAGE DOOR JOE 