Michael Sheen praised for using his own money to fund new Welsh national theatre

Hollywood actor Michael Sheen impressed fans after he announced he's funding a new national theatre company for Wales after National Theatre Wales ceased to exist

Hollywood star Michael Sheen was praised for 'putting money where his mouth is' as he's set to fund a new national theatre company for Wales.

The Welsh actor, known for Good Omens and Romeo and Juliet, will be the artistic director of the Welsh National Theatre, with its first production being due in 2026. The new company comes after National Theatre Wales said last month it had "ceased to exist" after £1.6m in cuts to its core funding from Arts Council Wales.

Speaking about the new venture, Michael, 55, said his new company still didn't have funding but added: "But that suits my way of thinking. I like the idea of starting small, simple, lean and building it up, working with what you’ve got. Don’t pay for swanky offices if you don’t need them, build it slowly with care and with passion and with vision and with ambition.

“We aim to represent the Welsh people so I would hope that public bodies would be prepared to work with us. I think probably history tells us that relying too much on any one source of funding makes you a bit vulnerable so I first and foremost would hope that this company can stand on its own two feet but we are open to working with whoever wants to get involved.”

The Hollywood star said: “My instinct has always been, rightly or wrongly, that when people around you are saying: ‘No, you can’t have that, you can’t do that,’ to go even bigger and bolder and go, no we’re not going to do that, we’re going to do 10 times that.” Michael added that he's putting "everything behind" the venture which would have "Welsh theatre makers, Welsh stories and Welsh actors" at the centre of the company.

Following the news, fans rushed to social media to praise the actor. Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, one user said: "A famous actor not just talking about a lack of funding in the arts but actually DOING something about it. Putting his money where his mouth is. Michael Sheen is one of the good ones."

"Can we all agree that @michaelsheen is a Welsh national treasure?" another commented while one posted: "What a wonderful thing to do." One added: "Michael Sheen is an amazing person. Massive credit to Wales." The company is currently seeking private and public funding but Michael explained self-financing would allow it to stand "on its own two feet".

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