Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from Mold, Flintshire, in North East Wales. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name.

History

Theatr Clwyd opened in 1976. It forms part of the County Civic Centre at Mold (Yr Wyddgrug), being immediately adjacent to the County Hall (the administrative offices of the former administrative county of

Clwyd Clwyd () is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to th ...

, now the offices of the Flintshire County Council). It was built at the instigation of the former Flintshire County Council before that was abolished in the local government reorganisation of 1974 and replaced by Clwyd County Council. The complex was opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

under the artistic direction of George Roman. Toby Robertson was the theatre's artistic director between 1985 and 1992. Robertson introduced several leading actors, including Vanessa Redgrave,

Sir Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, May 2009, accessed 22 July 2015 was a ...

and Timothy Dalton, to the theatre. Robertson was succeeded as artistic director by Helena Kaut-Howson, followed by

Terry Hands Terence David Hands (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; h ...

from 1997 to 2015. Hands' successor, Tamara Harvey, was appointed in June 2015. HTV Wales had offices and a studio at the site from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, but production was scaled back following the opening of the company's new studio complex at Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff. A small news operation remained in Mold until the late 1990s but closed when HTV moved its North Wales news operations to Colwyn Bay and Wrexham. The name of the complex was changed to Clwyd Theatr Cymru in 1998 to reflect the reorganisation of local government at that time which abolished Clwyd as a county and brought Flintshire back into existence, although defined by different borders from the original ones. However, in 2015 the complex reverted to its original name. Apart from hosting visiting theatre companies, Theatr Clwyd is home to Wales' major drama producing theatre company, under the artistic direction of

Tamara Harvey __NOTOC__ Tamara may refer to: People * Tamara (name), including a list of people with this name * Tamara (Spanish singer) (born 1984) * Tamara, stage name of Spanish singer Yurena (born 1969) * Tamara, stage name of Macedonian singer Tamara Tod ...

, which stages their own productions throughout the year (including one of the longest-running pantomimes in the country) and also regularly performs on tour around Wales and the UK. In 1980, Theatr Clwyd hosted the second stage performance of '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''.

Auditoria

The complex contains five auditoria: *''The Anthony Hopkins Theatre'' (570 seats) *''The Emlyn Williams Theatre'' (adaptable studio space, up to 250 seats) *''Studio 2'' (adaptable studio space, up to 120 seats) *''The Clwyd Room'' (multifunction area, up to 300 seats) *''Cinema'' (120 seats).

Artistic directors

* George Roman (1976–1985) * Toby Robertson (1985–1992) * Helena Kaut-Howson (1992–1995) *

(1997–2015) * Tamara Harvey (2015–present)

References

External links

* * Buildings and structures in Flintshire Tourist attractions in Flintshire Theatres in Wales Year of establishment missing Mold, Flintshire {{UK-theat-stub