Theatr Clwyd
What it is
Theatr Clwyd is a producing theatre, which means it makes its own shows rather than receiving touring productions from elsewhere.
Most regional theatres present work that has been made somewhere else.
Theatr Clwyd writes, casts, designs, and rehearses productions on site in Mold, then puts them on stage, and sometimes sends them to London, or on tour, or to other theatres around the world.
It is Wales’s largest producing theatre, based about a mile from the centre of Mold on the hillside above the town, adjacent to the former county hall building.
The main auditorium, the Anthony Hopkins Theatre, seats up to 569.
There are two further performance spaces and a multi-purpose function room.
The building
The theatre opened in 1976 as the Clwyd Theatre and Educational Technology Centre, a multi-purpose arts complex built into the hillside above Mold.
It was opened by the Queen.
The red-brick building was built by the old Flintshire County Council before local government reorganisation in 1974 abolished that council and replaced it with Clwyd County Council, which inherited the venue.
The name changed to Clwyd Theatr Cymru in 1998 following the further reorganisation that brought Flintshire back into existence.
It reverted to Theatr Clwyd in 2015.
The main auditorium was renamed the Anthony Hopkins Theatre in 1996.
By the 2020s, the original 1970s building needed substantial work: the foyers were cramped, the audience facilities were outdated, and the front of the building presented an uninviting face to the hillside.
A major capital project, designed by Haworth Tompkins architects, was carried out in 2023 and 2024.
The work demolished and replaced the front of the building with a new three-storey glazed foyer, housing a restaurant on the first floor and a café at ground level.
The theatre remained operational throughout, using a temporary facility on an adjacent site called The Mix.
The redeveloped building reopened for performances in June 2025 and the full project was completed in October 2025, coinciding with the theatre’s fiftieth anniversary.
The three performance spaces were not structurally altered, though technical facilities across the building were upgraded.
How it works
A producing theatre needs a permanent creative team.
Theatr Clwyd has an artistic director and a technical and production department that works year-round.
Shows are developed in-house and built in the workshops on site.
This model allows the theatre to take risks on new writing and ambitious staging that touring productions cannot easily sustain.
It also means that when a show works, it belongs to Theatr Clwyd in a way that a received production does not.
The theatre has a long record of sending its work outward.
Productions have transferred to the National Theatre in London, to the West End, and on national and international tour.
In 2023 the theatre took over the running of Wrexham’s William Aston Hall, extending its reach into the neighbouring town.
In 2025 Theatr Clwyd launched Stiwdio Clwyd, a national artist development programme supporting theatre-makers across Wales.
Notable productions and awards
The production most associated with Theatr Clwyd’s national reputation is *Home, I’m Darling*, Laura Wade’s dark comedy about a couple who attempt to live as if it were the 1950s.
It had its world premiere at Theatr Clwyd in June 2018, directed by then artistic director Tamara Harvey, before transferring to the National Theatre’s Dorfman stage and then to the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End.
It won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2019.
The production was a co-production with the National Theatre.
Other productions have transferred to Sheffield Crucible, Chichester Festival Theatre, and the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.
The theatre has won a UK Theatre Award and a Stage Award for Best UK Theatre.
One of its productions was adapted for television by the BBC and achieved the second-highest ratings for an arts programme in the UK in 2022.
Artistic directors
The theatre has had six artistic directors since it opened.
Tamara Harvey led the organisation from 2015 until 2023, overseeing both the West End success of *Home, I’m Darling* and the early stages of the capital redevelopment.
Harvey left to become joint artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside Daniel Evans.
Kate Wasserberg became the sixth artistic director in 2023.
For visitors
The theatre is about a mile from Mold town centre on the B5444, heading out of town towards the county hall complex.
There is an open-air tiered car park on site.
The underground car park, which was closed during the redevelopment, should be checked for current status before visiting.
The new foyer is open to non-ticket-holders.
The ground-floor café is accessible without booking a show.
The restaurant on the first floor is available for pre-show dining and is also open independently.
Booking is online at theatrclwyd.com.
The theatre programmes a year-round season covering original drama, musicals, comedy, family shows, and an annual rock-and-roll pantomime.
Accessibility information including details of audio description, BSL-interpreted performances, and relaxed performances is available on the website.
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
