After a three-year, £47m redevelopment, Mold's Theatr Clwyd - the largest producing theatre in Wales - has announced its reopening season.
The theatre welcomes the public back indoors with Tick, Tick... Boom! (June 2-28) - the highly-regarded but little known musical by RENT creator Jonathan Larson, most recently a Netflix movie starring Andrew Garfield as Larson.
Other highlights of the season include Alan Ayckbourn’s dark comedy Snake In The Grass (September 15-October 4); James Graham’s adaptation of cult-80s drama Boys from the Blackstuff (July 1-5); the stage adaptation of thriller The Girl on the Train starring Laura Whitmore (July 15-19), and international hit musical Six (September 23-27).
Theatr Clwyd fans can also look forward to Pride & Prejudice (October 15-25); The Rock 'n' Roll Panto: Cinderella (November 22-January 17); Blood Brothers (September 30-October 4); a bilingual Romeo and Juliet (October 16-17), and Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre’s drama Housemates (September 9-13).
In addition to theatre the season has live music, including a performance from West End stars in Welsh of the West End, classical concerts from Sinfonia Cymru and pianist Llyr Williams and comedy from the likes of Seann Walsh and Jasper Carrott.
Artistic director Kate Wasserberg said: "This season is a celebration of everything Theatr Clwyd stands for - bold, brilliant storytelling and world-class talent."
*Built in 1976, Theatr Clwyd's £47 million transformation is nothing short of spectacular. The refurbishment process started in 2016 after a 2010 survey found the theatre was falling apart.
With the support of the Welsh government, Flintshire County Council and the Arts Council of Wales, the building has been updated and future-proofed. There is an extension to the front and a new terrace and restaurant on the first floor, a cafe and shop on the gound floor and even an indoor and outdoor play area for children.
The theatre's arts, health and wellbeing programme is being extended, using the arts to help people with a wide range of disabilities; a youth hub will be a space for young people to rehearse, learn and play; the stage workshop has been brought in-house and there is a new rehearsal room. A studio will help theatre creators to invest in their own development, while updated backstage facilities will attract the highest-quality talent.
With a building as large as London's National Theatre, keeping the theatre "green" has been another challenge. The new building will be gas free, collect rain water to flush toilets, have a green living wall, two new air source heat pumps and the infrastructure to support solar photovoltaic cells across the 1,000 sq m roof. The new Theatr Clwyd aims to be one of the first high-profile examples of a carbon zero cultural venue in the UK.