Welsh National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre have today revealed the full company joining Michael Sheen in their upcoming co-production of Owain & Henry (5-28 November 2026)

Owain & Henry is an epic reimagining of one of Wales' defining stories – a story about leadership, power and identity that speaks as urgently to Wales today as it did six centuries ago. Written by Olivier Award-winning playwright Gary Owen, the play explores one of Britain's defining conflicts from a perspective rarely given centre stage and marks a landmark moment for Welsh theatre, bringing the story of Owain Glyndŵr to the stage on an unprecedented scale.

Joining the previously announced Sheen as the legendary Welsh prince is acclaimed stage and screen actor Linus Roache (Law & Order, Vikings, Richard II) in the title role of King Henry IV. The production explores the explosive struggle between two men with competing visions of leadership, nationhood and power, as Owain Glyndŵr's rebellion threatens to reshape the future of Britain..

BAFTA Cymru winner Rakie Ayola (The Pact, Grace, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) will play Mared Ferch Dafydd, a noblewoman and Owain’s wife, with Emily Burnett (Hollyoaks, The Dumping Ground, Rope) joining as their daughter Catrin Ferch Owain. The Stage Award for Acting Excellence Winner Sophie Melville (Iphigenia in Splott, The Way, The Missing) plays mother turned warrior, Lois.

Ned Costello will play Hal, the heir to the English throne. Also starring are Brendan Charleson as Percy, Martyn Ellis as Sir John Falstaff, Gruffudd Glyn as Bryn, Ian Hughes as Baron Reginald Grey, David Judge as Hotspur, Richard Lynch as Rhys, and James Wilbraham as Mortimer. -

Completing the cast is a talented ensemble of performers: Lizzie Caitlin Bennett, Beau Bradfield, Harrison Claxton, Caitlin Drake, Mirain Fflur, Orla Hardie, Aisha-May Hunte, Corey Mitchell, Jamie Morgan, Luke Rhodri and Joseph Tweedale.

The production is a statement of creative ambition: bringing together Welsh National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre to tell one of Wales' defining stories with the scale and confidence it deserves.

Artistic director of Welsh National Theatre Sheen has joined forces with Steffan Donnelly, artistic director and joint chief executive of Theatr Cymru (Romeo a Juliet, Rhinoseros), to co-direct the play. Associate Director Hannah Noone (The Wife of Cyncoed, BoHo, Hot Chicks) completes the directing team.

Mab Gwalia, Michael Sheen's movement for change, is creating opportunities for Welsh artists through associate and assistant roles within the company, investing in the future of Welsh theatre by nurturing emerging creative talent.

Matt Hellyer is associate set designer alongside set designer Jon Bausor, Cara Hood is lighting design associate alongside lighting designer Aideen Malone, Elin Steele is costume designer, Dyfan Jones composer & sound designer, Livi Wilmore is video design assistant alongside video designer Jack Phelan, Anthony Matesena is movement director, Rebecca Wilson is fight director assistant alongside fight and intimacy director Bethan Clarke, casting director is Hannah Marie Williams, voice director Nia Lynn, and executive producer Kate Ferris completes the creative team.

Michael Sheen, artistic director of Welsh National Theatre and co-director of Owain & Henry, said: “To stand alongside this extraordinary cast and to imagine the life, fire and humanity we will bring to the stage together is beyond thrilling. Owain & Henry brings two towering figures, two nations and two versions of history into the same room. It asks us to hold all that complexity: the politics and the poetry, the intimacy and the spectacle, the past and the questions it asks of us now. For years people have wondered why Wales hadn't told this story on this scale. That's exactly what we're setting out to do, creating opportunities for Welsh artists in its telling.”

Graeme Farrow, Chief Creative Officer of Wales Millennium Centre, said: “Owain & Henry is a story about building a nation, and about power and its corruptive effects. It is based on an old story but it feels urgent and relevant. It is the result of Welsh artists and institutions coming together to build something bold and ambitious. Our stage is a place for Wales to tell its stories and celebrate them with confidence, to audiences here at home and across the world. We can’t wait to see this remarkable cast and creative team bring this story to life in what promises to be a landmark theatrical event.”

Steffan Donnelly, co-director of Owain & Henry, said: “At its heart, theatre is a collective act: different artists coming together to create something none of us could make alone. Our cast and creative team for Owain & Henry makes the possibilities feel enormous, and I can’t wait for audiences to meet them.  This isn't simply another production. It's a chance to show what Welsh theatre can achieve when artists and organisations come together with real ambition.”

A Welsh National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre co-production, Owain & Henry is playing at the Donald Gordon Theatre at Wales Millennium Centre from 5-28 November 2026.

Tickets are on sale now and can be booked via:

Wales Millennium Centre | www.wmc.org.uk

PRESS CONTACTS

For further details or interviews, please contact Sam Cook (sam.cook@workingword.co.uk) or Daniel Tyte (Daniel.tyte@workingword.co.uk) at Working Word on 029 20455 182 and Burte Tsogbadrakh (burte@joallanpr.com) and  Jo Allan (jo@joallanpr.com) at JAPR on 020 3997 7477.