Llyr Gruffydd MS Member of the Senedd for North Wales

A recent site visit left Llyr Gruffydd astounded by the progress at the ‘jewel in the crown’ of arts centre.

On a site visit to Theatr Clwyd this week Llyr Gruffydd discovered the extent of the £50M investment in the arts venue in Mold.

Llyr Gruffydd said-

“The scale of the development is huge. It is almost a complete re-build of the venue, completely re-modelled with a 21st century audience in mind
“Although the existing building was opened in 1976 it in dire need for a substantial investment in order to save its future. Plaid Cymru and I have fought hard over many years to secure this investment, and coming here to experience the hive of building activity that is going on is quite exciting.”

Although parts of the venue have been closed for quite some time to accommodate the upgrade, the theatre company have managed to keep the performances going through it all. The main auditorium will re-open in November, in time for the seasonal Panto – this year’s offering being ‘Mother Goose’. The production is expected to attract around 40,000 attendees.

Llyr Gruffydd went on to add-

“Venues like this are being lost all over the country due to a lack of funding. The only way we could secure this resource’s future was to fight for the capital investment it deserves, and to further enhance the status of the theatre as the jewel in the crown of North-East Wales.”

The overhaul includes a culinary upgrade with Denbigh-born television chef Bryn Williams opening a new restaurant on site after taking over the catering franchise. The arts complex will be able to attract the best acts and plays touring the UK, but more importantly it will have all the facilities needed to support the production of original productions by the company. This includes set-building and painting workshops, and costume-making spaces with state-of-the-art technologies and much more.
In 2016 Theatr Clwyd employed 63 people – with the new investment from the public and private sectors they hope to employ 250 staff by summer 2025.