The first image of Michael Sheen in costume as Owain Glyndŵr has been released to mark the annual day honouring the last Welsh‑born Prince of Wales, the actor's team said Thursday.
The photograph arrives two months before Owain & Henry, a new play by Welsh playwright Gary Owen that explores Glyndŵr's early 15th‑century rebellion against English rule. The production is one of the first announced by the newly formed Welsh National Theatre, the company founded by Sheen, and is scheduled to run at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in November 2026.
Sheen has described his portrayal as representing "the iconic Welsh prince," and an audio clip posted on social media accompanying the image features him speaking as Glyndŵr for the first time. The actor said the play tells "the exact story" he hopes the national theatre company can present "on the second biggest stage in Europe." He has previously said he was "incredibly excited" about the project.
Owen's play is believed to be the first large‑scale theatrical production to place Glyndŵr at its centre. The narrative focuses on the uprising led by Glyndŵr, who in 1400 declared himself Prince of Wales and led a prolonged revolt against English authority. Glyndŵr remains a potent symbol of Welsh nationalism and is commemorated across Wales in statues, monuments and place names.
Sheen, who was born in Port Talbot, has a track record of transforming into high‑profile public figures on stage and screen, including portrayals of Prince Andrew, broadcaster David Frost and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He has also previously called for the Royal Family to relinquish the Prince of Wales title, remarks that drew attention in Wales and beyond.
Producers said the staging at Wales Millennium Centre will form part of the inaugural slate of productions for the Welsh National Theatre, a company Sheen launched with the aim of telling Welsh stories on major stages. The play’s November 2026 run positions it amid growing cultural efforts to foreground Welsh history and contemporary voices in theatre.
Details on casting beyond Sheen, ticketing and the production team have not been disclosed. The announcement follows renewed public interest in Glyndŵr around the annual day of commemoration and comes as cultural institutions in Wales expand programming that engages with national history and identity.
Owain Glyndŵr's uprising and its aftermath have long been subjects of historical study and local commemoration; drama has engaged with the period intermittently, but producers and creatives involved in Owain & Henry say the new play will present Glyndŵr as a principal character in a large‑scale, contemporary theatrical setting. The production is set to begin previews and press activity closer to its opening in late 2026.