Michael Sheen to Stage The Passion Play for National Theatre of Wales

The National Theatre of Wales has announced the lineup of shows that will be part of its inaugural season, which will culminate with a new staging of The Passion Play staged by award-winning actor Michael Sheen, to run April 22-24.

From March 2010 to April 2011, one new show will be presented each month in a different part of Wales. Highlights include: a new play about coal mining communities, based on interviews with locals and tours of workmen’s halls and mining institutes in the Welsh Valleys; the premiere of John Osborne’s recently rediscovered first play, The Devil Inside Him; a theatrical game staged on a summertime beach; a new version of Aesychylus’ The Persians mounted at the Ministry of Defence; a stage adaptation of the stories of renowned Welsh chronicler Gwyn Thomas; and the first-ever UK production from the Berlin-based “reality trend”-setters Rimini Protokill.

Sheen’s staging of The Passion Play will take place in his hometown of Port Talbot. The actor — who starred in the West End and Broadway productions of Frost/Nixon — will be the show’s creative director, collaborating with the town’s residents and author Owen Sheers on the new version of the classic piece.

For further information, visit www.whatsonstage.com.