A Farewell…For Now

Saturday 15th January marked the last day that the whole theatre would be open to the public before the start of the renovations. The keys will be handed over to the construction company to start works including ridding the building of asbestos. The Anthony Hopkins Theatre will remain open for another year before temporarily moving shows into a building outside that will eventually be turned into the set workshops. The “Mix” has been built, a temporary village housing a temporary replacement for the Emlyn Williams Theatre.


My Experience of the last day


Saturday started with family workshops; I helped the Creative Engagement team in the Clwyd Room. This is a large space which is going to be transformed during the renovations into a more useable adaptable room with curtains to change the size. These workshops were the last to be held in the space and everyone, from staff to visitors, were reminiscing whilst in the theatre on that last day.


Once the morning session of workshops were completed, I helped a member of the Creative Engagement team give tours to visitors in the backstage areas. Visitors attending ‘A Building Made of Stories' exhibition were given the chance to see the scenery flytower for the Anthony Hopkins Theatre, stand on the stage and ask any questions they might have. Most visitors just wanted to share their stories and members of the theatre which was really interesting. The theatre means so much to the local community and it was great to be able to listen to their memories. 


There was another workshop in the afternoon which was attended by loads of families and filled the bottom part of the Clwyd Room. It was great to help and see the room filled with joy. The workshop got every member of the family involved, playing together.


Following the workshop, the team got ready for the performances in the evening. They had  produced a piece with individuals from the Creative Engagement weekly workshops - the different companies, FUSE groups etc. The members involved hid in the rows of seats with balloons and slowly revealed themselves balloon first. They preceded to perform with the balloon and eventually released the balloons with them all traveling up to the ceiling. There were two performances, one for friends and family and one for the VIPs. Both performances were very well received. 


Afterwards there was a party in the paint room. There was live music, food and a speech from Liam and Tamara:


"Dear Theatr Clwyd, 


Diolch yn fawr. Thank you. 


Thank you for being more than a theatre. 


Thank you for being


  • A cinema

  • an art gallery

  • a maze of corridors

  • a panto graveyard in the basement

  • a space to sing on a Saturday

  • dance on an empty stage

  • and do yoga on a Thursday lunchtime

  • the place where someone said yes 

  • and someone else said I can do it 

  • the home for a thousand after show parties

  • and a thousand first nights

  • a space with acres of carpet for baby massage 

  • the space where my daughter slept in a sling through her first Tennessee Williams’ play

  • and my daughter had her professional theatre debut

  • Where I learned how to fire a pyro in a panto

  • and I met my cricketing hero

  • the space where I took my first steps as an artistic director, fell down, got back up again

  • the space where I took my first steps as an executive director, fell down, got back up again

  • our shared office

  • the place we found our home as a team


And thank you for looking after everyone who came before us

  • For offering such astonishing and ever changing views – of the hills outside your windows 

  • and of the wider world, through the stories you house


Thank you for being unique


And thank you for holding on this long


But while we’ve got you, could we just mention 

  • the two buckets in our office that fail to catch the rain that pours more than drips through the ceiling

  • and the large rain-stained patch on our sofa

  • that tap in the toilets behind the EWT that just won’t stop dripping

  • and the toilets that keep backing up on the ground floor

  • the pipe that starts out as a water pipe and then halfway down the corridor has a sign that says gas

  • the room by the marketing office that’s freezing in winter

  • and that we should have turned into a sauna each summer

  • the light switch that, even to this day, no one knows what it does

  • And the carpets

  • Oh god, the carpets


It’s not that we don’t love you. We love you in spite of 

  • sometimes because of

these flaws. It’s just that we think you might happier 

  • we might all be happier

  • if we could fix them. 


So please bear with us, 

  • it will take a while

  • we’ll need to knock you around a little

  • but we promise to look after you….


Because you deserve it. 


And because you are, and will be, a home for all of us – 

  • for our children

  • and our children’s children

  • and our… [interrupt]


Our home on a hill. 

Our unique and magical building made of stories. 


Our theatre. 


Yours sincerely, 

Me 

And me. 

And all of us here tonight, and many, many more who are unable to join us."


It was a poignant speech and a great send off to a building that means so much to so many people.

So here is farewell Theatre Clwyd....for now!


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