It’s that time of year again! With Christmas nearing and 2021 drawing to a close, we take a look back at some of the best art and cultural offerings to come out of Wales this year. Today, we’re reflecting on the best Welsh theatre of 2021.
This year has seen many successful shows and plays delivered across the country — the people of Wales have been entertained not only by digital productions and a return to live theatre but also by unique open air performances. With a mix of original shows and new renditions of classics, this year’s theatre output has not disappointed. Despite some difficulty, we at Wales Arts Review have selected our top ten Welsh theatre productions of 2021; read on for the full list.
Our number one will be announced later in December.
Terroir (Sherman Theatre and RWCMD | Digital)
FOW (Deaf & Fabulous Productions and Taking Flight Theatre Company | Digital)
Richard III (Everyman Theatre | Open Air)
Where to Belong (Victor Esses | Live)
For the Grace of You Go I (Theatr Clwyd | Digital)
The Book of Mormon (Wales Millennium Centre | Live)
The Boy With Two Hearts (Wales Millennium Centre | Live)
Kill Me Now (Dirty Protest Theatre | Digital)
Anfamol (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Sherman Theatre | Live)
Not Sorry (Taking Flight Theatre and Artes Mundi | Performance Film)
Previous winners include:
2020: The Beauty Parade (Kaite O’Reilly, Wales Millennium Centre)
2018: All But Gone (The Other Room)
2017: The Revlon Girl (Pontardawe Arts Centre)
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Wales Arts Review works to bring our readers the best critical writing from Wales, and the best critical writing about Wales. It is a place where passionate and informed arts critics, from Wales and beyond, can find expression. Our writers are neither drum-beaters nor axe-grinders but simply knowledgeable and dedicated people who care deeply about culture and society.
Founded in March 2012, Wales Arts Review is a media platform where a new generation of critics and arts lovers can meet to engage in a robust and inclusive discussion about books, theatre, film, music, the visual arts, politics, and the media.
Wales Arts Review commissions and publishes content in the English language, yet it proudly acknowledges that Wales is a bilingual nation with a richly diverse bilingual culture. We therefore do not restrict our focus to arts and literature delivered only in the medium of English. We have published reviews and articles examining works by Welsh language artists and companies; from the work of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru to TV hit crime-thriller Y Gwyll. We have also covered the National Eisteddfod and were proud to announce that the winner of our 2014 ‘Greatest Welsh Novel’ prize was Caradog Prichard’s Un Nos Ola Leaud. Wales Arts Review looks forward to working with partner organisations on future projects that critically evaluate and celebrate all the languages of Wales.
We believe that a vibrant arts scene is the expression of a confident, healthy and creative society. We further assert that a flourishing and vigorous critical culture is vital to its sustenance and development. As such, we regard Wales Arts Review as an important building-block in the new outward-looking, forward-thinking Wales.
