Rose Theatre has announced Our Town, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, starring internationally celebrated actor Michael Sheen as the Stage Manager. This production is a co-production with the newly launched Welsh National Theatre and is directed by Francesca Goodridge, with award-winning screenwriter Russell T Davies as the creative associate.
Our Town will run at the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames from 26 February to 28 March 2026, with a press performance on 4 March 2026. Prior to this, the production will tour Wales, playing at Swansea Grand Theatre from 16 to 31 January 2026, Venue Cymru in Llandudno from 3 to 7 February 2026, and Theatr Clwyd in Mold from 11 to 21 February 2026.
Christopher Haydon, Artistic Director of Rose Theatre, said: “Our Town is a play about the profound importance of the communities we live in. It’s a celebration of those with whom we share our lives – our friends, our family, our neighbours. It is a story of the ties that bind and as such feels especially important in these divisive and divided times. As a theatre rooted in our community, I cannot think of a better play for our stage at the Rose. I am thrilled this production will be led by Michael Sheen – a man whose commitment to his own community shines so brightly. It is an honour to be working with Welsh National Theatre on their inaugural production. Together we will make a show that has a universal resonance – for communities in Wales, Kingston, London and far beyond.”
Michael Sheen, Founder and Artistic Director of Welsh National Theatre and Our Town lead, said: “Our Town is a play about life, love and community. That’s what matters to us in Wales; that’s what matters to me. It’s a play that compels us to celebrate the everyday, to hold the ones we cherish. I can’t think of a better play to welcome audiences around Wales and in London to the Welsh National Theatre, along with our co-production partners The Rose Theatre.”
Francesca Goodridge, director, said: “Our Town is a play that gets under your skin, shakes you into changing your perspective and opens your eyes to the beauty of life. Our Town reminds us of the little things that make life meaningful – it’s a wake-up call for all of us to think more deeply about our lives as we are living them, not after it is too late. Placing Our Town in Wales is a perfect match because at its heart, the play celebrates community and explores the close-knit nature of small-town life that we all recognise as it journeys through life, love and death. I feel privileged to be directing the Welsh National Theatre’s inaugural production alongside the Rose Theatre and I’m thrilled for this retelling of a world-renowned classic to be making the move from Wales to southwest London for the Rose Theatre audiences. Our Town is famously performed with minimal set or props, relying on the audiences’ imagination to create the town; a challenge as a director that I’m incredibly excited for! For me, as the play suggests, the “things” aren’t important – it’s the people and the human connections we make along the way that truly make life worth living.”
Russell T Davies, creative consultant, said: “The joyous thing about this project is to set the play in Wales, but to take it far beyond Wales. There’s a Welsh audience to be found in many cities, but Wilder’s genius is greater than that. He reaches out to all of us – the play’s about community, and friendships, and relationships, and that description makes it an absolutely perfect fit for the Rose. This is exactly what we need in these divisive times.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
