Michael Sheen’s Our Town wins Best Revival at UK Theatre Awards

Amelia Jones

A Welsh National Theatre production of Our Town, starring Michael Sheen, has won Best Revival at the UK Theatre Awards 2026.

The production was the inaugural show from Welsh National Theatre, created in partnership with Rose Theatre, and offered a fresh interpretation of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play through a Welsh lens.

First performed in 1938, Our Town is one of the most celebrated works in American theatre. The play follows ordinary people through everyday life, love, marriage and loss, exploring the importance of appreciating life’s seemingly small moments.

The Welsh National Theatre production retained Wilder’s lyrical writing while presenting the story with a distinctive Welsh perspective. Its approach has brought a new interpretation to the classic, with Sheen’s Stage Manager guiding audiences through the experiences and relationships that shape the community.

The Best Revival award recognises the work of the cast and creative team in bringing the play back to the stage.

Directed by Swansea-born Francesca Goodridge, the revival opened in Swansea on January 16 and featured an all-Welsh cast led by Sheen as the Stage Manager, the narrator who guides audiences through the lives of residents in the fictional American town of Grover’s Corners.

The production team celebrated the win, congratulating everyone involved in bringing the show to the stage and thanking the UK Theatre Awards, sponsored by Encore.

Sheen was joined by an ensemble cast including Rithvik Andugula as milkman Howie Newsome, Peter Devlin as George Gibbs and Yasemin Özdemir as Emily Webb. Aisha-May Hunte plays Wally Webb, Rebecca Killick appears as Rebecca Gibbs and Rhodri Meilir takes on the role of Mr Webb.

The creative team also included Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies as creative associate and Pádraig Cusack as executive producer.

The win marks a major accolade for Welsh National Theatre’s first production and adds to the recognition for a show that brings together Welsh talent in a new interpretation of a much-loved theatrical classic.

You can watch a recording on the play here. 

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.