Miners’ legacy lives on as historic theatre turns 100

Mark Mansfield

A theatre built with money raised by miners and later saved from demolition by the local community is celebrating its centenary.

The Stiwt Theatre in Rhosllannerchrugog, near Wrexham, opened in September 1926 and has its roots in the area’s mining and working-class heritage.

Its name derives from Miners’ Institute – Plas Mwynwyr – and the building was funded by the Miners’ Welfare Organisation, which levied a penny on every ton of coal extracted.

Local miners, despite earning modest wages themselves, also contributed two pence a week towards its construction between 1924 and 1926.

The Stiwt became a social, educational and cultural centre for the community as well as a venue for performances.

But its future was thrown into doubt after it closed in 1977 and subsequently fell into disrepair.

Faced with the threat of demolition, local people launched a campaign to save the building and raised money towards its restoration.

The Stiwt eventually reopened in September 1996 and is now Grade II listed, hosting theatre, comedy, music and other community and cultural activities.

Its 100th anniversary will be marked this month with a new bilingual production bringing together well-known Welsh actors, local performers and community groups.

In A Hundred Years / Ymhen Can Mlynedd has been written and produced by BAFTA Cymru-winning producer Bethan Jones and is being directed by Theatr Clwyd’s Daniel Lloyd.

The production, which will be staged on September 25 and 26, features Mark Lewis Jones, Stifyn Parri, Llŷr Williams, Caitlin Drake, Catrin Mai Edwards, Daniel Lloyd, Dylan Davies and Dyfed Thomas.

They will be joined by groups including Rhos Male Voice Choir, Cantorion Rhos, Theatr Ifanc and Lleisiau Lannerch.

Rhos-born producer and actor Stifyn Parri said: “Rhos has never exactly been short on talent, character or humour, so this was never going to be a quiet birthday party.

“What makes this production so special is that it brings familiar names, local performers and the community together on the same stage. That feels very true to the Stiwt.”

Campaign

Ms Jones has a personal connection to the theatre’s survival, with her mother Nancy having been involved in the Save the Stiwt campaign.

She said: “There is a well-known saying: ‘Rhos is a people not a place’ and the Stiwt has been at the heart of the community supporting education, arts, culture and language for a century.

“We wanted to tell the Stiwt’s story through the people who filled it with life and those who have ensured its survival; to acknowledge the past, celebrate the present and look forward to the future.”

Director Daniel Lloyd, who was born and raised in Rhos, said the production would celebrate the building as a continuing part of community life rather than simply looking back at its history.

He said: “This isn’t about treating history as something distant. The Stiwt is still a living, working, much-loved place, and the production looks back with pride and affection.

“But it also has the energy of a building that isn’t finished yet. I grew up watching what this place meant to people here, and that’s stayed with me ever since.”

UK City of Culture

The anniversary comes as Wrexham campaigns to become the first Welsh winner of the UK City of Culture title in 2029.

Morgan Thomas, bid coordinator for Wrecsam2029, said: “I stood on that stage as a teenager, and I still remember what that felt like. The Stiwt gives people a place to find their voice, and that’s what our bid celebrates.

“If Wrexham becomes City of Culture, it’ll be because of places like the Stiwt, and the people who have shown up for it, generation after generation.”

In A Hundred Years / Ymhen Can Mlynedd will be performed at the Stiwt at 7.30pm on September 25 and 26.

Tickets can be booked online, by phone, or in person at the box office.

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