Watch: The Corn is Green chorus line give backstage rendition of Calon Lân

The cast of the National Theatre’s production of The Corn is Green have announced the play’s arrival on streaming with a rendition of Calon Lân. 

Originally written by Emlyn Williams in 1938, The Corn is Green follows Lilly Moffat as she teaches miners in rural north Wales to read and write. 

The National Theatre production ran at Lyttelton Theatre from 12 April to 11 June 2022, and has been added to the National Theatre at Home streaming service. 

Praise

To mark the moment, on 6 September 2025 the National Theatre shared a snippet of the chorus line singing Calon Lân backstage. 

 

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The video quickly amassed 6,000 likes, with comments of “Hyfryd”,  “Bendigedig”, “Ardderchog” and “The Welsh language was made for song”. 

The show’s musical arrangements came courtesy of Will Stuart and received high praise. The Guardian review of the production noted that the Miners Choir’s “presence seems orchestrated to tug at our emotions”. 

Magic

Alice Saville for Time Out wrote: “There’s always something spine-tinglingly magical about a Welsh male voice choir singing straight out to the audience. And Dominic Cooke’s revival of Emlyn Williams’s ‘The Corn is Green’ exploits that magic to the max.” 

Nicola Walker, who took on the role of Lilly Moffat also received a Best Actress nomination at the 2023 Olivier Awards for her rendition. 

To stream The Corn is Green, visit the National Theatre at Home site here. Subscriptions are available from £9.99 a month or you can purchase individual titles.