Owain & Henry

It’s 1400. The washed-up lord of a tiny spit of land in north Wales is declared outlaw by King Henry IV. But rather than surrendering to his fate, Owain Glyndŵr rises in rebellion.

Five years later, Owain is leader of a grand alliance of Welsh, English and French troops. He invades England and meets the army of Henry IV outside Worcester. The rebels have the bigger army, and the higher ground.

If the rebels win, it will be not just the end of Henry IV.

It will be freedom for Wales – and the end of England.

Owain & Henry is the epic new play by acclaimed playwright Gary Owen (Iphigenia in Splott), his blank verse breathing life into the 15th century rebellion against the English crown by the outlaw Owain Glyndŵr.

A Welsh National Theatre co-production with Wales Millennium Centre, Owain & Henry will be staged in the Donald Gordon Theatre - the second largest stage in Europe - in November 2026. Tickets will go on sale on 4 August 2025 for WMC Members and 8 August 2025 to the general public.

Michael Sheen said: “Owain & Henry is one of the origin stories of our nation, as relevant in today’s complex world as it was when Glyndŵr declared Wales an independent nation six hundred years ago. Gary Owen’s play is one of the most ambitious Welsh plays I’ve read; and is the biggest and boldest of Gary’s career. That’s the creative benchmark and ambition we want to set with Welsh National Theatre.

“Playing the iconic Welsh prince on one of Europe’s biggest stages in our capital city will, I hope, be a defining moment for us as a people, and a culture. This is what Welsh National Theatre is all about.”