The new footage provides a preview of Michael portraying the iconic Welsh leader before the world premiere at Wales Millennium Centre this November.
Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Theatre have unveiled a first look at Michael Sheen as Owain Glyndŵr(Image: Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Theatre)
To commemorate Owain Glyndŵr Day, Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Theatre have unveiled a new teaser trailer for Owain & Henry, featuring Michael Sheen as the last native-born Prince of Wales.
The new footage provides a preview of Michael portraying the iconic Welsh leader before the world premiere of Gary Owen’s sweeping new production at Wales Millennium Centre this November.
The Welsh actor will be performing as Owain Glyndŵr from November 5 to 28, 2026 at the theatre in Cardiff Bay. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here
On September 16, 1400, Owain Glyndŵr was declared Prince of Wales by his supporters, launching a 15-year uprising against Henry IV’s English rule. Now, the date is marked annually as Owain Glyndŵr Day.
Last year, to celebrate the occasion they released the initial image and sound of Sheen as Owain, and now fans have been treated to a sneak peak of what to expect from the Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Theatre co-production.
As Glyndŵr is announced as the Prince of Wales, the teaser says: “Acclaimed by blood, acclaimed by deed, acclaimed by allies, acclaimed by enemies, acclaimed by prophecy, acclaimed by the fire of the heavens and the trembling of the earth, and chosen to lead us by God Himself.
“Arise, Owain, Prince of all the Cymry.”
The play written by Gary Owen and co-directed by Michael Sheen and Steffan Donnelly, presents this crucial chapter of Welsh history on stage. Owain & Henry examines the volatile conflict between two men with competing visions of leadership, nationhood and power, as Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion threatens to reshape the future of Britain.
Appearing alongside Michael as the legendary Welsh prince, is distinguished stage and screen performer Linus Roache (Law & Order, Vikings, Richard II) in the title role of King Henry IV.
Rakie Ayola will join them as Mared Ferch Dafydd, a noblewoman and Owain’s wife, and Emily Burnett plays their daughter, Catrin Ferch Owain. Sophie Melville will play mother turned warrior, Lois, while Ned Costello will play Hal, the heir to the English throne.
Speaking to Michael last month, he explained that when picking and auditioning for roles, they have to matter to him and he’s got to feel passionate about the character.
He said: “Well, it’s got to matter. If it matters to me and it moves me, then hopefully there’s a chance that it’ll, you know, be similar for an audience. I think that’s really important. Also, even more so when it’s obviously about us, about our history, about our identity as a nation, because we don’t often get the chance to tell stories at that kind of scale.
On whether he could relate to the character of Owain, Michael said: “He was a lot older than people thought! I mean, that was good for me, because I’m not a young man anymore.
“He’s such a very unlikely rebel really. His life was one of great privilege really… certainly for Welsh nobility at the time. He had quite a life of comfort and ease for a long time. So he was a man who was relatively wealthy, he had a secure family life, and then he has this argument with a neighbour, essentially, and that develops into a sense of great injustice. So he’s a sort of reluctant rebel, really. I can relate to that in some ways.
“I didn’t start my life off trying thinking that I was going to become a sort of, as people call, ‘activist’, but I’ve sort of fallen into it in some ways. So I can relate to that, and I can see that -certainly in our version of the story-he feels the weight of how his actions are going to impact his people, the people of Wales, and taking that responsibility really seriously, and being full of doubt, and very aware of what people project onto him, and what other people want him to be, and whether he feels he’s up to that. So I can relate to a lot of this sort of stuff.”
Owain & Henry runs at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff from November 5 to 28, 2026. You can find more information and buy tickets here.
