New Theatre, Cardiff
New Theatre, Cardiff (Welsh: Theatr Newydd) is a major theatre in Cardiff city centre on Park Place. It seats 1,144 people and hosts touring musicals, plays, comedy and children’s shows, plus an annual Christmas pantomime. The building is Grade II listed and has been part of Cardiff since it opened on 10 December 1906.
Architecture and early history
- Designers: Ernest Runtz and Ford; built with brick and Bath Stone.
- The first public performances included Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
- The stage was one of the largest in the country at that time.
- The theatre’s first film, The Birth of a Nation, screened in 1917 with an orchestra.
- In the late 1920s, the BBC used the theatre for live radio broadcasts.
- From 1931 it was adapted for cinema for several years, then returned to live shows in 1935.
Notable moments and people
- Many famous performers have appeared here, including Sarah Bernhardt, Anna Pavlova, Laurel and Hardy, Tom Jones, Tommy Cooper and Shirley Bassey.
- Harold Pinter’s play The Homecoming had its world premiere at the New Theatre in 1965.
- Welsh National Opera used the theatre as its home from 1954 before moving to the Wales Millennium Centre.
- The theatre faced demolition threats in the 1960s, but reopened in 1963 after a temporary closure. Cardiff Council bought it in 1969.
Later changes and refurbishment
- A new stage was installed in 1976; major refurbishments followed in 1988–89.
- A Gwyn Thomas bust, unveiled by Anthony Hopkins, appeared in the foyer in 1993.
- The exterior was refreshed in 2006, and in 2012 the seating was updated and accessibility improved.
Recent ownership and reopening
- The theatre became a Grade II listed building in 1975.
- In 2020, Cardiff Council leased the venue for 25 years to HQ Theatres (now part of Trafalgar Entertainment); staff transferred to the new operator.
- After the Covid-19 closure, the New Theatre reopened in September 2021 with Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The 2021–22 season included musicals, drama, concerts and comedy, ending early for the Aladdin pantomime due to a later lockdown.
- The venue is now managed by Trafalgar Entertainment.
Website: www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:00 (CET).