WELSH Of The West End will return to Theatr Clwyd next week in a showcase of some of the best Welsh performing talent.

The award-winning Theatr Clwyd is Wales’ biggest producing theatre and was founded in 1976.

In 2021 the theatre was named as The Stage’s ‘Regional Theatre Of The Year’.

The Welsh Of The West End is especially significant for some of its performers, who hail from the region.

Steffan Hughes, from Llandyrnog, Denbighshire, founded the Welsh showcase venture during the first lockdown, and is a member of the Classical Brit Award-winning group Only Men Aloud, and has performed on several of their UK Tours.

He has performed for the likes of HRH Prince William, Shirley Bassey and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and shared the stage with performers including Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson.

Mared Williams is a singer-songwriter and actor from Llannefydd, Conwy.

She released her debut bilingual pop/folk album, ‘Y Drefn’ with I KA Ching Records in August 2020, from which her songs have been tracks of the week both on BBC Radio Cymru and Radio Wales.

Furthermore, Ms Williams also gained the title of International Voice of Musical Theatre back in 2018 at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Sophie Evans hails from Tonypandy in the South Wales Valleys, and came runner up out of 10,000 hopefuls in Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for Dorothy in 2010, resulting in her becoming alternate Dorothy at the London Palladium aged just 17.

She has performed with well-known artists including Alfie Boe, Michael Ball, Paul Potts and Kerry Ellis and has most recently performed as Glinda in Wicked on the West end.

The fourth member is Luke McCall, who made his professional debut in Les Misérables in 2015 after graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

He is the youngest person to ever play the roles of both The Phantom (Phantom of the Opera) and Jean Valjean (Les Misérables) in the West End, also becoming a familiar face on S4C, appearing on shows such as Noson Lawen, Heno, and Llwyfan, as well as performing at the BBC Proms in the Park.

Steffan Hughes said: “I can’t wait to bring Welsh of the West End back to the wonderful Theatr Clwyd in February - and to perform indoors this time around.

“The theatre gave us our first live open-air performance opportunity back in 2020, so it feels like we’re returning home in a way.

“As a venue, they’ve been so supportive of the arts during these recent difficult times and provided so many performers with much needed opportunities.

“The audience won’t need a fold-out chair nor umbrella this time, they can enjoy the comfortable seating of the Anthony Hopkins Theatre, as we bring the very best of the musical theatre repertoire to their doorstep, direct from the West End.”

Welsh of The West End will be performed at Theatr Clwyd from Friday 4 – Saturday 5, February, with tickets available from £26.

Booking is available at Theatr Clwyd’s website www.theatrclwyd.com or by calling 01352 344101.