2022 brought us firmly back together and saw the first waves of change which we can’t wait to enjoy with you next year. We showcased so much and welcomed such a variety of crowd-pleasing touring productions that there’s almost too much to mention… but let’s look back at some of our proudest moments from this past year.

JANUARY – FEBRUARY

We continued to connect with you from afar as January saw the building close once again but in February we happily reopened our doors and launched a new free youth theatre programme, giving 14–17 year olds the opportunity to learn exciting theatre and performance skills in a friendly, inclusive space.

MARCH

Welsh National Opera returned with a powerful production Jenůfa, and we celebrated St. David’s Day with a full day of events on our Glanfa stage including Pelenna Valley Male Voice Choir and Cwmdare Voices, the Oasis One World Choir and year 5 of St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Cardiff. We even livestreamed the event so that everyone could take part.

APRIL

Luke Hereford burst out of his Grandmother’s Closet and filled the Weston Studio with iconic pop music, laughs and a lot of heart as his autobiographical musical adventure took on Broadway, his very first Pride event and finding the perfect shade of lipstick. Don’t miss out when it returns next year in our new Cabaret venue.

April saw the return of Life Hack at The Factory in Porth with Valleys Kids. It was hosted by Luke McGrath from our Together Stronger programme and Tia Camilleri from our Youth Collective and Design Group.

MAY

The sparks of transformation appeared as we launched our Making Spaces project. We aren’t just a place to watch incredible performances and art, we’re also a creative learning hub. Collaborating with young people and communities, we began to establish new spaces in the building that will host free and inclusive workshops.

JUNE

Summer saw the Hijinx festival visit and fill the building with a programme of live music, theatre, dance and post-show events. A joyous celebration, it’s one of Europe’s largest inclusive arts festivals and the only one of its kind in Wales.

We also honoured and reflected on the Windrush generation with the Race Council Cymru's Windrush Exhibition 'Our Voices, Our Stories, Our History'.

JULY

Our first ever Welsh language musical Anthem raised the Weston Studio roof. It was a raucous Wales Millennium Centre original production set behind-the-scenes and on stage during Wales’s biggest (fictional) singing television contest.

AUGUST

The Butetown Carnival returned with a burst of culture and pride. The Bay saw thousands enjoy the famous parade as well as live music stages, showcasing the best multicultural arts experiences, and our spaces were the perfect setting for community activities, talks and memorable closing night performances.

And Luke Hereford’s closet could not be contained, as it travelled to Edinburgh to mesmerise audiences at the Fringe festival.

SEPTEMBER

The next stage of our refurbishment was revealed as we enhance the building to become an even greater space for everyone, and there’s plenty more to come in 2023. Our brand-new dedicated space for immersive experiences and extended reality (XR) Bocs launched just as August closed and September saw its first full month of free experiences for visitors. The first was Ripples of Kindness, which accompanied the return of our original production The Boy with Two Hearts.

OCTOBER

The Boy with Two Hearts is a story of hope from Afghanistan to Wales, and the production itself became a phenomenon from Cardiff to London as it transferred to the National Theatre in the English capital where it received incredible reviews.

Back in Cardiff our annual Festival of Voice regenerated into Llais. Our international arts festival, which includes a mixture of free and ticketed events, presented a programme of adventurous live music, playful experiences and thought-provoking performances including John Cale, D Double E and Abdullah Ibrahim and a Cardiff City of Sound exhibition.

NOVEMBER

We produced our first ever grime-theatre mash-up The Making of a Monster, the autobiographical story of the Children’s Laureate of Wales Connor Allen’s complicated childhood and search for identity and belonging. Inspired by grime music, the five-star show merged spoken word and poetry with movement, live music and rap battles.

November also included our annual sleepover event for youth groups and community organisations Dros Nos, which took place right under our roof.

DECEMBER

We didn’t slow down, even in the final month of the year, as December brought the first Radio Platfform Porth graduation ceremony and party and the launch of our Cabaret season.

Still taking place is the winter celebration exhibition Azadi, by artist Naz Syed of Ziba Creative, celebrating community and Persian culture and heritage through beautiful pom-poms. Plus, we have our Christmas cabaret show The Lion, the B!tch and the Wardrobe – a hilarious cacophony of drag, aerial performances, burlesque and more which is wowing sell-out audiences every night.

Phew. What a year… and that’s not even everything we packed in. We’re very proud of all that we achieved after a difficult time and of the artists and creatives who brought so much magic to our spaces. We can’t wait for what 2023 has in store… with our next evolution, it’s going to be spectacular.