PORT TALBOT: First look inside Yr Aelwyd as the new name goes up on the theatre

The name is on the wall. Yr Aelwyd’s lettering has gone up on Port Talbot’s transformed theatre, and new photos show what’s waiting behind it.

Neath Port Talbot Council released the images as its latest progress update, the first look inside since the venue’s new name was revealed in July, with opening due this autumn.

Inside the auditorium, the curved seating tiers are back on show, stripped and reshaped, with green handrails snaking down the aisles towards where the stage will be.

Overhead, the picture has moved on since the last look inside in July. The sweeping timber ceiling now meets a run of jet-black panels, with lighting, speakers and ventilation being threaded through both.

From the balcony, the black ceiling runs out towards the stage end, which is still open to the workings below.

The balcony front has been stripped back to its original timber framework, with cabling and vents woven through the woodwork. The council has said keeping the theatre’s character is part of the design, with timber on the balcony and main walls retained.

Elsewhere the finishing line feels closer. Oak doors are stacked ready to hang, first-floor rooms are plastered, and ceiling grids are going in above the smaller spaces.

Behind the glazing, the extended atrium foyer is taking shape, its brick columns rising through the double-height space where the relocated bar will face out.

Outside, the building’s new face is arriving: gold panels around the entrance, dark standing-seam cladding on the tower, and the full-height glazing looking out over Civic Square. Crews are still at it by scissor lift and telehandler, fixing panels and landing materials on the roof.

The square itself is gaining its granite. New steps and terraced seating blocks are being laid out in front of the theatre, where a small amphitheatre inspired by ancient Greek venues is replacing the old fountain.

The relandscaping runs right up to the doors of the civic centre next door, where fresh paving and planting beds are going in.

The Hearth, ready for autumn

Yr Aelwyd, Welsh for The Hearth and pronounced “ur eye-loyd”, was revealed as the theatre’s new name in July in a video fronted by Twin Town star Di Botcher. Traditionally, yr aelwyd is the heart of the Welsh home, the place to gather and share stories.

The theatre closed as the Princess Royal in August 2025 for a transformation the council now puts at £18m, with Morgan Sindall Construction delivering the scheme.

The 41-year-old building has been stripped back to bare brick and remodelled for accessibility, with accessible seating on the top tier and front rows, an extended atrium foyer, expanded toilets and a new lift for wheelchair users.

Backstage, the theatre has been extended so performers can move between the wings without using stairs, and a lift will carry scenery straight from the car park to the stage.

The project is funded by the UK Government alongside the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, the council says.

When the doors open this autumn, the relocated bar will face the new glass atrium, and the square outside will have its amphitheatre. The council has promised further updates as the finish line approaches.