内容摘要："I was a schoolboy on a motorbike from Surrey," says John of the first time he set eyes on the place.

"I was a schoolboy on a motorbike from Surrey," says John of the first time he set eyes on the place.

Sheen said he was putting "everything behind" the venture, which would have "Welsh theatre makers, Welsh stories and Welsh actors" at the heart of the company.The company is seeking private and public funding, but Sheen said self-financing it initially would allow it to stand "on its own two feet".

"I want it to be something that represents the rich culture that we are and always have been in this country," he said."We want to please ourselves but thrill the world. I want to be able to tell big stories on big stages for big audiences."Sheen said the news National Theatre Wales was likely to fold was "incredibly sad, but not a surprise" and prompted him to take action.

"[I realised] if we don't find a way to reimagine the way forward, it may be a long time - if ever - that we have the opportunity to have a national theatre in Wales again."Sheen's announcement comes a day after the

published a report showing Wales is close to the bottom of Europe when it comes to public spending.

The actor said Welsh National Theatre was open to working with other theatre makers and had already been in touch with Theatr Cymru, formerly Theatr Genedlaethol, about the possibility of collaborating.Ms Russell said trans healthcare would also be explored and "how the community gets though the various political and health challenges".

"I think we exist, at the moment, in a sort of environment which is quite negative for trans people," she continued."We want this to be a bit of a beacon of hope and light to the trans community, showing that the vast majority of trans people just want to get on with their lives..."

She said researchers and allies of the trans community would be attending the conference."Their job is showing that we are normalising trans lives as trans lives have been for the last thousands of years and people are just getting on, living their lives."