Departures of note

Alan Vaughan Williams was a Welsh theatre director and playwright who became one of the most influential figures in Welsh theatre. Born in Colwyn Bay in 1930, he studied philosophy at Aberystwyth University before beginning his theatre career in the late 1950s at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, where he worked in acting and stage management. He moved to the Bristol Old Vic in 1960 and began directing in earnest at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln in 1962. In 1965 he became director of the Northampton repertory company, and in 1969 he was appointed artistic director of the newly renovated Greenwich Theatre, later directing productions across the country including in Birmingham, Edinburgh and at the Liverpool Playhouse. He moved to Cardiff in 1976, where he devoted himself to Welsh theatre and youth theatre, and co-founded Theatre Wales alongside actors including Philip Madoc and Ray Davies, with the company based at the Sherman. Williams was especially passionate about nurturing young talent, working with performers who went on to become household names, including Michael Sheen, Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones. Alongside his directing work he wrote pantomimes, poetry and short stories, some of which appeared on radio and won competitions, and he was also an artist. He died peacefully in 2026 at the age of 96.