The Wales Millennium Centre

The Millennium Centre on its opening night

The Wales Millennium Centre (Welsh: Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is a £106 million performing arts complex located on the Cardiff Bay waterfront. Opened in November 2004 with a weekend of celebrations, it hosts performances of opera, ballet, dance and musicals. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x864, 363 KB) The Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x864, 363 KB) The Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB) Summary Taken in 2004 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB) Summary Taken in 2004 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... The performing arts include theater, motion pictures, drama, comedy, music, dance, opera, magic and the marching arts, such as brass bands, etc. ... Cardiff Bay is the regeneration area created by the Cardiff Barrage which impounded two rivers to form a new freshwater lake around the former dockland area south of the city centre of Cardiff in south Wales. ... November 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: November 2004 in sports November 2004 in science Events Deaths in November • 30 Pierre Berton • 29 John Drew Barrymore • 26 Bill Alley • 24 Arthur Hailey • 23 Rafael Eitan • 18 Bobby Frank Cherry • 16 John... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. ... The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ...

History

The Centre is the successor to a previous project for the site, the Cardiff Bay Opera House. This was a plan, supported by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, to construct a permanent home for the world-famous Welsh National Opera. A design competition attracted international entries and was eventually won by Iraq-born architect Zaha Hadid. Her design was a radical glass structure that surrounded the main theatre. However, the project failed to win financial support from the Millennium Commission, the body which distributed funds from the UK National Lottery. Cardiff Bay Opera House, ill-fated project to build a worthy home for the renowned Welsh National Opera. ... The Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru or Wales Millenium Centre, a new performing arts centre which opended in 2004, is the home of the Welsh National Opera (WNO), a touring operatic company founded in Cardiff in 1943. ... Zaha Hadid (Arabic: زها حديد) (born October 31, 1950) is a notable British deconstructivist architect. ... The Millennium Commission logo The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. ... A play here! sign outside a newsagent, incorporating the National Lotterys logo of a stylised hand with crossed fingers. ...

Many claim that the original funding bid failed because of the widespread unpopularity of the Millennium Commission support for the Royal Opera House in London, which was seen as elitist. In fact, opera in Wales has a broad popular appeal. There were also concerns that the development was financially unsustainable. Others say that the project was destroyed by conservatism and provincialism in relation to the modern architecture, and by Cardiff Council's support for the Millennium Stadium. The Millennium Commission logo The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... This article is about the British city. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... This article is about the city in Wales. ... Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm) in Cardiff is the national stadium of Wales, used primarily for rugby union and football. ...

After this, a new project was conceived that included more than opera and was felt to be a better reflection of Welsh culture. The change of name symbolised this, but the project still had to overcome many hurdles. Funding from the Welsh Assembly and Millennium Commission took years to obtain. Cardiff Council had to buy the land after the previous owners threatened to built a retail centre there due to the delays. Nevertheless, in 2002, building work on the long-awaited project finally began. Further boosts were given by large donations from South African businessman Donald Gordon and the international bank, HSBC. The National Assembly for Wales (or NAW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in 1998, following a 1997 referendum in which a small majority of voters (but not the electorate) voted in favour of the Labour Governments plans for devolution. ... The Millennium Commission logo The Millennium Commission in the United Kingdom was set up to aid communities at the end of the 2nd millennium and the start of the 3rd millennium. ... This article is about the city in Wales. ... For other uses, see HSBC (disambiguation). ...

Design and resident groups

The centre was designed by Jonathan Adams, of local architects, Percy Thomas Partnership. The structure is dominated by a huge dome, clad in steel which has been treated with copper oxide to give it a bronze colour which shines in sunlight. This is designed to look even better with age. Inscribed into the front of this dome, above the main entrance, are two poetic lines, written by Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. The Welsh version is Creu Gwir fel gwydr o ffwrnais awen, which means "Creating truth like glass from a furnace of inspiration". The English is "In these stones, horizons sing". The letters are formed by windows into the centre's bar and at night are illuminated. Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

Around the main dome, the rest of the structure is clad in multi-coloured slate from North Wales quarries. Narrow windows are built into the slate to give the impression of rock strata. The rear of the centre is clad in natural wood. All the materials used come from Wales and the centre is designed to reflect the many different parts of Wales. For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ...

Inside, the main Donald Gordon theatre is dominated by wood of different colours and by chunky, irregular terracotta-like walls. The theatre holds 1,900 spectators and is one of the largest theatres in Europe. There are also other, smaller theatres and rooms for plays and practice.

The centre also has a 150-bed dormitory run by Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh League of Youth. It is anticipated that, in any given year, up to 10,000 schoolchildren and young people from across Wales will spend a week in the Centre, experiencing the range of cultural activities. The Eisteddfod Yr Urdd is a welsh arts festival similar to that of the national eisteddfod, but for people between the ages of 5-24. ...

The centre is also the home of the Touch Trust, a pioneering charity which provides multi-sensory therapy for people with profound disablilities. In addition to a therapy room, the Trust has also been acting in partnership with a number of the resident groups of the WMC to provide inclusive participation in some of the productions.

Reaction

During the opening weekend, thousands of people turned out for a spectacular fireworks display and open-air concert. An open day attracted long-queues from people interested in the centre. However, the Centre has its detractors. On the day before its opening the BBC reported that, while some locals from the Butetown area of Cardiff are supportive, others think that is too expensive and irrelevant to their needs. Criticism also comes from those living in the north of Wales, some of whom think that too much public money is spent in Cardiff. This is compounded by very poor North-South road and rail links in the country. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television). ... Butetown is a district of the city of Cardiff, Wales. ... This article is about the city in Wales. ...

The international media also visited the centre and the BBC spent much air-time from the centre. Most architecture critics liked the design, although many claimed it was a too literal interpretation of national identity. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television). ...

In popular culture

The new series of the BBC programme Doctor Who, which began production in 2004, is based in Cardiff. The Millennium Centre has appeared in the show twice to date; as itself from outside in the episode Boom Town, and its lobby appeared as a hospital lobby in the far future in the episode New Earth. Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC about a mysterious time-travelling adventurer known only as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, fighting evil. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Boom Town is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on June 4, 2005. ... New Earth is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

The Dcoctor Who spinoff, Torchwood, will also be set in Cardiff with the title fictional organization's base in neighbouring Roald Dahl Plass; presumably the Millennium Centre will feature in that show as well. ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...

External links

• Official Website of the Wales Millennium Centre
• BBC Wales minisite about the Wales Millennium Centre
• Official Website of the Touch Trust