Alan Vaughan Williams, the influential Welsh theatre director and playwright who helped nurture some of Wales' best-known acting talents, has died aged 96. He passed away peacefully, his family confirmed.
Born in Colwyn Bay in 1930, Williams worked across the UK and Ireland during a long career before becoming a major figure in Welsh theatre. He was involved in the development of young actors and helped establish Theatre Wales.
Career highlights
Williams studied philosophy at Aberystwyth University before beginning his theatre career. In the late 1950s he worked at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, where he was involved in acting and stage management. He went on to work at the Bristol Old Vic from 1960 before beginning his directing career in earnest at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln in 1962.
In 1965 he became director of the Northampton repertory company before being appointed artistic director of the newly renovated Greenwich Theatre in 1969. During his career he directed productions around the country, including in Birmingham, Edinburgh and at Liverpool Playhouse. He moved to Cardiff in 1976, where he continued his work in Welsh theatre and youth theatre.
Champion of Welsh talent
Williams was passionate about the talent Wales had to offer and believed Welsh theatre could be created by Welsh talent, both on stage and behind the scenes. His daughter, Sue Starnes, 68, who lives in East Sussex, said: "He felt very strongly that there was enough talent in Wales for the whole thing, you know, the actors, everyone behind, backstage, everything could be produced in Wales. There was so much talent."
He also founded Theatre Wales alongside actors including Philip Madoc and Ray Davies, with the company based at the Sherman. Williams was particularly passionate about encouraging young actors and worked with many performers who would go on to become household names, including Michael Sheen, Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones.
Personal legacy
Starnes said her father had always been passionate about encouraging people and giving them confidence in their abilities. "I think he was very good at instilling a sense of worth into people that, you know, they could do what they were hoping they could do," she said.
She also remembers her father away from the stage as a man with a "wicked sense of humour". When he was writing pantomimes, he would test his jokes on Sue, her brother and their mother in his study. If they did not laugh, the joke did not make it into the show.
Alongside theatre, Williams wrote poetry and short stories, with his work appearing on radio and winning short-story competitions. He was also an artist, and Starnes said she is now surrounded by his paintings. Williams leaves behind two children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. His wife, Yvonne, died almost three years ago.
For Starnes, her father's legacy is not simply the productions he directed or the theatre companies he established. She said the messages she has received from people he worked with have shown her how much his encouragement meant to those around him. Alan Vaughan Williams will be remembered by many for his contribution to Welsh theatre, but for his family he was also a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who brought humour and creativity to their lives.
