Christian Patterson

"I suppose my first memory of actually seeing the Grand Theatre wasn't to do with coming to see a musical or play but as a big building next to the bus depot and I think it's fair to say that I was more interested in the buses than I was the theatre. The first time I saw a show at the Swansea Grand was to see a pantomime. I remember it like it was yesterday. I must have been about 5 years old and it was a typical showery Swansea day. I had tight grip of my Nanna's hand as she went to the box office and asked for "2 tickets in the Gods for the pantomime". In those days you had to go back outside the building to get to the stone steps that led up to the top of the theatre...it was quite a climb and my Nan stopped many times before we eventually took our seats...well, I say 'seats'...they were actually thin wooden benches. I will never forget seeing that pantomime! It was bright and colourful and hilarious and quite literally life changing for me because I didn't know that theatres even existed let alone what happened inside them! A few weeks later I started Ballroom and Latin dance lessons and I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be a performer and I couldn't wait until I was on that Grand Theatre stage. I've had the pleasure, and it is a pleasure, of performing at the Grand many times and I even met my wife there. The Grand feels as much a part of me as my bones do".

Christian Patterson born in Swansea, trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama and graduated with a 1st Class Honours Degree. As well as being a TV and film actor, he has worked with many of the major theatre companies in the UK including the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre, Theatr Clwyd, The Donmar Warehouse and The National Theatre of Wales to name but a few. He was appointed Associate Artist of Theatr Clwyd by Terry Hands in 2003 and still remains an Associate Artist under Tamara Harvey.

As well as working as an actor, Christian is an award winning writer. Writer for Theatr Clwyd, Bristol Hippodrome, The Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury, The Regent Theatre in Stoke and Venue Cymru in Llandudno.

He has directed hugely successful Pantomimes for the Ambassador Theatre Group, First Family Entertainment, Qdos and Crossroads Live and in 2019 he directed the world premiere of Jacqueline Wilson's 'Wave Me Goodbye' for Theatr Clwyd. "I am incredibly proud to be an integral part of Grand Ambition's Creative Collective and I look forward to producing, creating and curating world class theatre by the people of Swansea, about the people of Swansea, for the people of Swansea".