Cardiff Theatrical Services

Cardiff Theatrical Services Scenery Building Cardiff Theatrical Services (CTS) provides a world-class, scenery building, and finishing service for opera and production companies.

Clients include Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera, ATG, Star Events, the Royal Opera House, English National Opera and Opera North. The CTS workshops cover 31,360 sq ft – entire productions requiring metalwork, carpentry, painting, finishing and fitting up can be created and fully built in the workshops, making it cost effective and efficient for outsourced construction. We have a wealth of

experienced staff who we can draw upon to make your project run as smootly as possible. Established in 1984, CTS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Welsh National Opera.

Some great news, CTS have secured the production of some stunning new shows, and working with some of the world's best D...
03/09/2026

Some great news, CTS have secured the production of some stunning new shows, and working with some of the world's best Designers and Production Managers.

We'll soon be able to post images of Cherry Orchard (Sonia Friedman Productions - ), as well as As You Like it (Royal Shakespeare Company ) and Hayfever ( ).

👉 Follow us so you don't miss the shots coming soon.

Check out our full Update for 2026: https://www.cardifftheatricalservices.co.uk/cts-news-update-july-2026/

We're dipping back into April 2024 to remind ourselves of this beautiful production of Macbeth. This epic, immersive pro...
01/09/2026

We're dipping back into April 2024 to remind ourselves of this beautiful production of Macbeth.

This epic, immersive production staring Ralph Fiennes, adapted by Emily Burns, designed by Frankie Bradshaw () and directed by Simon Godwin was hugely successful in its runs in Liverpool, Edinburgh and London.

The audience entrance to the auditorium took them through the battleground and past the beautifully painted and textured tracking Copper Walls made by CTS.

The brief to CTS for this production was to build the main playing area, including faux concrete surfaces spattered with blood during every performance, tiled finishes and a range of scenic elements that helped define the world of the play. We also produced extensive masking flats and bespoke off-stage scenery tailored to each venue.

👉 Here at CTS we support designers and production managers on the journey from initial design through the making process to full realisation on stage.



Frankie Bradshaw's web page: www.frankiebradshawdesign.com

A world of gods, judgement and absolute power calls for a suitably imposing backdrop.For Death Note: The Musical at the ...
27/08/2026

A world of gods, judgement and absolute power calls for a suitably imposing backdrop.

For Death Note: The Musical at the Barbican, our workshops helped realise Jon Bausor’s striking brutalist set, creating monumental concrete surfaces that form the stark architectural world of the production.

Our scenic artists developed layers of texture, shuttering marks, staining and subtle tonal variation to transform the scenery into something that feels genuinely cast, weathered and unforgiving. Across the large-scale floor and architectural elements, the challenge was to make an essentially monochrome world feel rich, detailed and alive under stage lighting.

It was a fantastic project to work on, combining scale, texture and some satisfyingly serious scenic ageing.

Death Note: The Musical is now playing at the Barbican.

25/08/2026

We recently created a beautifully designed (by the ever-fantastic ) spiral staircase for the wonderful production of Atonement at the Chichester Festival.

Here's a sneak peak at the model we were supplied with. 👀

👉 Follow us so you don't miss the full video showing the build coming up soon.

We are super proud of the work completed in the first half of the year, and it's been a great one for CTS. Check out jus...
20/08/2026

We are super proud of the work completed in the first half of the year, and it's been a great one for CTS. Check out just a selection of the work we've created and what we have coming up on our blog at: https://www.cardifftheatricalservices.co.uk/cts-news-update-july-2026/

We've compeleted: PRIDE, Our Town, Atonement, Dracula, Sinatra, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and Death Note amongst other work.

Soon we'll be creating Cherry Orchard, As You Like It, Hayfever, Hollow, Owain & Henry and more.

👉 Be sure to follow our social media channels to see behind the scenes peeks, and lots more.

It was a real pleasure for CTS Managing Director to attend the Press Night of Death Note at The Barbican on 11th August,...
14/08/2026

It was a real pleasure for CTS Managing Director to attend the Press Night of Death Note at The Barbican on 11th August, with his daughter Georgia.

The stage adaptation of the manga classic series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata is absolutely outstanding in every production element, and brilliantly performed by the entire company!

CTS are very proud to have built the set for this epic production, designed by the fantastic Jon Bausor and directed by Stephen Whitson, with video by Akhila Krishnan and LX by Jen Schriever.

Huge congratulations to PM Martyn Sands, Technical Director Jason Culverwell, and everyone involved, both cast and crew, for creating this brilliant production.

Do everything you can to see this brilliant show! Stay tuned for some production shots.

Production images courtesy of Death Note.

A quick post here showing two shots from the process of painting the floor for Pride and the finetuning that goes on to ...
11/08/2026

A quick post here showing two shots from the process of painting the floor for Pride and the finetuning that goes on to produce the desired affect, along with a fit-up photo showing the set all together.

Pride is a hit new musical based on the uplifting, true story of a group of LGBTQ+ activists who fundraised for striking Welsh miners in 1984. The production is running at the Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre in London until September 12, 2026.

In these behind the scene images we see something often forgotten about by the audience. It's the mech that makes things...
06/08/2026

In these behind the scene images we see something often forgotten about by the audience. It's the mech that makes things work.

These pictures are from the refurbishment of the Sinatra set and the mechanical parts are also having an overall to endure they perform night after night without a hitch.

The workshop is where every production begins, but it's during the fit-up that the vision truly comes to life.After week...
04/08/2026

The workshop is where every production begins, but it's during the fit-up that the vision truly comes to life.

After weeks of construction, painting and preparation, seeing each piece lifted into place and the set take shape in its intended home is always a highlight. It's also where the team adapts to the inevitable surprises that come with every production, making adjustments and fine-tuning details until everything is exactly where it needs to be.

Here are a few behind-the-scenes moments from the fit-up of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's a part of the process audiences rarely get to see, but one that plays a huge role in bringing a production to life.

Follow us for more of these behind-the-production shots that offer a sneak-peek into this fascinating industry.

30/07/2026

Ian McEwan's Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, Atonement, has been adapted into a stage play by Oscar-winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by Adam Penford, the world premiere sweeping production features a cast including Miriam Petche, Jasper Talbot, and Isabella Dempster.

This short video shows the floor panels being laid out to ensure final fit and the layers of scenic art that went in to create the Tiger Wood effect. You'll also notice two other shows being built at the same time in our workshop, Sinatra (refurbishment) and Dracula (two identical sets built at one time).

Another day at CTS...

Address

Cardiff
CF104TT

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+442920634680

Website

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