A MOVING portrait of a Welsh rugby great has earned the Torch Theatre four nominations at the annual Wales Theatre Awards.

The company’s production of Grav, about the life of Welsh rugby legend Ray Gravell, has been shortlisted for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writer and the coveted Best English Language Production Award.

Peter Doran, artistic director of the Torch Theatre, said: “To be nominated for so many awards caps what has been a wonderful year for the Torch.

"We have had some notable successes over the year with Oh Hello in Edinburgh and Brief Encounter here at the Torch; we also broke our box office records for pantomime with Jack and the Beanstalk but the Grav journey has been very special and is showing no signs of ending."

Actor Gareth Bale, who takes on the title role, said the last year had been a "whirlwind".

"It's quite surreal to think that it was just a year ago I was walking miles and running lines before even starting rehearsals," he said.

"We have had a Welsh tour, sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, performed a very emotional show in Grav's home village of Mynydd-y-Garreg and been invited to perform internationally since then.

"It was always meant to be a tribute to a true Welsh great and the audience reaction is the most pleasing aspect for me - the laughter and the tears that the play generates.”

Owen Thomas, nominated for Best Writer, said he had always wanted to challenge himself with a one-man show.

"I had always been aware of Ray Gravell as a cultural figure and sporting legend, but deeper research into who he was and the scale of what he achieved in his life convinced me that this was a story I had to write," he said.

The play has received full support from Ray Gravell’s wife and two daughters who will also be attending the Awards Ceremony in Cardiff on 30 January.

Grav is also up for an Audience Award, and Torch visitors can vote for the play by emailing walestheatreawards@gmail.com and putting ‘Grav’ in the subject line.

Grav will tour Wales once more in February and March, opening at the Torch Theatre on Tuesday, February 9, before travelling to 18 venues around the country.