Obituary: Owain Griffiths

The Costa del Sol’s entertainment and theatre-going sector was saddened by the news of the death of Owain Griffiths, the executive board member at the Salón Varietés Theatre in Fuengirola who died in the early hours of Monday morning.

Many shocked theatre fans and people who knew and had worked with Griffiths took to social media yesterday with condolence messages, and tributes claiming he was the heart and soul of the theatre and someone who “will be so greatly missed by all who knew him”.

Born in Llanberis, northwest Wales, in 1964, he held an honours bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Education, as well as a degree in British and European Law. His academic qualifications led to a teaching position at the British College in Benalmádena, where he worked for 16 years.

He began acting in the theatre in Fuengirola in 2008, and in 2020, he took over as head of productions, overseeing the creative, operational and promotional aspects of the productions, while also controlling budgets. It was during his early days at the theatre that he met his wife Sarah, whom he married in 2022.

His many productions at the theatre included musicals, drama and pantomime, and his latest production (Oliver!) is part of the theatre’s current autumn programme.

A spokesperson for the theatre said, “The final productions are going ahead, as planned. He was thrilled to learn of the overwhelming success of the show and he absolutely wanted it to go forward, as does his family. He loved the theatre like a home.”