News: Live Theatre, Newcastle announces new board members and chair

Live Theatre, Newcastle announces new board members and chair

Live Theatre, Newcastle has appointed a new chair of its board of trustees and six new trustees with experience drawn from the commercial and creative sectors, to strengthen its board.

Lucy Winskell OBE DL, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Employment and Partnerships at Northumbria University who has been a trustee of Live Theatre for almost 9 years becomes Chair, taking over from Paul Callaghan, Chairman of the Leighton Group and Trustee of Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust who steps down as Chair of the Board after almost 9 years, but remains on the board.

Lucy Winskell OBE DL, the new chair of Live Theatre’s board said:  “We owe Paul a huge debt of gratitude for his outstanding leadership guiding Live Theatre through its ambitious capital redevelopments and artistic successes, and for his support and inspiration to the whole team. I am delighted to be taking over from Paul as chair of Live Theatre, an innovative and exciting place which challenges the way I think with every production it creates.”

New Trustees with extensive theatre and arts experience joining the board include award-winning playwright Ishy Din, whose play Approaching Empty comes to Live Theatre in February after premiering at Kiln Theatre, London; Robin Cantrill-Fenwick, former Deputy Executive Director of the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, and Brenna Hobson, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Producer at National Theatre of Scotland. Live Theatre and NTS have been forging a successful cross border co-producing partnership which started with Lee Hall’s Olivier Award-winning hit play Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, and will continue with John McGrath’s classic Scottish play The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black, Black Oil in Summer 2019, with Live Theatre being the only English date on the new production’s tour.  

Joining the board of trustees from the commercial sector are Lucy Robson, a qualified accountant and audit partner at a mid-tier professional services firm with extensive experience advising and auditing business, charity and education sector clients, Paul Shevlin, an Employment Rights lawyer and Partner at Thompsons’ Solicitors based in their Newcastle and Leeds Office, and Ross Elgie, Chief Financial Officer at Kilfrost.

Jim Beirne, Chief Executive, Live Theatre said “Live Theatre wants to thank Paul Callaghan for time as Chair of the Board of Trustees, and for his support and generosity for the organisation. We are delighted to welcome Lucy Winskell as the new Chair of Live Theatre’s trustees. Lucy brings extensive experience in the education and cultural sectors. We are also delighted to welcome the six new trustees who bring a wealth of experience from a wide range of sectors.”

The new Trustees were co-opted in December 2018 and will start in the new year joining existing Trustees Sue Emmas, Associate Artistic Director Young Vic Theatre; Professor Peter Fidler CBE, Retired Vice Chancellor, University of Sunderland; Cllr Mick Henry, CBE, Retired Leader Gateshead Council; Arts Council England North Area Council member; Rhys McKinnell, Store Director Newcastle, Fenwick Ltd; Michelle Percy, Assistant Director, Corporate Development, Newcastle City Council; Susan Wear, Former Director of Corporate Affairs at Port of Tyne; Sue Wilson, CBE (Lady Gibson), Chair, Emmaus Gateshead and Jim Beirne MBE D.Litt. FRSA Chief Executive, Live Theatre.

Live Theatre is dedicated to developing and producing new plays, by discovering, nurturing and championing new talent. It is the only English new writing theatre outside London to do this.

For almost 50 years, Live Theatre has been creating compelling, award winning plays that speak to the people of the North East, with universal truths that appeal to a broad, national and international audience. Located on Newcastle upon Tyne’s Quayside, Live Theatre is based in a carefully restored complex of five Grade II listed buildings, combining state-of-the-art facilities in a unique historical setting with a flexible and welcoming theatre space, studio, rehearsal room and writers’ rooms.  Live Theatre draws on a broad portfolio of income streams and is recognised as a national leader in developing new strategies for increasing income and assets to support its work.

For more information see www.live.org.uk

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