Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) have announced six new appointments as part of their creative renewal journey. John Haidar, Malaika Kegode, Sara Rhodes and Tom Jackson Greaves will join TRP as Associate Directors, and Bee Jarvis and Natasha Pavey will join as Artists for Change.
The Artists for Change programme is a response to Theatre Royal Plymouth’s most pressing and strategic ambitions: inclusivity and the climate emergency. It was created to employ two early-career artists to challenge the organisation’s conventional thinking in these areas, developing creative solutions for TRP and for audiences, and responses that make effective change possible for the organisation and its communities.
The team announced today comes after TRP announced a major reorganisation of their creative and producing team, to be led by a group of artists, instead of one Artistic Director. The focus of the new structure is on placing artists at the heart of the business and decision-making, and the Artists for Change will play a key role in the newly re-shaped creative leadership.
Together, Bee and Natasha bring new experience and expertise to TRP’s Diversity & Inclusion and Climate Emergency strategic plans. These roles will also offer coherent development opportunities for them as individual artists, giving Bee and Natasha the opportunity to take time for themselves to respond, reflect and create. They will have access to all of TRP’s resources to develop their creative talent over the course of the next twelve months.
Bee Jarvis, Artist For Change said,
It feels so incredible to be here, in this wonderful team, with this fantastic opportunity right before me. I never thought I’d be where I am now, and now I have a chance to positively impact Plymouth’s diverse arts scene. I can’t wait to get started!
Natasha Pavey, Artist For Change said,
I am extremely excited to join Theatre Royal Plymouth. As a young activist and creative, I can’t wait to work with and learn from an incredible team in my home county of Devon. I am keen to ensure the climate emergency is always a priority within the creative industries.
James Mackenzie-Blackman, Chief Executive and Executive Producer said,
I am delighted to welcome John, Malaika and Tom to join Sara and lead our creative strategy, make extraordinary work, and shape the future direction of our organisation. Thanks to funding from Jerwood Developing Arts Fund we have also appointed Bee and Natasha as our Artists for Change. Together these six artists promise to be a creative powerhouse here in our ocean city.
