RSC Director of Creative Innovation, Sarah Ellis, awarded MBE

We're delighted to announce that Sarah has been recognised in the New Year 2026 Honours List for her services to Technology in the Arts.

In her position as Director of Creative Innovation, Sarah is currently Executive Producer for the RSC’s first video game, LILI - an adaptation of Macbeth created in collaboration with INK Stories and Alambic Productions. In 2025, LILI became the first video game ever presented at Cannes Film Festival to great acclaim.

She also spearheaded the RSC's first Festival of Ideas in July 2025, which paired brilliant artists - a cohort of Interdisciplinary Fellows - with organisations from Massachusetts, Oxford, Stanford USA, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Bristol to tackle some of the biggest question facing the arts and culture sector today.

Sarah commits to the development of the arts and technology sector by being a mentor and advisor to programmes such as the Sundance Institute's New Frontier Labs, Creative XR supported by Arts Council England and Digital Catapult and CPH:LABS.

On being awarded an MBE, Sarah Ellis said:
"I’m deeply honoured to have been awarded an MBE for my work at the RSC as Director of Creative Innovation. My role is to explore and imagine the possibilities of theatre for now and in the future on all our stages, whether that’s through projects like the online real-time immersive version of Dream, or through LILI, a computer game based on Macbeth. The aim is to create new ways in which as many people as possible – including those who might not think the arts is for them - can experience theatre and Shakespeare.

Our Director of Creative Innovation, Sarah Ellis, has been awarded an MBE in the 2026 Honour's List.

"It’s wonderful to have the work recognised in this way and I’ve been lucky to have collaborated with some amazing minds at the RSC and beyond. This work could not have been achieved without my brilliant team, colleagues, peers, community, and those who provided me with the opportunity and have supported this work in so many ways."

In 2012, Sarah produced myShakespeare - an online commissioning platform for the World Shakespeare Festival. In 2011, she produced Adelaide Road for the RSC, which mixed live performance with an app and website map.

In 2013 she was listed in the top 100 most influential people working in Gaming and Technology by The Hospital Club and Guardian Culture Professionals. In partnership with Google, she produced Midsummer Night’s Dreaming, winning two Lovie Awards for Innovation and Experimentation.

309324_Dream_ 2021_ set-up shots_2021 — Dream, a virtual online performance which grew from Sarah Ellis's 2019-2021 consortium, was experienced by 65,000 people across 92 countries during the pandemic.
© RSC Browse and license our images

In 2016 she was awarded The Hospital Club & Creatives Industries award for cross-industry collaboration for her work on the RSC’s The Tempest in collaboration with Intel and in association with The Imaginarium Studios, winning two Cannes Liones awards. In 2017, she became a fellow of the University of Worcester for her work in the arts and technology.

From 2019 to 2021, Sarah led a consortium of arts organisations, research partners and technology companies to explore the future of live performance and real-time immersive experiences. This collaboration resulted in Dream - a virtual online performance experienced by 65,000 people across 92 countries during the pandemic.

Today, alongside her role as Director of Creative Innovation at the RSC, Sarah is a regular speaker and commentator on digital arts practice. She is currently a member of the DCMS College of Experts as well as an Industry Champion for the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, which helps inform academic research on the creative industries to lead to better policies for the sector.

Congratulations Sarah!

RSC Director of Creative Innovation, Sarah Ellis, awarded MBE

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