CATHERINE MALLYON STEPS DOWN AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE RSC
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The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) today announces that Catherine Mallyon will step down as Executive Director, leaving the Company at Christmas 2023, after eleven years in post. Catherine’s final day will be Friday 22 December.
Catherine Mallyon said, “It has been an enormous privilege to lead the RSC for the past eleven years with an incredible roster of collaborators in Gregory Doran, Erica Whyman and now Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans.
“It has only become possible for me to think beyond the RSC, about the many things I still hope to do professionally and personally, now that we have emerged from the challenges of recent years and arrived at such a positive place. It was always my intention to see Tamara and Daniel into post. With such a strong leadership team and a wonderful audience- and artist-focused creative vision, this feels like the right time to pass on the baton, as the RSC moves into this next chapter – which I know will be a hugely exciting one.
“I would like to thank all my brilliant colleagues, whether payroll, freelance, contractors, volunteers, Board and Governors, for everything they have made possible, every life they have changed for the better, and for their personal support. I look forward to the next few months working with Daniel and Tamara, and then to returning to the life of a thrilled RSC supporter and audience member.
“I am also grateful for the loyalty, support and generosity of thousands of Subscribers, Members, Friends, Patrons, Artists and Production Circle supporters, all Donors, Partners and Funders throughout my tenure.”
Co-Artistic Directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans commented,
“We couldn’t be more grateful to Catherine for her support and guidance as we have stepped into our roles here at the RSC. Her expertise and knowledge of the company are second to none, and her care and insight have proved invaluable as we prepare to announce our first season. She will be much missed by everyone here, and we wish her every happiness and success for the future.”
Chair of the Board, Shriti Vadera, added,
“On behalf of the Board and Governors at the RSC, I would like to thank Catherine for the commitment, dedication and passion with which she led as Executive Director of the Company. We have been incredibly fortunate to have had her skill and steadying hand at the helm for the past decade, not least having navigated us through the pandemic – undoubtedly one of the most challenging periods the industry has ever faced – and seeing through the transition of the new Co-Artistic Directors. I’m personally very grateful to Catherine for her support during these times of significant change; and for paving the way for Tamara and Daniel as they have joined the Company. The impact of her tenure will be reflected throughout the Company as it moves ever onwards.”
Details of the recruitment process for the next Executive Director will be announced over the coming weeks.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
CATHERINE MALLYON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RSC
Catherine Mallyon has been Executive Director, a Governor and a Board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company since 2012.
She was previously Deputy Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, leading all Southbank Centre operational activity, including the reopening of Royal Festival Hall after refurbishment in 2007 and the renewal of Hayward Gallery in 2010. In her earlier career in arts management, Catherine was General Manager of Arts and Theatres at Reading Borough Council. There she managed all theatre and arts operations, programmed drama and classical music for the Hexagon and Concert Hall and co-produced the WOMAD festival. Prior to that, she was General Manager at the Oxford Playhouse and had the same role at the Towngate Theatre, Basildon.
Catherine is a trustee of the Birmingham Hippodrome, and has been on the Boards/Councils of Arts Council England (ACE), and a member of their Performance and Audit Committee; Society of London Theatre (SOLT); the West Midlands Combined Authority Cultural Leadership Board (WMCA); Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), as Chair of their Culture and Tourism Business Group; the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC); and the Creative Industries Federation.
Catherine has recently completed a term as Chair of the Advisory Board for the Bristol + Bath and Creative Cluster R&D and as Chair of the Centre for Cultural Value. She is a member of the advisory councils of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Orchestra of the Swan.
Having spent five years working in the City of London as a trader and analyst, Catherine trained in general arts administration on Arts Council England's bursary programme. She plays the violin in local orchestras and chamber groups.
Also, an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, University of Oxford, she was awarded a CBE in the Queens Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours list and in July was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Warwick.
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY (RSC)
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates exceptional theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning a wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare – and theatre as a whole – is for everyone, and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and live performance, and with our learning and education work throughout the UK and across the world.
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
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The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
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