Royal & Derngate
Artistic Director
Royal & Derngate, Northampton is one of the major regional producing theatres in the country with our acclaimed ‘Made In Northampton’ work touring nationally and internationally. The theatre was recently nominated for ‘Theatre of the Year’ in The Stage Awards 2022. Eight of its productions transferred to London and the West End in 2019, with The Worst Witch winning the 2020 Olivier Award for ‘Best Family Show’ and Our Lady of Kibeho nominated for the 2020 Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in
an Affiliate Theatre’ and named by The Guardian as one of the ‘20 Best Shows of the 21st Century’. We’re proud that as well as attracting leading artists like Ralph Fiennes, Lindsay Duncan, Keala Settle, Giles Terera, Martha Wainwright and Stephen Fry to work with us in Northampton, we have also enabled over 100 early career artists to make their mainstage debuts with us this year.
Following the announcement that James Dacre will step down in 2023 following a decade at Royal & Derngate, we are looking for our next inspirational Artistic Leader. Our new Artistic Director will create a compelling artistic vision for the organisation. They’ll be a high-quality theatre maker, from any discipline or practice. They’ll inspire our teams, our communities and our audiences. They’ll prioritise artists and champion talent development. They’ll think imaginatively and with heart. They’ll be as comfortable in a room with our young Arts Leaders as with our Board. They’ll be committed to equality, diversity, justice and inclusion in those they choose to work with. They’ll do all of this with a firm commitment to providing new opportunities, building audiences and to delivering against financial parameters.
Be bold in applying for this role. Tell us what you think Royal & Derngate could do to make its mark for its next decade of activity. Challenge us. Push the boundaries of what you think an Artistic Director could and should be for these times. In return, you’ll hold a dynamic and demanding but rewarding role, alongside a committed team. In a slight restructure of the senior management team, to ready us for an exciting future, the Artistic Director will also be supported by a Deputy Chief Executive (Producing and Programming). You’ll find more information on that role at the back of this pack.
We are an inclusive organisation, committed to fair recruitment, induction, training, succession planning and equality of opportunity. We particularly welcome applications from those whose backgrounds are currently under-represented on our Strategic Management Team and in the Arts more widely. We want to encourage socio-economic diversity in our teams, as well as representation from Black, Asian, or other culturally diverse groups and/or people who identify as D/deaf and disabled. Royal & Derngate are a PIPA (Parents and Carers in Performing Arts) Charter Partner, striving towards creating a more family friendly working environment. We encourage proposals from anyone who requires flexible working around caring responsibilities and anyone looking for a positive work/life balance. We are a user of the Disability Confident scheme, and we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for any of our vacancies.
Please note: the advert and information for the Deputy CEO (Producing & Programming) role will follow shortly.
Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Royal & Derngate on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference EARACB. Alternatively telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by 5pm on Monday 9th January 2023.
The theatre was recently nominated for ‘Theatre of the Year’ in The Stage Awards 2022.