Scarborough theatre boss steps down
STEPHEN Joseph Theatre artistic drector Chris Monks has announced he is leaving the company on December 11.
Monks succeeded Alan Ayckbourn as artistic director of the SJT in 2009 during which time he has directed 24 productions, revitalised the literary department and, most recently, conceived and launched a dedicated community facility, the SJT OutReach Rooms.
“With the arrival of Mathew Russell, the SJT’s new CEO, this is the right time to step aside and return to my former work as a freelance director, writer and teacher. I have several sizeable theatre projects in development which I’m looking forward to realising in the coming months. I’ve spent seven years in Scarborough and made some wonderful friends. I’ve been very proud of the shows I’ve directed here and the significant progress we’ve made in widening the scope of our productions in a very challenging economic environment," he said.
New chief executive Mathew Russell said: “Although I've only known Chris for a short time and have spent little time in his company yet, when I have I've been really impressed with his passion for SJT and for using the arts to reach out to the widest range of residents of Scarborough and beyond.? I'm sorry we won't have the opportunity to work closely together for long, but look forward to what time we do have, and to ensuring we use it well to help herald the next chapter in SJT's exciting future.”
Viv Hardwick
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