For the first time in over a year, performing arts venues will be reopening, but to a world and audience much transformed by Covid-19. Consequently, and for performing arts organisations to stay alive, a need for adaptation and reinvention has become necessary. Many organisations have already started a transition – finding the change both demanding and risky, yet critical for the industry. Moderated by Gerard Crichlow, Head, Cultural Strategy at AMV BBDO, our panellists, Jennifer Tang, Genesis Fellow & Associate Director of the Young Vic; Brian Logan, artistic director of Camden People’s Theatre; and Francesca Sanderson, Director of Arts Programmes and Investments at Nesta will explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for the stage of performing arts.

Speaker bios:

Jennifer Tang is currently the Genesis Fellow & Associate Director of the Young Vic theatre in London. She was recently listed in ELLE UK’s 2020 Hotlist, a celebration of the new leaders and shakers reframing the worlds of fashion, beauty, politics and culture.

Jennifer is an award-winning UK and International theatre director, specialising in new writing and fusing theatre with music. She has worked with buildings and organisations including The Young Vic, Hampstead Theatre, The Gate, The Royal Exchange, The Royal Opera House and The Royal Shakespeare Company. Her practice also spans devised work and opera, and she has extensive experience of working with communities and young people.

Jennifer seeks collaborations with artists from all disciplines to make work that can constantly question what theatre is – and can be – and that tells stories about who and what we are.

She believes that theatre can change the way we see the world around us and should galvanise that change.

Brian Logan has been artistic director of Camden People’s Theatre since Sept 2011. Brian’s prior theatre work includes sixteen years as co-director (with Alex Murdoch and Neil Haigh) of the acclaimed touring theatre company Cartoon de Salvo, with whom he devised and performed in 11 major shows, including Meat & Two Veg (BAC and international tour), The Sunflower Plot, Hard Hearted Hannah and Other Stories (Lyric Hammersmith, Edinburgh Fringe and Kennedy Center, Washington DC), Made Up (Soho Theatre, 2012) and Pub Rock. Brian’s play David Hume’s Kilt was developed at the National Theatre of Scotland and semi-staged at the Traverse, Edinburgh in 2009; its follow-up The Keys to the Universe was also the runner-up for the Robert McLellan Award. In 2016, he toured with Will Adamsdale and Lloyd Hutchinson in Fuel Theatre’s The Joke. With CPT, Brian co-created and directed This Is Private Property (2016), Fog Everywhere (2017) and 2019’s Human Jam. Brian is also a theatre and comedy writer for The Guardian, and former assistant theatre editor of Time Out London.

Francesca Sanderson is Director of Arts Programmes and Investments at Nesta. Alongside heading up the Arts, Culture and Creativity team, Fran also has primary responsibility for the Arts Impact Fund.

Fran managed an ethical equities fund at JPMorgan for eight years following an MA in Philosophy and Maths and periodic work in charity administration and fundraising. After this, she took a career break during which she travelled around Europe and settled for a year living off-grid in Portugal with her young family. On her return, she started working at Big Society Capital as an investment director, where she worked on a wide variety of social investment deals and research into social pensions.

Fran is also Treasurer of Cambridge House, a settlement in Walworth, South London, and has worked closely with UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, in a non-exec capacity.

Fran is passionate about literature and creative writing, and is a member of the National Academy of Writing. She also enjoys music, theatre and dance as an enthusiastic observer.

Gerard Crichlow is a strategist, speaker, and brand builder. He is currently Global Strategy Director at Interpublic Group (IPG)

He advises brands big and small on how to leverage culture, a sharp purpose, and technology to breakthrough with people.

His personal mission is to use creativity to move humanity and in his spare time Crichlow, can be found mentoring kids to use their creativity at the Saturday Club, advising the V&A Museum, and working on the YoungVic’s Development Board.

Share This Event

Upcoming Events