After announcing that it will no longer have an Artistic Director for the first time in its history, Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre has appointed award-winning theatre-maker, director and producer Selina Cartmell, former Artistic Director of the Gate in Dublin from 2016 to 2022, into the new role of Creative Director.
Cartmell, who grew up in Cumbria, will take over the role in August 2024, with her first programme taking place during the theatre's 50th anniversary year in 2026.
She said of her appointment, "I am thrilled to be joining the team at the Royal Exchange Theatre at such an important and exciting time. As a teenager, I vividly remember the first time I sat in the theatre’s unique and immersive in-the-round auditorium and experienced the transformative and connective power of its artist-audience relationship. Its architecture creates a community where everyone belongs, a democratic space where storytelling feels essential, radical and meaningful. It is a great honour to return home to the North West and to creatively lead this pioneering theatre, continuing the traditions of world-class, visionary and adventurous programming."
She added, "what we commission and create needs to be visionary, progressive and relevant and reflect the world we live in. We need to be global in outlook and fiercely independent, distinctive and deeply local in output."