Polka Theatre Names Kalee Talvitie-Brown as New Board Chair

Polka Theatre's Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive Lynette Shanbury and Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive Helen Matravers, and the whole team are delighted to announce Kalee Talvitie-Brown as the new Chair of Polka's Board.

Kalee is a former strategy partner at PwC where she held a number of senior leadership roles. Her work focused on advising boards of private and public sector organisations as well as charities. Kalee brings deep expertise in strategy, transformation, and people leadership. For 8 years she was a Trustee at the PwC Foundation, which is focused on promoting social inclusion and sustainable development in the UK. She was also Vice President of the Management Consultancies Association. Kalee has lived and worked in multiple countries, including Finland, Russia, Belgium and the US, before settling in Wimbledon with her family. All four of her children have enjoyed theatre at Polka, and she enjoys the theatre herself and is a Patron at the Royal Academy of Arts and the V&A.

Kaylee Talvitie-Brown said, “I am excited to become the Chair of Trustees at Polka Theatre. It is an incredible charity that has been delivering exceptional children's theatre since 1979, with a strong focus on positive social impact through a variety of programmes. There is something magical about being immersed in a great performance. I am looking forward to helping Polka make sure as many children as possible in our community and beyond get to experience this magic.”

Lynette Shanbury and Helen Matravers said, “Kalee's wealth of experience in business strategy, passion for the arts and shared belief in the power of theatre to change lives, makes her a wonderful appointment as Chair. Her engagement marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for Polka as we look towards our 50th anniversary as an organisation, and continue to grow Polka's reach with even more audiences, schools, and artists. We look forward to working together to shape the future of children's theatre and ensure Polka continues to thrive for generations to come.”Polka Theatre opened its doors in 1979 as the UK's first theatre venue dedicated exclusively to children. It is one of just a handful of dedicated children's venues in the UK, presenting a year-round programme of shows produced by Polka and from visiting companies. Last year over 125,000 people visited Polka's venue in Wimbledon, with a further 45,000 reached through touring shows, in-school projects and community programmes.  Polka's sector-leading artist programmes includes the biennial Polka Playwriting Award and Catapult artist development scheme. Polka's facilities include flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Y C Chan Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90.

Polka also offers a full programme of Creative Learning activities for ages 0–12. Last year over 27,000 children took part in these Creative Learning activities, and Polka worked with 210 schools, including distributing over 9,000 free tickets to schools through their Curtain Up! scheme.

Polka is a community hub and vital resource, open 6 days per week, 50 weeks per year at a challenging time to be a sustainable public venue. It offers step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop.

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