Brigid Larmour Steps Down as Watford Palace Theatre's Artistic Director and CEO

Brigid Larmour has announced she will be stepping down from her role as Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Watford Palace Theatre in Spring 2023.

During her tenure Watford Palace Theatre has continuously evolved its operational model, supporting the work of freelancers, independents and smaller companies through its Creative Associate scheme for over a decade. It has been the home of partners Rifco Theatre for over ten years, and consistently championed female perspectives, writers and creatives, winning the UK Theatre Award for the Promotion of Diversity in 2015.

Brigid joined at a challenging time for the organisation and led her team in a successful turnaround. She forged a strong partnership with the local Council and Mayor's office, retaining Council funding through the challenges of austerity. Aware the existing audience was overwhelmingly white, early in her tenure she sought out like-minded theatre makers Rifco Theatre and invited them to move into the building. When tiata fahodzi risked losing its funding, she gave them a temporary home. Through the Creative Associate model, she also put the theatre's resources behind emerging theatre makers like nabokov, mid-career artists like Kate Flatt, and specialist independents like Tangled Feet, Mahogany Opera and Scamp. The theatre's Imagine Watford festival is now in its 12th year, and commissioning diverse British outdoor arts. Brigid's final production will be the much anticipated The Merchant of Venice 1936 with Tracy Ann Oberman, premiering at the venue in February.

The new business plan Brigid has developed with the team, which has secured NPO funding from ACE, does not involve a permanent Artistic Director role. It builds on a recent focus to offer a wider range of popular entertainment, community work, musical shows and family work in addition to traditional drama, calling on in depth use of data and involving a wider range of team members in programming decisions. It aligns with the focus on community and inclusion at the heart of the ACE LET'S CREATE strategy. Details of the new model will be finalised ahead of Brigid's departure.

Brigid Larmour, a widely experienced director, producer, teacher and dramaturg, has been Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Watford Palace Theatre since 2006. A text specialist, she has directed numerous Shakespeares, including an all-female Much Ado About Nothing at Watford Palace. She is an experienced director of new writing, including at WPT new plays by Timberlake Wertenbaker (Jefferson's Garden), Anne-Marie Casey (adaptation of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott) Gary Owen (Perfect Match, Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian, We That Are Left), Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti (Fourteen), Neil D'Souza (Coming Up), and Charlotte Keatley (Our Father). She produced or coproduced main stage premieres by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Pravesh Kumar, E.V Crowe, Mike Bartlett, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Tom Wells, Yasmin Wilde, Arinze Kene, Stacey Gregg, Sukh Ojla, Ronald Harwood, ZODWA NYONI, Daniel Kanaber, Diane Samuels, Denton Shikura, Yasmeen Khan, Julian Mitchell, and Theresa Howard & Steven Edis. She loves comedy and has directed comedies by Alan Ayckbourn and Marks and Gran, and four pantomimes, for the Palace. She has a long track record of supporting diverse voices, and casting women in male roles in Shakespeare, including a female Prospero in 1995. She championed and directed Charlotte Keatley's game-changing play My Mother Said I Never Should at Contact Theatre, Manchester in the 80s. From 1998- 2006 she was Artistic Director of West End company ACT Productions, and adviser to BBC4 Plays.

Brigid Larmour says "It has been a joy to work on this stage, with this team, and in this town for the past sixteen years. Now we have secured ACE funding to continue the Palace's work into the next NPO period, I am excited to be able to move into the next chapter of my career."

Pravesh Kumar MBE, Artistic Director of Rifco added "This is such a bittersweet moment. Brigid Larmour welcomed Rifco Theatre Company into Watford Palace 10 years ago, giving us a home. She has shown us not only an immense love but something that many only talk about - a genuine platform to play and grow and be a real part of theatre ecology. Without her genuine action for change, so many diverse artists would not feel the warmth of the big spotlight. I wish her the best of luck in her new adventure and know she will continue to change theatre land.'

Playwright and She Said screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz commented "Brigid Larmour is a powerhouse of a director. Her work is brilliant, muscular and intuitive. Brigid is an inspiration to all young women who want to helm a theatre or direct. "

Watford Palace Theatre Chair John Hunt said "As initially a member of the Board, and latterly Chair of the Board, it has been an immense pleasure to work with someone as brilliant as Brigid. Of course, she is a great director, but she has also always been a first-class leader of the Palace team and a great support to me and my predecessors. It is with a mixture of sadness and pleasure that I view her forthcoming departure - sadness because we are losing a wonderful leader but pleasure because I know both Brigid and the theatre are moving on to exciting new futures."

Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said "Brigid has done so much for Watford Palace Theatre, our town and the region. I have worked with her for many years and have always been struck by her passion for the arts and can-do attitude. Under her leadership, the Palace Theatre has become an increasingly important part of our town; not only because of the outstanding drama, comedy and music in the theatre but also because of the growing amount of work in the community and organising fantastic outdoor festivals such as Imagine Watford. When times were tough, such as with the Covid pandemic, Brigid's team at the theatre rose to the challenges and worked closely with others in the town to make sure we got through periods of adversity together. Brigid undoubtedly leaves the Palace Theatre in a strong position, much loved by local residents and with strong partnerships with many of us. I am so grateful for everything that she has done."

More information on Brigid Larmour see LinkedIn.