Company of Angels Appoints New Joint Director

Award-winning Company of Angels announces the appointment of Adam Barnard as Joint Director. Adam will be joining the company in its tenth year of pioneering work for young people, and will work alongside current Joint Director Teresa Ariosto.

Sebastian Warrack, Chair of Company of Angels, said on the appointment, "The board are delighted that Adam has accepted the post of Joint Director at Company of Angels. During a highly competitive recruitment process, Adam impressed the board with his vision, energy and skills, as well as his huge enthusiasm for the company. We look forward to an exciting new chapter for Company of Angels under the joint leadership of Adam and Teresa."

Speaking on his appointment Adam said, "I am thrilled and honoured to succeed John Retallack as Joint Director of Company of Angels. In partnership with Teresa Ariosto and an outstanding staff, I look forward to creating and supporting bold and innovative new work for, with and about young people, in a wide range of forms and settings."

Joint Director Teresa Ariosto said, "I am delighted by the appointment and look forward to working with Adam. His commitment to create groundbreaking work for young people and his passion for exploring new forms will make for a very exciting new phase."

Adam Barnard has established himself as a dynamic and innovative director, specialising in new writing and ensemble work. His career to date has included a longstanding association with the Orange Tree Theatre, where his productions have included The Company Man, The Story of Vasco and Three in the Back Two in the Head. Earlier in his career he founded Activated Image whose productions included Amy Evans' Strike, Patience and The Principle of Motion. Other directing work includes productions at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, where he was resident for a season under Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Trafalgar Studios, the Arcola Theatre, the Finborough Theatre, the King's Head Theatre, many Edinburgh Fringes and the Hightide Festival. As a writer, his play Disconnected is about to begin rehearsals prior to a European tour, and his articles have appeared in The Times and The Guardian. As an Associate at Company of Angels he directed the new play Future / Perfect, has led the company's ongoing project E.B.D, exploring the lives and experiences of some of Britain's most vulnerable young people, and has just written and directed a series of short films on behalf of the Equality and Human Rights Commission which will be seen widely in schools across England.

Neil Darlison, Director, London Theatre at Arts Council England said, "We are pleased that Adam Barnard will be joining Company of Angels as Joint Director, and we look forward to an exciting future for the company."

Company of Angels has recently completed three short films, Drowning, Pipe Up and The Incident, written and directed by Adam for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The films can be viewed in their entirety on the EHRC website: www.equalityhumanrights.com/equalrightsequalrespect

Forthcoming productions of Company of Angels include Truant in association with National Theatre of Scotland, playing in and around Glasgow in November, and Anne and Zef, a co-production with Salisbury Playhouse in March 2012.

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