New Venue Director Appointed At Eastbourne Theatres

Trafalgar Theatres – the venue division of global live entertainment company Trafalgar Entertainment – has appointed Neil Jones as the new Venue Director for Eastbourne Theatres, with his new role commencing 1 December 2025.

Neil has been the General Manager in Eastbourne for the past 18 months, during which time he oversaw the transition to new venue operators Trafalgar Entertainment in April.

Widely regarded as ‘jewels in the crown of south-east entertainment', the trio of theatres comprising the Congress Theatre, Devonshire Park Theatre, Winter Garden along with the conferencing and exhibition facilities, entered a new era with Trafalgar in 2025.

Trafalgar's ‘New Era' campaign set out to reposition and amplify the three iconic venues on a national level by attracting even more high-profile productions and to establish Eastbourne as the starting point for national tours. A centrepiece of that campaign was a partnership with the Airbourne Eastbourne International Airshow in August.

Prior to joining Eastbourne Theatres, Neil worked in Cambridge for almost 20 years, ending as Operations Director for Cambridge Live, looking after the Corn Exchange and the internationally renowned Cambridge Folk Festival. From there he moved to become Head of Ticketing at the Royal Opera House, modernising the department, and then launched Arches London Bridge for Kilimanjaro.

Chris Jordan, who has been Artistic Director at Eastbourne Theatres across more than 27 years, will remain instrumental in delivering Trafalgar's aims in Eastbourne. Working closely alongside Neil, Chris takes up the newly created role of Executive Producer, Eastbourne Theatres - focussed on developing productions, delivery of new content and building partnerships with nationally and internationally renowned touring producers.   

Neil Jones said: “I'm thrilled to be taking up the position of Venue Director at Eastbourne Theatres. I look forward to working with our talented teams to build on what we've achieved together and lead Eastbourne Theatres into an exciting new chapter.”

Rhys Hopkin, Regional Director, Trafalgar Theatres, added: “I'm delighted to see Neil step up into the role of Venue Director and look forward to seeing what this new era for Eastbourne Theatres will bring.  I wish him every success in the role and look forward to working closely with him as we develop our plans for these wonderful cultural assets.”