Paines Plough Appoints Jodie Gilliam As Executive Director

Paines Plough announces today their appointment of Jodie Gilliam as their new Executive Director. Jodie joins Paines Plough from Shubbak where she was Head of Finance and Operations, and will form an integral part of the company, led by Joint Artistic Directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner.

Jodie has worked in the arts for over ten years with a background in fundraising before moving to producing and operations. She has worked across a variety of artforms for organisations such as Chinese Arts Now, London Theatre Company (Bridge Theatre), the Royal Opera House and Southbank Centre as well as a brief stint in TV for Wild Mercury Productions (Humans, Troy: Fall of a City).

At Chinese Arts Now, notable productions included Bats and Beats (SoundState Festival, Shanghai International Ping Pong Festival), Citizens of Nowhere? (Southbank Centre, Duddell's, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019), Coalesce (Kings Place, Rich Mix) and Every dollar is a soldier/With money you're a dragon which was selected for the 2021 Horizon Showcase and won the Arts Council Digital Culture Award for Digital Storytelling.

Jodie Gilliam said: "I believe strongly in the importance of new writing and nurturing a range of writing voices, so I am excited to be joining Paines Plough which does this so well. I am looking forward to supporting the team in the organisation's mission of bringing bold and inclusive work to communities across the UK."

Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner said: "We're so pleased to be welcoming Jodie into the Paines Plough team. Her passion for platforming new writing and championing diversity in the theatre is a perfect match for us, and we're excited for her to join us in shaping Paines Plough's vision for the coming years."

Paines Plough's award-winning pop-up venue Roundabout will return to Summerhall as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August with three new premieres: HALF-EMPTY GLASSES by Dipo Baruwa-Etti, A SUDDEN VIOLENT BURST OF RAIN by Sami Ibrahim and THE ULTIMATE PICKLE by Laura Lindow. Summerhall will also see the return of Chris Bush's critically acclaimed play HUNGRY which premiered at Roundabout last year. This year's premieres will preview at Rose Theatre, Kingston from 11th-24th July, with HUNGRY playing a limited run at Soho Theatre from 12th-30th July, before all four shows open in Edinburgh on 3rd August.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Original Score - Top 3

1. The Rescues , The Rescues - The Lost Boys

42.4% of votes

2. Jim Barne, Kit Buchan - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

29.5% of votes

3. Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!

21.7% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats