The Other Room's Co-Founder Steps Down From Company

Today, Cardiff's pub theatre The Other Room has announced that its Executive Director Bizzy Day will be stepping down from the company having taken on the role of Production Executive with Ffilm Cymru.

Bizzy co-founded The Other Room in 2014 with Kate Wasserberg, and in her tenure has overseen: the transformation of the Porter's' cinema room into a purpose-built theatre; four seasons of The Other Room's produced work; five years of Young Artists Festivals; multiple successful co-productions with companies including Theatre 503, Theatr Clywd and Gagglebabble; the launch of the theatre's female writers award, the Violet Burns Playwright Award; and the advent of the theatre's development scheme, the Professional Pathways Programme.

Bizzy leaves the company at the end of May having recently secured funding from Arts Council Wales, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation for the future of The Other Room and its upcoming Autumn 2019 season, details of which are due to be released later this month. Bizzy comments:

"It has been a tremendous privilege to have founded and built The Other Room over the last five years. I could never have anticipated the response and support the theatre would garner when Kate and I first began shaping the idea back at the end of 2013. From a seed idea to the multi-award winning organisation it is today, I owe much of my professional development and career trajectory to this brilliant little theatre, the collaborators, partners, funders and supporters I have worked with along the way, and of course the artists and audiences that support us. I will miss the team and the organisation greatly but look forward to the future with Ffilm Cymru and continuing my association and support of The Other Room at this pivotal moment and new chapter in its development. I am confident the theatre will reach new heights under the inspiring leadership and capable hands of Artistic Director Dan Jones and cannot wait to see his vision come to life."

The Other Room's Artistic Director Dan Jones will continue to head up the company, with Producer George Soave taking on a full-time role. Dan comments:

"In as little as five years, The Other Room has become a fixture of the Cardiff theatre scene. In fact, it's difficult to imagine Cardiff without it. Bizzy Day has been at the very heart of organisation since its humble beginnings in 2014. A young artist with an unstoppable passion to build something of her own and contribute to the cultural landscape of Wales.

Bizzy and Kate (Wasserberg) made quite the team. Without experience or financial backing the two of them have built a legacy that the city can never repay them for. Her craft as a fundraiser, her precision as a producer and her urgency as a collaborator, made Bizzy Day the ideal partner and mentor. She inspires me every day with her strength, heart and sheer will to succeed.

The Other Room has never been an easy place to work. It is as overwhelming as it is fulfilling, and we have all made serious sacrifices for the good of the theatre, none more so than Bizzy. Although it saddens me to see her leave The Other Room, I cannot wait to see her blaze in her new role at Ffilm Cymru. She is not a person to sit still and is destined to achieve great things."

Chair of The Other Room's Board Gareth Lucey comments:

"We are sad to see Bizzy leave The Other Room, but she can be incredibly proud of her achievements during her tenure. Since its inception in 2014 the theatre has staged outstanding work, won prestigious national awards, and developed into a key venue and producing house in the Welsh arts scene. I and the Board are looking forward to continuing to work with Dan as the The Other Room evolves, and I'm confident that with George joining us on a full-time basis, our ambitious Autumn season and the future of The Other Room is looking bright. We wish Bizzy all the very best in her new role."

CEO of Ffilm Cymru, Pauline Burt, welcomed Bizzy to Ffilm Cymru's team saying:

"We recognise Bizzy's entrepreneurial approach and desire to extend the creative landscape as key transferable qualities that are as relevant to film and the creative industries as they are to theatre. I don't doubt that Bizzy will encourage broader creative, business and audience thinking, which is healthy - and indeed necessary - for agile and sustainable sector growth."

The Other Room's Autumn 2019 season will be announced later this year. To keep updated, visit www.otherroomtheatre.com or follow the team on Twitter @TORtheatre and Facebook www.facebook.com/otherroomtheatre

To post a comment, you must register and login.