LOV E T H E AT R E
The future is dramatic Tunbridge Wells’ Trinity Theatre’s new Artistic Director Kezia Cole talks about her plans for the community theatre
What’s been your career to date?
I come from a theatre making background and have been Artistic Director of SharkLegs, for the past five years. I make visual theatre and work with a lot of puppetry, creating work for adult and family audiences, so a broad spectrum. I have made work for some amazing places including The Tower of London and Winchester’s Hat Fair, and my work has been featured in The Guardian, The Telegraph and even on Radio 4 (a personal highlight!). I work in a very collaborative style and one of the things I find most exciting about theatre is the fact that I can bring together brilliant people to work together and make beautiful theatre.
What attracted you to the position at Trinity?
The community at Trinity is the driving force behind the theatre and that is what attracted me. I believe that an arts space is there to create and support a community, to offer a space where people can be entertained and be inspired. Trinity is so exciting for me because there is an amazing team and community and I think we can build something truly special.
What are your hopes for your new role?
I hope I can bring some brilliant work to the community of Tunbridge Wells. I am really excited about bringing fantastic productions to Trinity and putting high-quality theatre and live performance at the centre of what Trinity does. I hope that I can build on what Trinity has achieved and that I can create more opportunities for the community, see incredible creative work and for them to be creative themselves.
Is this a full-time role or will you be able to work on other projects?
This is a full-time role, but I’m sure I will be squeezing a few other projects in when I can! I think it’s important for a director to remain connected with the theatrical landscape and to keep their own work interesting and dynamic. 22
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