The Stage

US hip hop artist Baruch ‘Baba’ Israel appointed artistic director of Manchester’s Contact

Published Tuesday 24 March 2009 at 16:25 by Lalayn Baluch

Manchester’s Contact Theatre has appointed American director, producer and hip hop artist Baruch ‘Baba’ Israel as its new artistic director.

Israel will join the company, which creates work for young people, in June. He succeeds John E McGrath, who is now artistic director of the new National Theatre Wales.

Commenting on the appointment, Contact Theatre chairman Charles Lauder said: “He was the unanimous choice as the most dynamic and interesting of the candidates. The reason we were interested in him was because there is a great breadth to him - he has total engagement across a whole range of artistic forms.

“His background is within the context of more formal theatre and his influences go from text-based work, through to graffiti, through to jazz. He has a wide area of influence and expertise. Every single one of us found him a totally captivating character, bright, exciting and bubbly.”

Lauder explained that Israel will be responsible for helping to deliver the organisation’s three-year strategic plan.

Key objectives of the plan include creating work for and with young people, establishing Contact as an international hub for creative work, developing the way in which youngsters engage with the organisation and working to produce a new organisational model for the company.

Israel said he had first worked with Contact in 2005 when leading a series of workshops for the company. He added: “In 2005, when I came to Contact, I was blown away by the community I encountered and returned to New York describing the place as a model venue for cutting-edge, diverse and innovative young people’s art, where young people like to feel at home, take risks and grow as people.

“I have worked there as a performer, educator and director and I am honoured to now become artistic director of such a forward-thinking organisation.”

Born and currently living in New York, Israel is co-founder and artistic director of Playback NYC Theatre Company, which aims to bring theatre to under-represented communities.

As a teacher, he works in a wide range of disciplines and has collaborated with organisations including Urban World and New World Theatre, and has led workshops at schools through the Open Thought Arts programme.

Israel has also toured across the world, performing with the likes of Outkast, the Roots and Afrika Bambaataa, as well as Bill Cosby.