The Stage

Grandage to resign from Sheffield Theatres post

Published Tuesday 29 June 2004 at 11:10 by Ruth Gillespie

Michael Grandage has announced he will step down as associate director of Sheffield Theatres at the end of the 2004/5 season to take up a position on the board of trustees.

As a board member, he will continue his involvement with plans for a £15 million redevelopment of the Crucible, which is scheduled to begin in 2007.

He said: “This new season marks my fifth year of programming at Sheffield Theatres. With the brilliant appointment of Angela Galvin as our new chief executive alongside the exciting development of a new Crucible building, I believe now is the time to hand over to an artistic leader who can look to the future with confidence and take the theatre to the next exciting stage of its development.

“I have always believed five years to be an appropriate period of time in a job like this and Norman Adsetts, our chairman, has known of my intention to move on for some time. I am particularly honoured that he has offered me a place on the board. I have accepted his kind invitation as I believe the best is yet to come and I want to be around to continue to play in the evolution of this great theatre.”

Grandage joined Sheffield Theatres in 1999 and during his time as associate director produced work on all of its three stages and undertook several national tours and West End transfers. Over the last five years the Crucible has increased its audience by 75% and has attracted internationally renowned performers such as Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Diana Rigg, Joseph Fiennes, Victoria Hamilton and Tom Hollander.

Former marketing and development director Angela Galvin was appointed as the organisation’s new chief executive in February. She said: “Michael Grandage’s contribution to the artistic life of Sheffield Theatres is immeasurable. During the last five years he has worked tirelessly to produce the very best work here, enabling us to establish a position as a key player in the industry and develop a large, loyal audience. His exciting and dynamic productions have not only attracted significant numbers of young people to try theatre for the first time but also ensured they wanted to come back for more.”