The Stage

Commercial director appointed at Edinburgh Festival Theatres

Published Thursday 1 September 2011 at 14:48 by Thom Dibdin

Festival City Theatres Trust, the organisation responsible for running Edinburgh’s Festival and King’s Theatres has announced that Nick Parr has been appointed to the new post of commercial director.

The appointment is the first public change since Pat Weller became interim CEO of the trust following the sudden departure of John Stalker in June. Parr’s role subsumes the previous role of head of sales and marketing.

Parr moves to Edinburgh from North Lanarkshire Council where he has been based since 2004. Heading up the venues team, he has overseen the £6 million refurbishment of the Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre, and the start of a £3 million refurbishment to Airdrie Town Hall which is due for completion in 2012.

Prior to working in North Lanarkshire, Parr was a member of the executive management team at Scottish Ballet and has previously worked in theatres across the UK, including Nottingham Theatre Royal, Derby Assembly Rooms, Liverpool Empire and Edinburgh Playhouse.

The news comes as the City of Edinburgh Council revealed that the next step in the long-awaited upgrade to the King’s theatre will go ahead from this autumn with main contractor H&J Martin leading the £2.6 million project.

The company will commence a nine-month programme of external stone and roof repairs in mid-September, which will allow the theatre to remain open from October for a curtailed autumn season and pantomime.

The building will close in mid January to allow internal works to be carried out. These include improved disabled access, better ventilation, decorative improvements and a new box office.

A further tendering process is under way to renew the theatre’s stalls seating. This is expected to take place during the final month of refurbishment, before the King’s reopens in June 2012.