Nottingham-born Dame Rosemary Squire has become the first patron of East Midlands touring theatre company New Perspectives.
She accepted an invitation after the company staged Gbolahan Obisesan’s adaptation of Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen at Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End in September 2019.
Rosemary Squire and her husband Howard Panter are considered among the most influential people in British theatre. They co-founded the Ambassador Theatre Group and are now running Trafalgar Entertainment Group which they set up in 2017.
She said, “having grown up in the East Midlands and discovered my life-long passion for theatre in Nottingham, this region remains close to my heart.
“Becoming a patron of New Perspectives enables me to maintain that link and to support a company that uniquely brings diverse, high-quality work across this area.”
New Perspectives artistic director Jack McNamara commented, “from touring a cult Finnish film adaptation to rural village halls to opening a new Nigerian play in the West End, our work aims to bring disparate cultures together and redress age-old imbalances.
“To have someone of the stature and experience of Rosemary Squire recognise the value of what we do and want to promote our work is a major marker for us as a company.
“We’re humbled by her support and greatly looking forward to drawing from her expertise to make more noise about the dynamic new work being made in the East Midlands.”