Writer, director, composer, choreographer, designer, producer and performer Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE is the new patron of Derby-based 1623 theatre company.
1623, whose ethos is to “see Shakespeare differently”, first met Beadle-Blair at Rose Bruford College in 2012 when the company ran workshops alongside him for members of the National Youth Theatre to prepare them for performances at the National Theatre's Watch This Space festival.
They met up again in summer 2018 at Nottingham Playhouse where Beadle-Blair hosted a Theatre Pride scratch night. He was impressed as 1623 tried out part of its new show, Queer Lady M.
He said, “ask anyone in the street who the great playwright is and they always say Shakespeare. Ask them to come and see one of his plays right now and they're horrified.
"But 1623 is making Shakespeare thrilling and relevant again. After seeing them burn down Nottingham Playhouse with their stunning Queer Lady M, I practically begged to be a patron. They’ve restored my faith in the power of the people's playwright.”
Ben Spiller, 1623’s artistic director, added, “having Rikki as our new patron is an absolute thrill. He’s one of the most inspirational people I've met.
“His boundless dedication to new work, equality and empowering people to find their creativity chimes perfectly with the core aims of 1623 to make great theatre, support artists, inspire learners, engage communities and champion diversity.”