Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre's Executive Director Fiona Gasper has been announced as the new Executive Director of the Manchester International Festival, taking over from Jim Forrester in March 2016.
Royal Exchange Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom paid tribute to Gasper's time at the theatre, saying, "the theatre that Fiona leaves behind is very different to the one she joined five years ago and I want to thank her hugely for her considerable contribution to this."
Gasper was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to the arts during her time as Executive Producer of Liverpool's 2008 European Capital of Culture Programme. Prior to this, she was Executive Director at Manchester's Contact Theatre, where new MIF Artistic Director John E McGrath also served as Artistic Director.
McGrath said, "Fiona Gasper has long been one of my arts heroes. We worked together when I first came to Manchester in 1999, re-imagining Contact Theatre, and I was inspired at every step by the ways in which she combines vision and strategy to get great things done.
"Her work since then at Liverpool Capital of Culture and at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre has had a massive impact in both those cities. I can’t imagine a better person to join the MIF Executive Team as we enter into a bold new phase in the Festival’s life."
Gasper will remain at the Exchange full-time until mid-February when she will share her time between both organisations until joining MIF permanently at the end of March. Recruitment for a new Executive Director will commence shortly.
Gasper said, "the Royal Exchange is a truly unique theatre and it has been an absolute pleasure to be its Executive Director for the past five and a half years.
"We have been through many changes during my time here and it has been hugely exciting and rewarding to work with Sarah and a brilliant staff team on that journey. The theatre is brave, bold and ambitious and Sarah’s vision and determination to push the boundaries of what kind of theatre the Exchange can be is inspiring, I look forward to seeing the company flourish.
"I am really thrilled to be joining John at MIF but have relished my time in helping to shape the Exchange into an organisation which is hugely relevant to theatre making in all its forms in Manchester and nationally."