Derby Theatre has appointed Natalie Ibu as its new creative producer responsible for the theatre’s In Good Company programme over the next two years.
In Good Company will provide mentorship, business support, facilities and performance opportunities for emerging artists, and those currently training in an educational setting.
It will also support them in trying to establish links with organisations who will programme their work.
Natalie Ibu is a freelance theatre director, producer and dramaturg with a vast wealth of experience working within the arts in a multitude of roles across the UK.
In July 2009, she completed a year’s residency at the Royal Court in London as the theatre’s trainee director. She has also completed short-term residencies with New York Theatre Workshop, the National Theatre Studio, Royal Shakespeare Company, Citizens' Theatre and Contact.
Natalie Ibu said, “I’m thrilled to be returning to the East Midlands—the region in which my very own artist development started more than ten years ago—to lead In Good Company.
“I’m very excited to be working with partner organisations Create Mansfield, Derby Theatre and Embrace Arts Leicester who are all ambitious and committed champions of artists and their supported development.
“I look forward to continuing to establish these venues—and the wider region—as a home for bold, curious and hungry artists, developing their administration as well as their art, and making dynamic drama.”
Derby Theatre’s artistic director Sarah Brigham added, “I'm delighted that we'll be working with Natalie Ibu. In Good Company is an ambitious project to redefine how we connect with artists across the region.
“Natalie is an incredibly exciting producer with a brilliant breadth of experience and a real energy for supporting artists to take risks, develop their voice and find new ways to connect to audiences.”