After more than eight years at the helm of leading children’s venue the Little Angel theatre, Peter Glanville will join another renowned family theatrical institution, Wimbledon’s Polka theatre, as Artistic Director in November.
The appointment follows the theatre’s outgoing Artistic Director Jonathan Lloyd’s announcement earlier this year that he would step down after seven years running the venue that specialises in theatre and educational programmes for children aged 0 to 13-years-old.
Describing himself as “privileged” to have been offered the position at the theatre that welcomes more than 100,000 children through its doors each year, Glanville said: “The company has a great history and I’m looking forward to the prospect of continuing to raise its profile in the future with ground-breaking world-class theatre for children.”
Glanville’s time as Artistic Director/Chief Executive at the Little Angel theatre, which specialises in puppetry, has seen him programme and often direct numerous critically acclaimed productions, including The Snow Queen, Michael Rosen’s The Magician’s Daughter and Jellybean Jack.
Glanville will also leave a legacy for successful and high-profile collaborations at the venue, staging critically acclaimed co-productions with institutions including the Royal Shakespeare Company (The Tempest) , the Manchester Exchange (Carol Ann Duffy’s The Tear Thief) and, in 2010, the Polka theatre with children’s opera Skitterbang Island.
Aside from his work at the Little Angel theatre, Glanville has directed more than 40 productions and installations for Kazzum, a professional theatre company producing work for young audiences he founded in 1989.
Sarah King, Chair of Polka’s Board of Trustees, commented on the appointment, saying: “This is a pivotal time for Polka as the company is faced with some very exciting opportunities as well as a number of significant challenges. In Peter we feel we have found someone with the necessary vision and experience to ensure we turn our ambitions into reality.”