Exeter theatre seeks £55k director

Current artistic director thought likely to re-apply

Exeter's Northcott Theatre may - or may not - be getting a shake-up at the top. The Northcott's artistic director's job has just been advertised nationally. It's a £55,000 post that is currently held by Paul Jepson, who's been doing it for three years.

The theatre - which costs about £1.5 million a year to run - last year made a modest profit of £28,000, following years of finanical difficulties during which Arts Council England withdrew its grant. That was re-instated about two years ago, providing about £150,000 in the last financial year, in addition to the £62,500 donated by Exeter City Council. But public funding accounts for only a small proportion of the theatre's annual income: about eighty per cent per cent is generated by ticket sales.

That profit's been made under Mr Jepson's watch, and sources close to the theatre say it's likely he'll apply for the job again. He is, however, a white, middle aged, middle-class male. That might count against him. The Northcott says it is actively seeking and encouraging applications from people currently under-represented in its sector - although the theatre's track-record in appointing artistic directors from minority groups is poor. Only two of its 10 artistic directors since it was formed in 1967 have been female, none have been people of colour. 

In its most recent annual financial report, filed in January, the Northcott board reports that audiences are up and the average age is down (which is normally lauded as a good thing for theatres). During the past year, it joined a consortia of other theatres in the region, including the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Bristol Old Vic and Salisbury Playhouse. The theatre was refurbished too, thanks to financial help from the University of Exeter.

The job opportunity also comes at a time when another respected theatre director in the city may be on the market. David Lockwood built the critically acclaimed Bike Shed Theatre on Fore Street - and that's closing this week. However, Mr Lockwood, who in recent years has enjoyed secondments in New York and at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, has been pivotal in acquiring redundant quayside warehouses in the city and is working on plans to convert them into a new artistic venue, The Boat Shed. He says: "I think the Northcott should be an organisation that is locally vital and nationally significant. It should be a joy to visit and should radiate creativity across the whole city."