Bury St Edmunds artistic director to move on

During his time at the Theatre Royal, Blumenau was instrumental in leading the campaign which resulted in the Georgian theatre’s restoration as well as creating over 30 in-house productions as director and also as writer. He has been the driving force behind the Restoring the Repertoire initiative and TRAIN – the apprenticeship and intern programme. In 2009 he received the Theatre Managers’ Association Manager of the Year Award.

Chief executive Simon Daykin comments: “Taking any organisation through the highs and lows of the last 15 years is no mean feat,especially in these straightened times of economic challenge, Recent surveys show that arts audiences are falling nationally by eight per cent;, it is testimony to his drive and skill that Theatre Royal audiences buck the trend and continue to grow:

Blumenau adds: “I’ve had a fantastic 15 years here. There have been so many highs but now it is time to move on. However, every creative enterprise needs constant rejuvenation, and it is now time to hand over the creative baton to someone else whilst I look forward to developing my own writing and directing. For me, working at the Theatre Royal has been a truly life-defining experience.

“I will leave with some brilliant memories as well as vastly expanded knowledge and experience. I also owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all who have worked with me – staff, board, stakeholders and audiences – to make the Theatre Royal an exceptional and uniquely valuable part of the town, the region, and the nation’s theatrical landscape.”