Polka Appoints New Artistic Director

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Peter Glanville will lead Wimbledon theatre company

The new artistic director of the Polka Theatre is Peter Glanville, who replaces Jonathan Lloyd after seven years leading the Wimbledon-based children's theatre company.

Peter (right) is currently Artistic Director/ Chief Executive at Little Angel Theatre, Islington and will start at Polka in November.

He said of his appointment: "I feel very privileged to have been offered the position of Artistic Director at Polka Theatre.

"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."

At Little Angel Theatre Peter directed numerous critically acclaimed productions for children including Carol Ann Duffy's The Tear Thief (in association with the Royal Exchange, narrated by Juliet Stevenson) and Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt as well as the early years opera Skitterbang Island (co-produced with Polka) and The Tempest (co-produced with the RSC).

Prior to joining Little Angel Theatre, Peter directed over 40 productions and installations for Kazzum, a company he founded in 1989. Peter is also founder and festival director of SUSPENSE: London Puppetry Festival (produced by Little Angel Theatre) and runs the Actors Company at artsdepot.

Sarah King, Chair of Polka's Board of Trustees, said: "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. We are delighted he will be joining us."

Executive Director Stephen Midlane said: "I am very excited at the prospect of working with Peter. He is no stranger to Polka having regularly brought productions to the theatre and collaborated on past co-productions in his previous roles as Artistic Director at Kazzum and Little Angel.

"He has a fine track record of producing excellent quality work for children throughout his career and of realising high ambitions for the companies he leads, and he is therefore well placed to fulfil the bold plans that Polka has set itself for the future."

August 9, 2013