After 25 years at the helm of Northern Broadsides, the well-known Yorkshire actor Barrie Rutter is stepping down.
But he certainly won’t be bowing out quietly.
His swansong in early 2018 will be to direct The Captive Queen at London’s prestigious Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in a co-production between Broadsides and Shakespeare’s Globe.
And before that Barrie, founder and artistic director of Northern Broadsides, will direct the world premiere of For Love or Money, Blake Morrison’s new adaptation of Alain Rene Lesage’s French comedy Turcaret. The play will open at the Viaduct Theatre, Dean Clough, Halifax, in September 2017.
Barrie, who was awarded the OBE for Services to Drama in 2015, has an illustrious acting background, having worked at both the RSC and National Theatre before creating Northern Broadsides.
The ethos of the company is to produce robust, classic plays, with an ensemble of Northern actors and it has attracted a loyal following.
On leaving his post Barrie says: “Having failed to lead the team in securing a long-overdue increase in Arts Council funding, I have decided that after 25 wonderful years it is the right time for me to stand down.”
