Annette Corbett and Keisha Thompson Awarded Executive Fellowships with London Theatre Consortium in Partnership with the MOBO Organisation

The London Theatre Consortium (LTC), in partnership with the MOBO organisation, have appointed a third cohort of two LTC MOBO Executive Fellows to address the lack of diversity at executive level in UK theatre buildings. The Fellows begin in January 2020 for an attachment of up to a year.

The recipients are Annette Corbett, fundraiser, producer and coach who works for Battersea Arts Centre and Artistic Directors of the Future, and Keisha Thompson, Young People’s Producer at Contact in Manchester.

The fellows will work alongside LTC Executive Directors, getting access to and demystifying the Executive leadership of these 14 theatres.

The aim of the LTC MOBO Fellowships is to create the capacity for diversity in the leadership pool by supporting mid-career leaders and offering them mentoring, shadowing, access and skill sessions to help provide pathways to break through into Executive leadership.

Previous recipients of the executive fellowships include Rachel Brogan, Raidene Carter, Jessica Draper, Daniel Kok , Nicholai La Barrie and Nisha Modhwadia.

Commenting on the initiative Lucy Davies, Executive Producer at the Royal Court Theatre and Chair of LTC states;

“All of the LTC theatres are profoundly committed to using our collective power to create opportunity and make change happen. These Fellowships have been game-changing for us and for them. There are now eight remarkable Fellows who have informed the way we talk and work around the LTC table, creating a viable succession pool for future theatre leadership.”

MOBO Founder Kanya King CBE, adds;

“As a teenager I started my career working at the Kiln Theatre but didn’t continue as I felt there were limited opportunities and roles to get ahead in theatre at the time for someone from my background. This is why we are proud to partner with LTC to be able to support this fellowship programme to create the change we want to see in Modern Britain. Heading into a new decade, we continue to bring people together through the power of Black Culture and theatre is a powerful medium for speaking about where we are as a nation”

 Speaking of the opportunity Annette Corbett said;

“I’m absolutely delighted to have been chosen as an LTC MOBO Fellow for 2020. Over the years, I’ve been moved, inspired and entertained by the amazing work on show at so many of the 14 theatres that make up the LTC network, so I feel privileged to have the opportunity to sit alongside the leaders of some of the most exciting and innovative venues in the country, if not the world.

 I was fortunate to grow up in a family that recognised the value of culture, where I was never prey to that pernicious belief that the arts was ‘not for the likes of me.’ However, I recognise how difficult it can be to take up space in any arena where you do not see yourself represented. I hope that programmes like this fellowship can help demonstrate to the next generation of diverse cultural leaders that they have a positive contribution to make in positions of power.”

Keisha Thompson added;

“It’s genuinely difficult for me to put my feelings about receiving this fellowship into words. The gratitude and anticipation is real. I’m excited to see what I can bring to the table particularly as an artist and a producer coming from the North. I can’t wait to get stuck into the London theatre ecology.”

Read the full press release here.