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Deborah Aydon to move on after 15 years at the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres

After 15 years as Executive Director of the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres, Deborah Aydon has decided to move on to pursue fresh opportunities to make a positive difference in the arts and beyond.

Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres

Deborah’s leadership, in close partnership with Artistic Director Gemma Bodinetz, has driven an exceptionally vibrant period for theatre in Liverpool, epitomised by the Stirling Prize-winning and deeply loved new incarnation of the Everyman.

During her tenure, our theatres, and indeed Liverpool City Region, have dramatically changed and Deborah has played an instrumental role in these positive developments.

This has been a period of great innovation, most notably the re-imagining of the Everyman which won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014, and the recent creation of the much acclaimed Everyman Company.

We have created vivid productions of classic and new plays, which have transferred to the West End and toured nationally and internationally. The team have attracted world-class performers and internationally-recognised companies to the city, helping shine an international spotlight on Liverpool’s cultural and artistic scene in the run-up to the city’s year as European Capital of Culture and in the decade since.

The theatres have also played a pivotal role in transforming the life chances and opportunities for thousands of young people with the re-invention of what regional youth theatre could be: the award-winning Young Everyman Playhouse (YEP).

Throughout this time, Deborah has been a passionate ambassador and champion for Liverpool. She has been proactive in promoting the city region as an international destination for culture, while championing the need for the arts to reach into schools and communities, and she has played an instrumental role in Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium (LARC). Deborah was made an honorary fellow of Liverpool John Moores University in 2014.

Deborah Aydon & Gemma Bodinetz. Photograph by Dan Kenyon
Deborah Aydon & Gemma Bodinetz. Photograph by Dan Kenyon

Deborah Aydon, Executive Director said: “It has been an immense joy to play my part, alongside Gemma, in these great theatres’ journey. There have been too many highlights to list them all, but the highest by far was the unforgettable opening of the new Everyman: I will always have a deep sense of satisfaction and pride that we created something so wonderful and enduring. I have worked with truly exceptional people who have made the impossible possible. We have touched and transformed countless lives and the City Region and the theatre sector are so much richer for what everyone has achieved here. I have a deep love for this city, these theatres and the people in them. But after 15 years, the time has come for me to make a difference in other ways. I will always be a loyal friend to - and passionate champion of - the Everyman and Playhouse, and I wish Gemma, the board, my wonderful colleagues and our inspirational artists and young people every success in the years ahead.”

Gemma Bodinetz, Artistic Director, said: “No quote can encompass all Deborah Aydon has been to me, these theatres, this industry or this remarkable city over the last 15 years. Through delivery of The European Capital of Culture, the building of the Stirling Prize-winning Everyman, the award-winning Everyman Company and the flourishing of Young Everyman Playhouse, Deborah’s commitment to the power of transformative, inclusive, regional theatre has been inspirational nationally, locally and of course to me personally. I am very grateful for the mighty support and friendship she has given me over the years and I wish her every joy and success in the new adventures she has planned going forward.”

Michael Mansfield Q.C., Chair of Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust (LMTT), said: “On behalf of the board of trustees at LMTT, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Deborah for the vital part she has played in helping to realise the full creative potential of the two theatres the Everyman and the Playhouse, crucial to the cultural fabric of Liverpool and a far wider hinterland, to make them the experience we know and love today. Deborah has, alongside Gemma, given the theatres life and soul – truly epitomising the values that make our theatres so special and indeed, unique. The words conjured repeatedly to describe the performances are 'vibrant and innovative'

“Her hard work, energy and determination has achieved a record-breaking number of accolades for the theatres, further positioning LMTT as a leader within the arts arena. On top of this have been award after award, most recently The Stage Innovation Award and the Peter Brook Empty Space Ensemble Award, both for the acclaimed Everyman Company and the Merseyside Independent Business Award for Culture and Tourism.

“We thank Deborah for the last 15 years and wish her every success with her future endeavours. Deborah leaves an extraordinary legacy within the theatres and the city region as she moves on to pursue fresh opportunities within the arts sector and beyond. Interim arrangements are in place whilst the board reviews the next steps for a successor.”