THEATRE PECKHAM
Chair of the Board of Trustees
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Theatre Peckham is seeking an ambitious, thoughtful, and collaborative Chair to help shape our next chapter. Working closely with our CEO and Artistic Director, Dr Suzann McLean MBE, fellow Trustees, and our wider community of stakeholders, our new Chair will help us turn a bold long-term vision into a resilient and sustainable strategy.
WHO WE ARE
Founded in 1986, Theatre Peckham is a multi-award-winning cultural venue for artistic excellence and social change. We are rooted in south-east London and shaped by the voices, stories, and creativity of the community we serve.
We are both a cultural venue and a learning theatre. Through our Academy training, bold productions, workshops, and festival programming, we enable children, young people, and early career artists to develop skills, tell their stories, and build pathways into the creative industries and beyond. We deliver more than 25,000 contact hours to more than 300 children and young people who take part in our programmes each year, developing confidence, self-expression, and pride in their community.
Our work is hyperlocal, centred on Peckham, neighbouring Camberwell, and the surrounding Southwark neighbourhoods. Its impact travels much further: the artists and young people we nurture and grow go on to influence theatre and the wider creative industries across London and beyond. We have:
- A state-of-the-art 200-seat theatre and studios in Peckham.
- A five-year management contract for Canada Water Theatre, awarded from April 2026.
- Award-winning work recognized for widening access, artistic excellence, and musical theatre education.
For 40 years, we have opened doors, championed underrepresented voices, and shown that creativity belongs to everyone. Distinguished patrons include John Boyega, Roy Williams OBE FRSL, Jenny Agutter OBE, Dr Paulette Randall MBE, Editor of The Stage Matt Hemley, and Miatta Fahnbulleh MP.
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A CHAIR TO GUIDE OUR NEXT CHAPTER
As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we are looking ahead with ambition and purpose. We are seeking a new Chair to help shape Theatre Peckham’s next chapter. This is a pivotal leadership role with the opportunity to guide our strategic direction and build on four decades of impact. The Chair will lead an inclusive, high-performing Board, encourage open discussion, drawing out different perspectives to support effective decision-making, and sustain a relationship of trust and accountability to help drive Theatre Peckham’s vision forward.
Our new Chair will help us to:
- Shape a compelling vision for Theatre Peckham’s next 40 years and translate it into a practical, measurable strategy.
- Keep children, young people, early career artists, and our hyperlocal community at the heart of Board thinking.
- Build on the opportunity presented by our Peckham home and our five-year management contract for Canada Water Theatre.
- Strengthen income, partnerships, profile, and influence while maintaining rigorous oversight of risk and sustainability.
- Ensure our leadership and governance increasingly reflect the community we serve.
BECOME OUR CHAIR
You may be a strong fit if you:
- Have a strong connection to our purpose, values, and community-rooted ethos.
- Can lead the development of an ambitious vision and strategy, turning ideas into clear priorities and accountable delivery.
- Understand the balance between entrepreneurial ambition and the financial care required to protect a publicly funded arts organisation.
- Build trusting, candid, and constructive relationships with a CEO, trustees, and a wide range of stakeholders.
- Chair inclusive conversations, draw out different perspectives, and help a group reach sound collective decisions.
- Can represent and advocate for Theatre Peckham with credibility across culture, public life, philanthropy, business, and community networks.
- Understand and accept the legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship.
- Can commit the time and energy required to be visible, engaged, and well informed.
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HOW TO APPLY
Submit a cover letter* of no more than one A4 page explaining why you are interested in becoming our Chair. Tell us how your experience, perspective, and leadership could help us shape Theatre Peckham’s next 40 years.
Send your application to: tash@theatrepeckham.co.uk
*You are welcome to apply in another format, such as an audio recording or a film made on your phone. Please keep alternative-format applications to no more than three minutes and email us in advance if you plan to use one.
Key Dates:
- Monday 14 September, 10am - Deadline for applications.
- Monday 12 October - Successful applicants will be interviewed by our Nominations Committee.
- Tuesday 3 November - A second interview, which will include a tour of our building and an informal conversation with the current Chair, will follow.
- If you are shortlisted to the final stage, you will be invited to attend our next Board meeting as an observer on Tuesday 20th October, 5:30PM-7PM.
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