TOP CREATIVE talent has been appointed to lead the vision for Worcester’s new arts and entertainment centre.
Dr Hannah Phillips and Kitty Ross will be developing the creative strategy and vision for Scala as its new interim creative directors while construction work takes place at the Angel Place site. Scala will open its doors in 2026.
Hannah and Kitty have been part of the creative consortium that has been working with Worcester City Council to prepare the business plan for the new venue.
Dr Hannah Phillips is a theatre director, writer, producer and academic. She is the artistic director of Mobilise Arts, a socially engaged arts company which uses the arts as a tool for social change, wellbeing and to platform marginalised artists, participants and audiences.
She has previously been director of Transformation at Worcester Arts Workshop, director/CEO of Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove, and director of Young People’s Theatre at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Hannah is also a visiting lecturer at Worcester University, Birmingham City University and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and is a senior fellow for the Higher Education Association.
She said: “I am passionate about Worcester’s creative and cultural offer and I am very excited about the potential of Scala for the local community and beyond. I feel very privileged to be working with Worcester City Council, Kitty and the creative consortium to facilitate this ambitious project.”
Kitty is a creative producer and event director. She is currently director of Dancefest, which provides dance opportunities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, specialising in working with artists to produce outdoor work with community performers.
Previously, Kitty has been executive director for Shropshire-based rural touring theatre company Pentabus, a founder of the Empathy Museum and, for over a decade, programme director for the Mayor of London’s Thames Festival.
Kitty added: “Scala is an incredibly exciting project that will transform the northern end of the city centre, bringing fresh opportunities for audiences and artists alike. I am thrilled to be working with Hannah, the City Council and the wider creative community in Worcester to bring our shared vision to life.”
The City Council has also appointment Dr Paul Sutton, artistic director of C&T, as Scala’s creative advisory panel lead, with responsibility for getting other arts and creative organisations engaged with the ambitious project.
