Darcey Bussell joins Plymouth Theatre Royal

She's setting up base in the city

Dame Darcey Bussell is taking a top theatre job in Devon.

The former Strictly Come Dancing judge and principal of the Royal Ballet is becoming chair of trustees of Plymouth's Theatre Royal on 1 April - and it's no April Fool's joke. She's even hinting she's setting up home in Plymouth with her husband.

Dame Darcey is taking over from Nick Buckland who is retiring from the theatre's board after 13 years and she will be its first female chair since it opened in 1982.

It's a major accolade for the Theatre Royal, which is in a period of renewal after its longstanding chief executive, Adrian Vinken, left last year. 

Dame Darcey is the most famous British ballet dancer of her generation and was a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet for almost 20 years and is now a head coach there. 

She left Strictly Come Dancing after seven years in 2019, later telling the Royal Academy of Dance podcast: "It was really hard because the producers on the show didn’t want me to be the ballet dancer and I was like: 'Well, sadly I am, and I think you chose me because I am the ballet dancer'."

Of her new appointment, Dame Darcey said: “I have known of the Theatre Royal and its excellence as a regional theatre for a long time, as I first danced on the beautiful Lyric stage over 30 years ago.

"It has been a pleasure getting to know the whole TRP team over the last few months as my husband and I establish a new base in Plymouth and I would like to thank our outgoing chair, Nick Buckland OBE, for being so supportive and going out of his way to help with a smooth transition."

Referring to James Mackenzie-Blackman, the Theatre Royal's chief executive, Dame Darcey continued: "Under James’ exceptional leadership, TRP is on a bold and ambitious path to augment its position as one of the country’s leading theatres with the growth of homegrown productions, a pathway I fully support.

"TRP is the beating heart of Plymouth, a city whose future is very bright indeed and I am excited about playing my part.”

Mr Mackenzie-Blackman said: “Darcey is a true embodiment of TRP’s values, and I’m thrilled she will lead our board in the years ahead. Darcey’s vast artistic experience will ensure that she’s able to support, challenge and help steer our creative ambition and her exceptional network and global reputation will help us connect to people that will help us deliver on our plans.

"With Darcey’s appointment, TRP’s new approach to artistic growth truly starts at the top of our organisation. I’d like to thank Nick for his exceptional, long-standing, leadership of TRP’s board. He has supported TRP through the best of times and the worst of times, always with the best interests of the charity at heart. We will miss him on the Board, but we are extremely fortunate to know that we can always call on his vast experience of our city and region.”