Doncaster arts venue welcomes new director with ‘national experience’

Doncaster arts centre Cast has appointed theatre-maker and engagement specialist JAMES BLAKEY as its new director, succeeding DEBORAH REES, who stepped down in December after nine years in the post.

Blakey joins the South Yorkshire venue from Factory International, where he is currently head of engagement. He has also been an associate artistic director at Slung Low and a founding director of the interactive performance company Oscar Mike.

As a director and theatre-maker, Blakey’s work centres on participatory practice and shared authorship, bringing together professional artists and non-professional performers.

His background includes senior roles with the National Theatre, where he served as senior associate director of Public Acts, the nationwide programme focused on large-scale community theatre created in partnership with third-sector organisations and local communities.

Blakey has previous links with Cast, directing The Doncastrian Chalk Circle at the venue in 2022 as part of the Public Acts programme, involving more than 100 local performers.

ANDREW BURDON, chair of Cast’s board, said Blakey’s “national experience” combined with his understanding of Doncaster and its communities made him “the right person to lead Cast into its next chapter”.

Blakey said he saw Cast as “a theatre that matters enormously to artists, communities and audiences in Doncaster and beyond”, adding that he was “honoured” to join the organisation.