Worcester’s £9.6m arts centre names inaugural leader

Worcester’s latest arts centre, Scala, has announced its incoming chief executive and artistic director, as the organisation also secures registration as a charity.

Dr HANNAH PHILLIPS, a director, writer, producer, and academic who works as a visiting lecturer at the likes of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, joins Scala as it prepares for its 2026 opening.

Her appointment follows a £9.6 million transformation to a building that originally housed a cinema when it opened in 1922.

Promising to be home to a slate of cultural experiences, including live performance, independent film, music, talks, exhibitions, and festivals, Scala is to be run in partnership with Worcester City Council.

Phillips said she was thrilled to become the organisation’s first artistic director, adding: “What a time to live and work in Worcester.

“Arts centres are built around people and place, they are built around the people that use them and are deeply embedded into local life. Everyone should have access to creativity; culture belongs to all of us. Scala will not only be a place to see and experience art, but it will also be a space to create art.”

IAN ARCHER, chair of the Scala board of trustees, said: “This appointment coincides with Scala being established as a new charity and is the right moment for us to secure a chief executive and artistic director with the skills and experience that Hannah brings, so we can look ahead to 2026 and the centre opening.”