Coventry’s Albany Theatre warmly welcomes Taiwo Owatemi, Coventry North West MP, as a new member of the Board of Trustees responsible for this important community venue.
The Albany Theatre is moving fast onto centre stage in Coventry’s growing cultural scene having recently announced a £2.908m capital redevelopment project, funded by Coventry City Council through their Cultural Capital Investment Fund that will see the historic building initially gain three new studios, a new café, improvements to the existing studio theatre, and improved audience and community facilities.
Coventry North West MP Taiwo Owatemi’s plans to visit the theatre last year were postponed several times because of COVID restrictions but were finally realised in April 2021. Taiwo was so impressed by what has been achieved by the staff and volunteers that work at the theatre that she offered her extensive skills and knowledge to help support the next stages of development by becoming a member of The Albany Theatre Board of Trustees.
Taiwo Owatemi MP said:
“I was blown away with the scale of what the team at The Albany has achieved in ten short years since formation as a charitable trust. The artistic vision for the theatre closely reflects my core goals as an MP within the community and it was a no-brainer for me to offer myself as a representative to support the trust.”
In addition to maintaining a career as an NHS Pharmacist, Taiwo Owatemi was elected to represent Coventry North West as a member of parliament in December 2019. Taiwo’s main priority as an MP is to ensure that her local community is at the heart of everything she does and guarantees to be an indispensable voice for her constituents. Taiwo’s advocacies hold a strong correlation with The Albany Theatre’s artistic vision ‘to promote well-being through arts for life’ within all of its local communities. The team at The Albany is delighted to welcome Taiwo to their Board of Trustees and looks to benefit from her guidance as she continues to hold the spotlight as an important pioneer within the city.
Chair of The Albany Theatre Trust, David Meredith said:
“In July 2020 we were thrilled to welcome Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South, onto our Board and have been incredibly fortunate in the support she has given us since. To now have Taiwo also join us as a Trustee is remarkable. Strangely enough, half of our venue falls into Zarah’s constituency and half into Taiwo’s, so it is logical and appropriate that both MPs, each passionate about the arts, are offering direct support for the Albany. To have the representation of such strong young women on our board is invaluable. The Albany exists because of Coventry’s dedicated communities and we are reaching out more than ever to ensure we offer the best opportunities and experiences for all ages and backgrounds. With their many contacts they can help us achieve that aim.”
The Albany is emerging from the pandemic boasting an exciting summer season of events and participatory work as it gears up to play a key role in Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.
“The future of The Albany is looking breathtakingly bright, with the addition of countless major stakeholders and the general public sharing their admiration for the venue and its values. Taiwo Owatemi brings crucial expertise and links to hard-to-reach communities to our Board of Trustees, which will help the theatre deliver its Arts for Life vision.” says Andy Hardy, Vice-Chair of The Albany Theatre Trust.
Staff and volunteers look forward to working alongside Taiwo as they reopen their doors to share the magic and joy of the arts with their visitors.
To find out more about The Albany Theatre Trust and its vision please visit albanytheatre.co.uk
