Kiln-Mackintosh Resident Associate Director

Kiln Theatre is delighted to offer, in partnership with the Mackintosh Foundation, a part-time Associate Director residency for a mid-career director from an underrepresented background.

This new pilot residency (building on the success of the Kiln-Mackintosh Resident Assistant Director Programme) is designed to support a director at a key moment in their career, bridging freelance practice and senior artistic responsibility. The role offers structured, hands-on training in leadership, programming and organisational strategy.

The aim of this pilot programme is to open up senior associate-level experience to an exceptional director who has not yet had access to this scale of work or institutional insight. Designed as a developmental residency, the role will equip the successful candidate with the skills, confidence and experience needed to progress into senior artistic leadership roles across the sector.

Working closely with the Artistic Director and Executive Director, the successful candidate will join the senior management team and develop critical leadership skills, while learning about the role of an Artistic Director – including programming, commissioning and the inner workings of a producing theatre venue.

There continues to be a significant lack of diversity among those who lead arts organisations, and this pilot residency programme aims to address this by providing training and a tangible progression route for a candidate from an underrepresented background. With this in mind, we strongly encourage applications from those who have previously experienced barriers in getting senior artistic level roles.

The residency is generously supported by the Mackintosh Foundation and includes additional experiences with Cameron Mackintosh’s West End productions, where possible, offering insight into both publicly funded and commercial theatre at scale.