Jonathan Maydew knows a thing or two about leadership. When New Diorama moved to a shared leadership model, it extended its own creative spirit to the way it actually managed and was led.
Jonathan Maydew has been appointed executive director of Brighton Fringe, bringing experience from his time at New Diorama Theatre in London, where he helped support emerging companies and develop artist led programming. He brings his ethos developed in London to his new role at Brighton Fringe and though he watched in London he is a local!
At New Diorama, he was known for backing new voices and building partnerships that kept ticket prices accessible. In Brighton, he steps into a role focused on scale and openness, overseeing one of the largest fringe festivals in England. In this interview with Paul Levy he underlines his priorities including his wish to work to support independent artists, maintaining the festival’s inclusive ethos, and balancing growth with the distinctive, unruly spirit that draws audiences and performers to the city each year.
These are of course bold ambitions when the arts is so strapped for cash, so how do we strike a balance between the income that larger hubs and venues can bring in with the need to ensure that smaller venues right on the edges of the city boundaries are also located at the heart of this festival?
