Theatre director and producer, Rebecca Gould, has joined British Council Wales as its head of arts.
Rebecca joins the British Council from the Soho Theatre, London where she was Creative producer, specialising in developing new plays, education and outreach projects. She has also worked as an Education Associate artist for the Royal Shakespeare Company, leading teacher development days, and working with schools in the UK and overseas; most recently in India, Argentina and New York.
She is also involved with Cardiff’s Open Air Theatre Festival produced by Everyman Theatre in Sophia Gardens; she has directed the Shakespeare play for the past two years and this year will direct ‘As You Like It’.
Rebecca is originally from Cardiff and is an English graduate of the University of South Wales. While still at school she was a member of the Everyman and Llanover Youth Theatres. After leaving university she spent time working at the Sherman Theatre and the New Theatre, learning about the theatre industry from the bottom up, working both as an usher and in the box office. A bursary from Arts Council Wales gave her the chance to train as a theatre director with Made in Wales Stage Company, where she also worked later as Associate Director.
In her new role with the British Council she will develop and implement a strategy for the British Council’s arts and creative industries work in Wales. She will work closely with the country’s arts organisations to develop an international programme, which will promote Welsh culture abroad and build international partnerships.
Rebecca said: “I know there is a wealth of first-class creative work going on in Wales and I’m looking forward to helping to take it to the wider international audience it deserves.”
Rebecca’s work has a strong international dimension and she has worked extensively across India on a series of theatre and learning projects. She has also produced and directed productions, festivals and conferences in Hong Kong, Ghana, South Africa and Uganda. She co-founded the theatre company and arts consultancy Tinderbox Alley with fellow theatre director Jeff Teare in 2002 and she has worked closely with the Wellcome Trust to foster a wider awareness through theatre of advances in biomedicine.
Jenny Scott, director of British Council Wales, said: “We’re pleased to welcome Rebecca to the team. Her international experience and her work with young people makes her a perfect fit for the British Council. She is no stranger to many of our arts partners and I’m sure she will help us to strengthen our partnerships in Wales and internationally.”