Matthew Linley – Associate
Matthew brings to the hub considerable venue, organisational development and capital experience, as well as expertise in theatre, film and media, live literature and cross art form programming and development. He is a key member of our creative production team, and also brings his considerable performing and digital arts experience to play in as part of our business planning and organisational development consultancy projects.
Matthew cut his teeth in arts management by setting up a business to run a venue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (with the support of a graduate loan!). It’s that ‘get up and do’ attitude coupled with practical experience that has characterised his career. He was the inaugural Arts Manager of the Michael Tippett Centre, Bath, a contemporary music venue, before moving to the cross art form South Street arts centre in Reading. In 2002 he joined Phoenix, Leicester as Director. By the time he left in 2008 Matthew had led the organisation through a period of massive change as it moved towards its new home in Leicester’s cultural quarter, the Digital Media Centre. He championed the development of the DMC, developing the business plans for the new space and was a core member of the project team leading the design and development process.
Matthew particularly enjoys working closely with practionners and organisations, helping them grow to achieve their goals. Whilst at Phoenix he worked regularly with company in residence Metro Boulot Dodo, was part of the creative team which produced Lousie Katterega’s Place Prize nominated A State of Becoming, and led the partnership of venues which commissioned and produced Active Ingredients’ award winning digital networking project, called Love City. As Co-Chair of the National Live Literature Consortium he was instrumental in the development of Lit Up, a national showcase of spoken word, which took place in 2006. He was also a key member of the East Midlands Capital Networks Group – a peer learning group for senior executives working on arts capital programmes.
Matthew is currently co-producing our Phrased & Confused tour (May 09) and Summer Sundae Tent (Aug 09). In 2008 for the hub he co produced The Seas Club (Varna), Phrased and Confused festival stage (Leicester) and the Insulting Cabaret (National Theatre), as part of International PEN’s Free The Word festival.