Worcester City Council announces the appointment of two leading creative producers, Dr Hannah Phillips and Kitty Ross, as the interim Creative Directors of Scala, the new arts and entertainment centre being created in Worcester’s city centre.

Hannah, who is also Artistic Director of Mobilise Arts, and Kitty, currently Director of Dancefest, will be developing the creative strategy and vision for the new venue, in parallel with the soon-to-start construction work at the Angel Place site. Scala will open its doors in 2026.

Hannah and Kitty have been part of the creative consortium that has been working with the City Council to prepare business plan for the new venue.

Dr Hannah Phillips is a theatre director, writer, producer and academic. She is the Artistic Director of Mobilise Arts, a socially engaged arts company which uses the arts as a tool for social change, wellbeing and to platform marginalised artists, participants and audiences. She has previously been Director of Transformation at Worcester Arts Workshop, Director / CEO of Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove and Director of Young People’s Theatre at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Hannah is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Worcester, Birmingham City University and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and is a Senior Fellow for the Higher Education Association.

Hannah Phillps said: “I am passionate about Worcester's creative and cultural offer and I am very excited about the potential of Scala for the local community and beyond. I feel very privileged to be working with Worcester City Council, Kitty and the creative consortium to facilitate this ambitious project.”

Kitty Ross is a creative producer and event director. She is currently Director of Dancefest, which provides dance opportunities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, specialising in working with artists to produce outdoor work with community performers. Previously, Kitty has been Executive Director for Shropshire-based rural touring theatre company, Pentabus, a founder of the Empathy Museum and, for over a decade, Programme Director for the Mayor of London’s Thames Festival. In that role she commissioned and managed large-scale installations from international companies on London’s South Bank, and curated and produced outdoor arts programmes in the capital, including for the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees and Hemingway Design’s events at the Olympic Park. 

Kitty Ross said: “Scala is an incredibly exciting project that will transform the northern end of the city centre, bringing fresh opportunities for audiences and artists alike. I am thrilled to be working with Hannah, the City Council and wider creative community in Worcester to bring our shared vision to life.”

Alongside the announcement of Hannah and Kitty, the City Council has also appointment Dr Paul Sutton, Artistic Director of C&T, as Scala’s Creative Advisory Panel Lead, with responsibility for getting other arts and creative organisations engaged with the ambitious project.

Paul Sutton is Artistic Director of C&T, an Arts Council national portfolio organisation that mixes theatre, participation and digital technology. He has worked in Worcester for over 35 years, in both schools, colleges and community settings. He has worked with theatres and universities in London, Liverpool, Kent and many other locations. His work has led him and C&T to collaborations in New York City, Nairobi, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and many other locations. He has a PhD in Drama and Digital technology and is the author of numerous books on the subject. 

Paul Sutton said: “I’m thrilled to be getting to work on how Scala can collaborate with the wider creative community of Worcester. As well as looking at what we can learn from other organisations across the country, my top priority is listening to the artists and creatives in our city and finding ways to make Scala a place that inspires all of us.

“As an Arts Council national portfolio organisation C&T, are also excited about taking up a residency at Scala when it opens.” 

Announcing the appointments, Councillor Lynn Denham, Leader of the City Council, said: “Hannah and Kitty are major creative talents with national reputations and many years of experience in engaging with communities to create successful arts and entertainment events and experiences.

“Their appointment as interim Creative Directors, alongside Paul Sutton as Creative Advisory Panel Lead, shows the ambition we have to make Scala a major new centre for entertainment, creativity and community engagement in the heart of Worcester.”

Worcester City Council has appointed local firm Speller Metcalfe to renovate the historic former Scala cinema in Angel Place to create the new Scala arts centre. Construction work will begin in the next few weeks.

The project is being made possible by a share of the £17.9m grant that Worcester City Council secured from the previous Government’s Future High Street Fund.

The business plan for Scala has been created by the City Council working with a local creative consortium of some of Worcester’s leading arts, cultural and creative organisation. In addition to Mobilise Arts, Dancefest and C&T, the consortium includes Severn Arts, The Kiln, and Vestan.