Earlier this year, we revealed the first of our patrons – the Radcliffe-born film and theatre director, Danny Boyle. Now, we can release details of the other four patrons, who between them bring a wealth of visual art, performance, theatre and film expertise to the organisation.
Nicholas Hytner is Director of the National Theatre, where his productions include Hamlet, One Man, Two Guvnors and The History Boys, and where he introduced the Travelex ticket seasons and National Theatre Live cinema broadcasts. He has worked at the RSC, Northcott Theatre, Exeter, Leeds Playhouse and the Royal Exchange, while his work in opera includes productions for The Royal Opera House, ENO and Glyndebourne. His films include The Madness of King George and The Crucible.
Asif Kapadia is a celebrated filmmaker whose BAFTA-winning film, Senna is the UK’s most successful documentary at the box office; his debut feature The Warrior won the Best British Film BAFTA; Standard Operating Procedure, his four minute film on the force- feeding of Guantánamo Bay detainees, received 10 million views in the days after its release. Asif is currently making a feature documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse.
Phil Collins is a Turner Prize- nominated artist who was awarded the Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Arts in 2001 and has presented solo exhibitions at venues including Tate Britain and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His work is held in public collections such as New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum. He is Professor of Video Art at the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne.
Jackie Kay MBE is one of Scotland’s most distinguished writers. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, her most recent collection of poems, Fiere, was shortlisted for the Costa award, while the novel Trumpet won the Guardian Fiction Award. Jackie also writes extensively for stage and television, including the Library Theatre Company’s Manchester Lines, and is Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.