Dick Penny MBE is an arts administrator, consultant and producer, based in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England. Before his involvement in the arts, he worked in manufacturing industry, computer programming and the building trade.

Biography

Penny was born in

Droitwich Spa Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. T ...

and educated at Monmouth School and Ross-on-Wye Grammar School. His first job in the theatre was as administrator of the Little Theatre Company (1980–1983), which he set up with a group of

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

actors to keep the Little Theatre, in the municipally owned

Colston Hall Bristol Beacon, previously Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, it has been managed by Bristol Music Trust. The hall opened as a con ...

complex, going as a professional venue. His duties included everything from set building to front of house. Notable productions included

Raymond Briggs Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...

' 1983 adaptation of his own book When the Wind Blows, based on the

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

civil defence Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, ...

booklet

Protect and Survive ''Protect and Survive'' was a public information campaign on civil defence. Produced by the British government between 1974 and 1980, it intended to advise the public on how to protect themselves during a nuclear attack. The campaign comprise ...

, which transferred to the

Whitehall Theatre Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

. Between 1986 and 1988 Penny was the Associate Director at

with a brief to develop programme and audience. From 1991 to 1993 he was director of

Watershed Media Centre Watershed opened in June 1982 as the United Kingdom's first dedicated media centre. Based in former warehouses on the Bristol Harbour, harbourside at Bristol, it hosts three Movie theater, cinemas, a café/Bar (establishment), bar, events/confe ...

, the UK's first media centre. He has been a board member of the Ashton Court Festival,

Circomedia Circomedia is a school for contemporary circus and physical theatre based in Bristol, England. The school offers a variety of training courses and workshops that teach circus skills in the context of physical theatre, performance and creativity. ...

and Bristol +. Penny has stated that he has "a passion for Bristol and a drive to make the city a more exciting, open and inter-connected place to live, work and play." In the 1990s Penny's production company Rebbeck Penny co-produced ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', starring

Pete Postlethwaite Peter William Postlethwaite (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After various stage and minor television appearances, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the film '' Distant Voices, Still Lives'' ...

, with Bristol Old Vic for a UK tour, and in 2001 ''Scaramouche Jones'', which also starred Postlethwaite, for a UK and world tour. In 2007 he took over as Executive Chair of Bristol Old Vic with the main objective of reopening England's longest running theatre. He is currently the managing director of the

, an organisation he re-joined in 1998. Penny is also founding director of Bristol +, a creative partnership board made up of public sector officials and creative entrepreneurs. In 2010 he was awarded honorary degrees by the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

and the

University of the West of England The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a Public university, public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 39,912 students and 4,300 staff, it is the largest provider of hi ...

. He was awarded an MBE for services to the creative industries in Bristol in the 2011 New Year's Honours List.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penny, Dick Culture in Bristol Theatre people from Bristol Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire