StoneCrabs Theatre Announces Lynette Linton and Freddie Opoku-Addaie As New Patrons
StoneCrabs Theatre is delighted to announce that playwright and director Lynette Linton and choreographer and performer Freddie Opoku-Addaie have been appointed as their new Patrons.
Currently Artistic Director of Bush Theatre, Lynette Lynette Linton is an alumni of StoneCrabs’ 2013 Young Directors Programme (now Directors In Practice Programme). She was previously Resident Assistant Director at the Donmar Warehouse and Associate Director at the Gate Theatre. In September 2017, she was nominated for Best Director at the Stage Debut Awards. She is also a co-founder of film and theatre production company Black Apron Entertainment. In 2019, she was listed as one of one of London’s most influential people in the Evening Standard‘s Progress List, as well as being named as one of Marie Claire’s “Future Shapers”.
She directed the UK premiere of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer prize winning play Sweat at Donmar Warehouse, which was awarded Evening Standard’s Play of the Year 2019. That same year, she co-directed Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe alongside Adjoa Andoh. The production marked the first ever major UK stage production of a Shakespeare play by a company entirely made up of women of colour. Later this year, the Linton-directed film adaptation of Kit de Waal’s book My Name Is Leon will be aired by the BBC.
Of her appointment, Lynette Linton says:
“I’m so excited about being a Patron of StoneCrabs. I did the Young Directors Programme many years ago and learnt so much. My confidence built, I made friends for life, and I really learnt how to work with actors. It’s a wonderful, wonderful course. It’s so helpful for many emergent directors and I can’t wait to support them in the future because they do such incredible work. They mean so much to me and it’s such an honour to be asked to do this. I can’t wait to meet so many more incredible, exciting directors.”
Currently Artistic Director and CEO of Dance Umbrella, Freddie Opoku-Addaie trained at London Contemporary Dance School and took part in S.T.E.P. (Saburo Teshigawara Education Project). In 2016, he became the founder, director and curator of the SystemsLAB platform, which offers support and visibility to artists in the middle of their careers. He has performed with Jonzi D, Rashpal Singh Bansal, Pan Intercultural Arts, Clod Ensemble, Mary Neal Project, Phakama, Almeida Projects with the Bridge School, and Candoco Dance Company.
He was a finalist for the 2006 and 2010-2011 Bloomberg Place Prize. He is a former recipient of the Robin Howard Choreographic Commission and One Dance UK’s Trailblazer Fellowship, and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House – ROH2 (2009-12). He is a part-time lecturer in Performing Arts at the University of East London as well as a composition lecturer at his alma mater, London Contemporary Dance School.
Of his appointment, Freddie Opoku-Addaie says:
“StoneCrabs’ artistic values and diligent inclusive practices are as relevant as ever. The work the company is doing and the path they are forging fuel my passion for the sector. It is an absolute pleasure to be a patron and I look forward to supporting them wherever possible.”
Franko Figueiredo, Artistic Director of StoneCrabs Theatre said:
“We are thrilled to announce our two brilliant new Patrons, at a very important moment for StoneCrabs as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Both Lynette Linton and Freddie Opoku-Addaie are hugely passionate about the importance of theatre that breaks boundaries and are supportive of the next generation of theatre makers. This is a very exciting development.”
Along with her appointment as a Patron of StoneCrabs, Lynette Linton will be returning to run a masterclass for the 2022 Directors In Practice cohort.