Class of 2008 graduate appointed new Chief Executive of Northern Stage on campus
Michael Slavin (BA Hons Politics, 2008) is returning to campus 20 years after first joining Newcastle University to lead Northern Stage in an exciting new chapter.
12 June 2025
Michael joined Newcastle University in 2005 as a first-year Politics student, living in Windsor Terrace. Upon his graduation in 2008, Michael embarked on a career in hospitality, operations and the arts, most notably spending six years at York Theatre Royal where he progressed to Interim CEO. In 2023, Michael returned to the North East to become Chief Operating Officer at 11Arches, the charity behind Kynren in Bishop Auckland, which is the biggest outdoor live-action theatre spectacular in the country.
Michael’s appointment at Northern Stage is a homecoming of sorts, as he first fell in love with the theatre (then known as Newcastle Playhouse) while studying on campus.
Image credit: Christopher Owens
Speaking about his appointment, Michael said:
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Northern Stage as Chief Executive. I first visited Northern Stage over 20 years ago and have been a frequent visitor ever since. This theatre holds, along with the city of Newcastle and its people, a very special place in my heart. The chance to work with Natalie (Northern Stage’s Artistic Director) and the team is profoundly exciting, and I look forward to delighting our audiences over the coming years.”
Michael’s arrival signals a new leadership structure for Northern Stage, with the creation of the sole Chief Executive leadership role to work in close partnership with Artistic Director Natalie Ibu. Together, they will steer the organisation through its next stage of development, strengthening its role as a beacon for creativity, community and cultural life in the North East.
The history of Northern Stage and Newcastle University
Northern Stage occupies a prominent site on campus, located on King’s Walk opposite the Students’ Union. Alumni may remember the theatre by its previous names of Newcastle Playhouse, the University Theatre or the Gulbenkian.
A theatre first opened on campus in 1970, providing a new home for the Tyneside Theatre Company and being used by budding actors from Newcastle University Theatre Society for their productions. In 1978, the building was renamed the Newcastle Playhouse, which it was known as until a £9 million refurbishment in the early 2000s. In August 2006, the theatre reopened as Northern Stage, with the first performance in the refurbished theatre being a production of Dennis Potter’s Son of Man.
Today, Northern Stage is the largest producing theatre in the North East and hosts various local, national and international productions in addition to those produced by the Northern Stage company. The building is home to three stages, with the largest having 447 seats, as well as a café-bar.
