Prue Skene
Arts administrator who helped transform the Rambert Dance company, as well as chairing Cardboard Citizens
A former executive director, and later chair, of Ballet Rambert, Prue Skene was a popular and influential figure in London’s cultural life for more than half a century.
She began her career as deputy director of the Roundhouse, then mostly a music venue, and became interested in contemporary dance after seeing Twyla Tharp perform there in the early 1970s. It was Rambert’s season at the venue in 1974 that prompted her to apply for the job of executive director.
She served in this role from 1975 to 1986, then as chair of the board of the renamed Rambert Dance Company from 2000 to 2009. In 1976, the year after she joined the company, Rambert celebrated its 50th anniversary and Skene was tasked with organising a gala at Sadler’s Wells, attended by Princess Margaret.
During her time at Rambert, she played a key role in shaping the company’s future and its place in the international dance community, heading up many successful overseas tours. One of her most significant achievements was masterminding the relocation of the company from its premises in Chiswick to a new, purpose-built home on London’s South Bank. She also oversaw the setting up of the Rambert School in Twickenham.
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In an interview in 2016, she said: “To be part of the cultural quarter on the South Bank raised awareness of Rambert and enabled us to have the space to expand the programme along with our community work.”
Paying tribute to Skene, Rambert’s chief executive Helen Shute said: “To have held the position of leader of the organisation, and chair of the board is a rare thing, and this is testimony not only to Prue’s love and commitment to Rambert but also her shrewd business acumen. These two roles gave Prue a wonderful insight into all the elements needed to ask vital questions and offer practical and strategic support to her successors. Most of all she will be remembered as a mentor and a trusted adviser.”
Skene also served as the much-valued chair of Cardboard Citizens for eight years, from 2016 to 2024, prompting executive director Lisa Briscoe to recall her “thoughtfulness, generosity, wit and incredible drive. She was a true leader and an exceptional human being. Her legacy will continue to guide and inspire us for years to come.”
From 1992 to 2000 Skene worked for Arts Council England, chairing its dance panel, greatly expanding the opportunities for dance development and increasing resources for independent dance companies and artists.
She also chaired the National Lottery Panel, as it regenerated the capital landscape for culture across England, reflected in her 2017 book Capital Gains: How the National Lottery Transformed England’s Arts.
She led the board development programme for Clore Leadership from 2007, delivering a range of training days with chairs and chief executives, trustees and senior cultural leaders. In 2017, she worked with Keith Arrowsmith and Tom Wilcox on co-authoring Governance in the arts and museums: a practical guide.
Clore Leadership executive director Hilary Carty described Skene as “a beacon of advice and inspiration, always ready to see beyond current challenges, and to deftly navigate new pathways.”
Her non-executive appointments included president of the Theatrical Management Association (now UK Theatre); trustee of the Nureyev Foundation; trustee of Nesta; chair of the Arvon Foundation; trustee of Bath Theatre Royal; and trustee of the Rosie Kay Dance Company.
She was appointed CBE in 2000 for services to the arts, especially dance.
Prue Skene was born on January 9, 1944 and died on March 5, aged 81. Her husband, Brian Wray, died in 2002. She is survived by two sisters and her long-term partner, actor Michael Pennington.
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