Deborah Shaw appointed chief executive of Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre

The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury has appointed Deborah Shaw as its chief executive.

The appointment comes after the theatre announced its plans to become an independent charitable trust earlier this year.

Shaw joins the Marlowe from Historic Royal Palaces, the organisation that looks after buildings such as the Tower of London, where she was head of creative direction and innovation, overseeing projects such as the 2014 poppies installation.

She has previously been an associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and was director of Bath Shakespeare Festival.

Shaw will be tasked with leading the theatre and developing a strategic vision and will oversee the Marlowe’s programming in the immediate term.

She said: “I am delighted to be appointed chief executive of the Marlowe at this exciting moment in its evolution. The Marlowe has been a real success story in recent years and I look forward very much to working with the trustees, partners and the theatre team on an ambitious future.”

She joins the theatre in September.

Until earlier this year the Marlowe was managed by the city council, however the local authority has now relinquished control of the venue and it is run by the newly established Marlowe Charitable Trust, chaired by director Jonathan Church.

He said: “[Shaw’s] appointment, alongside the skill and strength of the senior management team, gives us the ability and confidence to capitalise on the incredible opportunity given to us by Canterbury City Council to take the Marlowe into a new phase of its life.”