Judy Kelly

Judy Kelly was born in Liverpool in 1954 and studied drama at Birmingham University. 

She joined the South Bank Centre as Artistic Director in September 2005 and is responsible for creating a unified artistic vision for the whole 21-acre site.  She has held a number of important positions in the world of arts and culture.  She made her name as Artistic Director of Battersea Arts Centre in the1980s establishing it as a national venue.  In 1986, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company before becoming the first Artistic Director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse (WYP) in Leeds. As Artistic Director and CEO of the country’s largest regional theatre, she established the WYP as an acknowledged centre of excellence.  Jude left the WYP in 2002 to establish a series of arts spaces called Metal, an artistic ‘laboratory’ that develops creative ideas in a number of contexts. In her career, she has directed over 100 productions with actors including Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Alan Rickman and Alison Steadman.  Most recently she directed On the Town with English National Opera (March 2005).

Jude Kelly was awarded an OBE for services to the theatre in 1997 and is Chair of Common Purpose International Trust, board member of The British Council and the Liverpool Biennale and Visiting Professor at Kingston and Leeds Universities.  She has Honorary Doctorates from Leeds Metropolitan University, Bradford, York and the Open Universities and is a Fellow of Dartington College and the Central School of Drama.  She is also Chair of Culture, Ceremonies and Education at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.