- John Ashford
John Ashford is a
theatre director , [ [http://www.theplace.org.uk/133/our-staff/our-staff.html Our Staff] at www.theplace.org.uk] who has been instrumental in the burgeoning of contemporary dance's popularity in the UK over the last 20 years through his role as Theatre Director atThe Place inLondon .John Ashford was the first theatre editor at
Time Out . He subsequently became Manager of theTheatre Upstairs at theRoyal Court Theatre , at a time when it was producing the early plays ofSam Sheppard andCaryl Churchill , andRichard O'Brien ’sRocky Horror Show . He was subsequently appointed Director of the Theatre at the ICA, promoting seasons of experimental theatre, performance work and new rock bands. In 1985 he brought the Canadian dance companyLa La La Human Steps to London.He was appointed Director of
The Place Theatre byRobin Howard in 1987. He has established the theatre as Britain’s busiest dance venue, promoting the early works of companies includingDV8 ,Adventures in Motion Pictures andRandom Dance , and creating the annualResolution! platform season, which in 2006 presents 105 new works over six weeks.He has also developed a vibrant international strand to the programme, including the first UK performances from artists such as
Wim Vandekeybus ,Sasha Waltz andRui Horta .In 2004 he created
The Place Prize , a new biennial choreography competition which is the UK's richest and most prestigiousdance prize .He received three nominations for the
Digital Dance Premiere Award , winning it in 1993, and won both aLondon Dance and Performance Award and anInternational Theatre Institute Award for Excellence in International Dance. In 2002 Ashford was awarded a CBE for services to dance.References
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