Alan Lyddiard, the founder and Artistic Director of The Performance Ensemble, will step down from his role on 5 October 2025, marking the end of a transformative chapter in the company’s history. Since founding the Ensemble in 2016, Lyddiard has led the company from a small-scale, project-based initiative to a nationally recognised organisation – the UK’s first National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) with a permanent collective of older artists at its core.
The Performance Ensemble creates high-quality contemporary performances with people over 60, drawing from their own life experiences, hopes, and fears to craft work that resonates with audiences of all ages. Celebrating the fullness of life, the company’s performances explore vulnerability, resilience, and ageing. Rooted in the diverse communities of Leeds — a city that has pledged to become the ‘best place to grow old in’ — the Ensemble works both locally and internationally, championing co-creation, community collaboration, and inclusive artistic exchange.
Over the last decade, the Ensemble has become a pioneering force in contemporary theatre, challenging outdated narratives around age and putting older people centre stage. It is now widely recognised for its distinctive artistic vision and meaningful engagement with older artists, both professional and non-professional.
Alan Lyddiard said, “I have had the privilege to be the Artistic Director of The Performance Ensemble, living in the great city of Leeds. It has been a joy to work with so many older people, exploring our collective and individual creativity, building lasting relationships, and making beautiful, powerful and meaningful pieces of theatre filled with stories, dance, music and life. Truly making art with the experience of age. I am incredibly grateful to all the amazing people I have worked with over the years.”
Under Lyddiard’s leadership, the Ensemble has delivered an acclaimed body of work that includes Anniversary, Sinfonia, 1001 Stories, Promise of a Garden, and international collaborations such as Whispers of Life and Bench Encounters.
The decision for Alan’s departure comes as part of a planned succession strategy, outlined in the Ensemble’s successful NPO application. The company has taken great care in identifying the right moment for leadership transition, which aligns with the third year of its current Arts Council England funding agreement.
Co-Chairs of the Board, Carmel Langstaff and Roger Harington, said, “We wish to express our admiration and gratitude for all that Alan has achieved. His leadership, creativity, and deep belief in the power of older people’s stories have shaped a truly unique company. We now look forward to supporting The Performance Ensemble to continue to grow and flourish in the years ahead.”
To ensure a smooth handover, Lyddiard will continue working with the company in a freelance capacity, overseeing a number of projects including the development of Sinfonia as a touring work, a social prescribing project in Bradford, and Bench Encounters, an intergenerational piece influenced by the global Friendship Bench movement.
A formal recruitment process will begin this summer to recruit a new Artistic Director for The Performance Ensemble with the vision and experience to build on Lyddiard’s legacy.
More information can be found here.
