Olivia Jacobs Stepping Down as Co-Artistic Director Of Tall Stories

Olivia Jacobs has announced that she will be stepping down as Co-Artistic Director of Tall Stories, the theatre company she co-founded with Toby Mitchell in 1997, to take on the role of Artistic Associate. Olivia has helped to take the charity from strength to strength over the last 24 years. Alongside Toby, she has created highly imaginative and successful adaptations of best-selling children's books such as 'The Gruffalo' and 'Room on the Broom', alongside co-creating brand new stories.

Olivia's diligence, charisma and entrepreneurial spirit have helped to enable the company to perform in prestigious venues all over the world including London's West End, Sydney Opera House and the New Victory Theatre, New York; alongside seeing the shows translated into multiple languages such as German, Arabic, Hebrew and isiXhosa.

The company's original HQ was Olivia's front room, with weekends spent cramming pieces of set into a small hatchback and operating shows from tiny tech boxes. The company now operates from the Tall Stories Studio, housed within Central Library in Islington, which Olivia was hugely involved in setting up. The recently renovated space consists of an administrative base, alongside a large studio space suitable for rehearsals and performances for audiences of 80.

Whilst the company is best known for its productions for family audiences, the organisation's model is set up so that the larger scale productions subsidise smaller scale shows that often perform for free in schools or community centres. Responding to audience feedback that the parents and carers enjoy the company's shows as much as their children, in 2018 Olivia showed her versatility directing 'The Canterville Ghost' to great acclaim, taking the company back to its roots with a production for grown-ups. The show is set to tour in 2022, having been postponed due to the pandemic.

Olivia has invested huge time and energy into the organisation's Company Members. Each person that works for Tall Stories automatically becomes a Company Member and is listed on the charity's website. Frequently artists and creatives say working for Tall Stories feels like being part of a family.

It is Olivia's kind and caring personality that has helped shape the spirit of the organisation, placing value on every person that contributes, however big or small, to the overall success of the charity. During lockdown, Olivia and her colleagues were concerned for the organisation's Company Members who suddenly found themselves out of work. Setting up weekly warm-ups via Zoom every Monday morning provided a link to the organisation and kept the 'Tall Stories family' in touch. Olivia was also instrumental in arranging free online workshops for Company Members every Thursday; working with external experts in many fields to keep actors in touch with their craft whilst theatres were closed.

Whilst Olivia steps down from the day to day running of the company, she will take on the role of Artistic Associate for Tall Stories and will continue to direct occasional productions going forward. She will also contribute to the artistic programme of work the company has planned in its new space in Islington.

Olivia says: "Tall Stories has been a huge part of my life for 25 years and I'm hugely proud of what we've achieved. It hasn't been an easy decision to step back from the company, but I feel it's time to move on to new adventures. Now established in a new home, with an exciting artist development programme beginning, a brand-new show opening in October and our existing repertoire out on the road again, the future looks bright for Tall Stories. I leave the company in safe hands with a fabulous team in place, and I'm hugely excited to watch the company develop under Toby and Lucy's inspiring leadership. It's been a privilege to have worked alongside such talented, dedicated, thoughtful and hilarious people. I promise to wash up my coffee mugs before I go."

Co-director Toby Mitchell says: "Olivia and I have worked closely together for 25 years, learning so much from each other in the process. Her passion and talent for visual storytelling have been and will remain an inspiration to me. As her co-director, I will miss her in too many ways to mention; as her friend, I'm excited to see what she does next."

Executive Director Lucy Wood says: "I have spent the last 15 years working with Olivia; her stamina, diplomacy skills and extraordinary dedication to the company have been inspiring to watch and learn from. Her creativity, kindness and compassion will remain embedded in the values of the organisation as we start a new chapter in Islington. Whilst I wish her all the best for what she goes on to next and look forward to working with her in her new capacity as Artistic Associate, I will greatly miss working with her on a day-to-day basis."

Penelope Daly, chair of Tall Stories' board of trustees, says: "We're going to miss a great colleague in Olivia. From the Trustees' perspective, she and Toby have successfully led and run an internationally recognised story-telling theatre company. Not only is Olivia an extremely talented creative but she's also an astute business person; this has allowed Tall Stories to weather the pandemic better than many theatre companies. Although we'll miss Olivia's day-to-day involvement, we're fortunate in having the continuing expertise and energy of Toby and Lucy to lead Tall Stories into our next exciting phase of development."

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