British theatre’s longest serving artistic director is more focused on the future than the past.
Sam Walters MBE has run Richmond’s Orange Tree Theatre since founding it in 1971, leading it from a room above a pub to building London’s only dedicated theatre-in-the-round, and while a lot has changed in his time, there’s one thing he feels should remain the same.
“Artists ought to be outside and antagonise the establishment,” he said in a snug corner of the theatre, his presence as warming as the heating on a cold January night.