Black Country Touring’s Co-Artistic Directors to Step Down
After 28 years of visionary leadership, Frances Land and Steve Johnstone, Co-Artistic Directors of Black Country Touring (BCT), have decided to step down during Autumn 2025 following a transitional handover. Their dedication to quality, diversity, and the communities of the Black Country has been integral in growing BCT’s reach and reputation.
In 2006, they expanded BCT’s remit from the Black Country-wide touring scheme to include producing ambitious, accessible original theatre that showcased stories from this often-overlooked part of the West Midlands. Their first production, Apna Ghar, was born from gathering stories from South Asian women and training community members in oral history recording techniques. These recordings formed the basis of a production that reflected the richness of those women’s lives and experiences.
Frances and Steve have overseen numerous innovative and site-specific productions that reached thousands across the UK, including:
The Corner Shop (2008-09): An immersive theatre piece that explored the lives of shopkeepers and their communities, based on interviews.
My Big Fat Cowpat Wedding (2014-16): A co-produced comedy-drama with Kali Theatre and Arts Alive that tackled rural-urban, race, and gender divides through an interactive wedding reception setting.
Wild (2024-): An immersive production created through conversations with local people, celebrating the concept of ‘wild’ in nature and urban spaces. This will be their final project with BCT.
Their passion for creating theatre that reflects local lives and voices has shaped BCT’s unique approach, defying conventions and tackling challenging aspects of contemporary society. They have nurtured the careers of many West Midlands artists and theatre-makers, always encouraging ideas from across their teams.
“At the centre of all performing arts is the collective experience - people coming together to share a unique moment in time. This is at the heart of all aspects of Black Country Touring’s work, wherever those performances take place - and however unexpected that moment is. It is at its most vibrant when people recognise themselves in some way within that performance.”
“It has been an absolute joy and privilege to work with so many amazing people over the years at BCT - from all the brilliant people we have worked alongside in the office to the wonderful artists and our many fantastic community partners. We know they will continue the great work BCT is known for and we look forward to seeing how it will continue to grow and evolve in this new phase of its existence.”
We are deeply grateful for their creativity and dedication to BCT and the wider arts community. Even after over two decades, they continued to innovate, staging productions in unusual spaces and connecting with audiences during the pandemic through digital projects. Their leadership has been central to building strong community and artistic partnerships, including the creation of Creative Black Country in 2015.
BCT remains committed to continuing its mission of bringing high-quality, inclusive, and community-driven arts experiences to the region. The recruitment process for a new Artistic Director will begin in March 2025, and we look forward to welcoming fresh perspectives to build on Frances and Steve’s outstanding legacy.
For further information, please contact Amrit Kaur Juss, Marketing & Communications Coordinator: amrit@bctouring.co.uk
