Theatre Royal Wakefield appoints new trustees - including Coronation Street’s PC Henshaw and Dame Ruby Rhubarb actor Darren Johnson

Nigel Brook, Darren Johnson, Brandon Robinson-Connolly and Daniel McCormack joined the board - which owns and operates Theatre Royal Wakefield - after three serving members came to the end of their terms of office.

Nigel joins the board in a finance role as a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. He will chair the trust’s Audit Committee. Nigel was Assistant Chief Officer at West Yorkshire Police before retirement.

Darren Johnson has worked in theatre for 35 years after starting his career at Theatre Royal Wakefield. He runs his own touring pantomime company Pocket Panto, and has played PC Henshaw on Coronation Street, as well as his alter ego Dame Ruby Rhubarb.

Daniel is a partner in the Corporate Finance team at Lupton Fawcett LLP and a member of the Leeds Law Society and the Law Society while Brandon - the youngest board member at 22 - is an emerging northern actor and creative. He was an original member of the theatre’s own Performance Academy, has performed in several Wakefield Youth Music Theatre productions and participated in the Theatre Royal Wakefield Young Writers programme.

Executive Director Katie Town said: “Our new trustees come with a wealth of knowledge and experience in a number of relevant fields. This expertise, coupled with their motivation and enthusiasm , will allow us to steer the trust through the coming months.”