MARGATE'S Theatre Royal has a new artistic director who takes over at the helm next month.

Will Wollen has been appointed to guide the historic venue to a new era as a community arts based theatre after it was bought out by the district council and funders for £350,000.

Five staff were made redundant and a petition signed by 5,000 residents against slashing the number of professional shows to just six weeks a year was presented to the council.

The council maintain that urgent action was needed to rescue and close the theatre for major rethink for six months it faced insolvency.

Campaigners have vowed to watch development at the Addington Street building "like hawks" and it is against this backdrop that the 32-year-old joins on July 16 from the Watermill Theatre in Berkshire, one of only five theatres awarded a national touring remit by Arts Council England.

Over the next few months, Mr Wollen will finalise the autumn and spring programmes which will include some Canterbury Festival events and a panto.

He said: "I am thrilled to be coming to the Theatre Royal. Buildings like this are rare, and my aim is to put the theatre and its work at the very heart of the community, so that it's a place where everyone can feel welcome to engage with what we do. It's an honour to be given this very exciting challenge."

Council chief executive Richard Samuel said: "Will is under no illusions that his role will be challenging, as he must create a theatre that reflects the diverse community of which it is part.

"The success of a theatre lies with the attraction of audiences time and time again and the only way to do this will be to put on events which will attract people of different age groups, interests and backgrounds throughout the year – a very big job indeed."