CHARLES HUTCHINSON finds out why Ludo Keston is leaving his chief executive's role and heading to Shakespeare country.

Ludo Keston, chief executive of York Theatre Royal since September 2001, will step down in December.

He is to take up the newly created post of general manager at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the third link in the chain of command at Britain's premier theatre company.

Was he headhunted? "No, it was advertised publicly and I applied, but it was probably the one job that would have tempted me to leave York Theatre Royal and Yorkshire," says Ludo.

"I'll start in December, a few hours after I finish here. It didn't seem right to leave this building until this season's panto Sleeping Beauty had opened as it's such a vital part of the life here. It also means plans will be in place for next year's panto to be announced on the last night."

He will leave with the Theatre Royal in vibrant health. Never a demonstrative man, he nevertheless points to his list of achievements: "During my time in York, the theatre has achieved much, including securing our position as one of the region's most successful producing theatres, the creation of a second auditorium, The Studio, dedicated to new audiences and new writing, and the increase in our turnover of more than 50 per cent," he says in his leaving statement.

"I believe that the theatre's value can now be clearly seen both as a provider of great nights out and opportunities for young people, and as the conduit for more than £4 million to enter the local economy."

Putting it less formally, as he sits on his office sofa, he reflects: "I've been here exactly three years this week, and it's been an extraordinary time.

"I've enjoyed almost all of it: it's had its challenges along the way but it's been a productive period of change and we're now in a better position to take advantage of new opportunities.

This organisation was an opportunity waiting to happen, and if nothing else I've opened a few doors to show what can be done."

Nevertheless, the lure of the Royal Shakespeare Company has proved irresistible. "There are a number of reasons for me taking up the new post. I first joined the RSC when I was 21 as a stage manager on one of their regional tours, when I was considerably lighter and considerably bouncier than I am now!" he says.

"On and off, I worked for them for 15 years, eventually looking after their overseas touring, so I've retained my affection for the company but I'd been saddened by some of the things I'd been reading about the RSC. However, I've been encouraged by artistic director and chief executive Michael Boyd's decision to re-establish the RSC as a genuine ensemble company. That was one of the things that made the RSC unique."

Ludo's role will be British theatre's equivalent of trying to build a new Wembley Stadium while simultaneously mounting a bid for the 2012 Olympics.

He will oversee theatre operations in both Stratford - where the company has 700 staff - and in London, as the "key driver of the management of change" during the RSC's £100m redevelopment of its Stratford theatres and ongoing search for a new permanent London home.

"The RSC is seven years into the Stratford redevelopment project, the company has parted company with the architect and not one stone has been turned, with upwards of £50 million sitting in the Treasury," says Ludo.

Good luck, Ludo, but then here is a man of resolute qualities.

"Theatre, for me, is not just about nice evenings out for nice people," he said upon his arrival in York. True to his frank words, and working in tandem with equally progressive artistic director Damian Cruden, he identified the need to develop opportunities for young people at the theatre, diversify the range of productions and secure long-term financial stability.

What happened next? A youth theatre for 250 young people has been established and flourishes in The Studio second space; the education team has swelled from one (working half a week) to five; myriad new touring companies have visited; and the partnership with resident company Pilot Theatre has expanded.

The blossoming of The Studio, and the flexibility it brings to the theatre programming, will be his ultimate legacy.

"It was a trial space when I arrived and what we were able to do was to convince the Arts Council to join us in investing in that space. It's been an extraordinary catalyst for this theatre in our search for new audiences and development of new writing, which has been at the heart of what I'm most proud of in the past three years," says Ludo.

The introduction of the £3.50 ticket for students and under-25s has been a boon too.

"They're not just for the worst seats in the house; they're for the best seats available because I was prepared to put my money where my mouth was.

"We wanted to develop a younger audience, and it's not led by money but from an ambition to present a wider range of work to a younger audience," Ludo says.

"We've seen that audience grow by 80 per cent, because The Studio is a much more accessible space, it's less intimidating and it's a stage for new writing and plays of modern relevance."

Asked to name his favourite theatre in his first Evening Press interview, Ludo replied: "A full one". Behind the wit lies the truth. York Theatre Royal is indeed a fuller theatre: bigger audiences, more shows, workshops, and education and summer projects.

"When I started we programmed one auditorium for 45 weeks a year; now we're programming up to 48 or 49 weeks a year across two spaces," he says.

The application letters to be his replacement should come flooding in.

Exit Ludo stage left: job well done.

Fact file:

Name: Ludo Keston

Occupation: Chief executive, York Theatre Royal, September 2001 to 2004

Why in the news: Announces today he is to leave York in December to take up newly created post of general manger, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford

Age: 45

Born: London

Family: Wife Fiona; daughters Harriet, Alice, Cordelia. Fiona, originally from Fulford, used to dress wigs for Theatre Royal

Theatre training: Studied lighting design, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

Theatre work: Commercial producer in London, notably for Stephen Daldry's award-winning production of J B Priestley's An Inspector Calls. Fifteen years at Royal Shakespeare Company, with responsibility for tours. Also worked with English Shakespeare Company, Manchester Royal Exchange, National Theatre, Royal Court and Young Vic. Previous job before moving to York was general manager, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, for four years

Pick of his York achievements: Making Studio a permanent performance space to promote new audiences and new writing; raising education team from one to five; increasing attendance of young people by 80 per cent in past year; securing national premiere of David Hare's The Permanent Way; increasing turnover by 50 cent since 2001.

Updated: 14:04 Thursday, September 09, 2004