Arlington Arts was opened in October 2006 by KT Tunstall, their pedigree as a music venue was set in stone almost immediately.

Initially intended as a school resource that could be hired to the local community, Arlington Arts has grown to be considered one of the leading music venues in the South of England.

All the while, they have continued to provide support to Mary Hare School and its wider activities with their profits from live events, community projects and corporate hires being donated to the national school for the deaf.

Their reputation for live music, should not overshadow the work that they do in presenting high quality visual art, theatre, comedy and family entertainment too.

In fact, it is this eye for quality that sits at the heart of their programming strategy, whether they are getting behind brand new theatre or bringing some of the world’s best musicians to Newbury.

Sherrell studied Drama and English at the University of Hull (a long time ago!) and has a background in arts education and venue management stretching back over 30 years.

She has worked in management positions within venues in Essex, London, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire, and, after studying for a PGCE led Education departments within numerous professional venues and producing theatre and opera companies.

Most recently, she spent 7 ½ years as General Manager at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford, also based on a school campus – so she is well-versed in managing the shared needs of a hybrid venue such as Arlington Arts Centre.

Having just done a stint as a philanthropy fundraiser at Oxfam, Sherrell is delighted to be re-joining the sector as Arlington’s new Director – and hugely excited to be working in such a beautiful venue, serving Newbury’s diverse cultural communities.