In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, our third Spotlight on 25 is by Fuel’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Kate McGrath.

‘I was first introduced to Cove Park by the wonderful and much missed Roanne Dods who always connected people, places and ideas in a beautiful and generous way. Meeting Peter, Eileen and Julian was the beginning of a really important partnership. From 2009 team Fuel collaborated with team Cove Park to bring artists on residencies over an intensive five-year period, supported by Jerwood. Looking back at those years, I’m overwhelmed by the impact that time had on each individual artist and on our programme as a whole. Incredible new ideas were dreamed up, new collaborations were forged, and everyone involved was incredibly grateful for the space, time and perspective offered by the unique environment of Cove Park.

My favourite memories include a residency with David Rosenberg, Frauke Requardt, Borkur Jonsson, Stuart Heyes and myself, in which an extraordinarily ambitious design idea for a new dance theatre show, Electric Hotel, was born – but perhaps more importantly, the trust and understanding of a team was built, which enabled us to go on and produce one of our most memorable outdoor works. In 2011 we gathered a group of independent producers for a residency together which has lasted long in everyone’s memory – for which we marked a ten-year anniversary with a reunion residency in 2021, and which was the inspiration for Producer Farm which we went on to offer to other producers for six years. And in 2017 we filmed our first short film, Invisible, with Melly Still and a brilliant crew in and around Cove Park, thanks to the generosity and flexibility of the team, in the middle of a dark and very snowy winter… And here we are celebrating Cove Park’s 25th birthday, in which we returned for a residency to reunite the legendary Suspect Culture team to dream up a whole new adventure… I wish Cove Park a very happy birthday and here’s to the next 25 years!’

Kate McGrath is Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Fuel, which she co-founded in 2004. Fuel leads the field in independent producing in the UK’s live performance sector, collaborating with curious, insightful and skilled theatre makers to create fresh experiences for adventurous people. Fuel’s work is socially and politically engaged in the world we live in, and the big questions of our times, and in particular celebrates untold stories, under-represented artists and under-served audiences.

Fuel projects include Inua Ellams’ Barber Shop Chronicles (National Theatre, UK and international tour), David Greig’s Touching The Void (UK and international tour, West End), BLUE NOW (UK tour) with Neil Bartlett, Russell Tovey and Travis Alabanza; Common Wealth, Speakers Corner and Bradford Modified Club’s Peaceophobia (UK tour); Khalid Abdalla’s Nowhere (UK/international tour); and Ross Collins’ and Toby Olie’s There’s a Bear on My Chair (UK tour). During the Covid pandemic, Fuel also initiated the Freelance Task Force and Creative Freelancers: Shaping London’s Recovery for the Mayor of London, leveraging £750k for freelancers.

Kate was Curator for the Edinburgh International Festival from 2019 to 2022, Clore Leadership Theatre Fellow in 2008, and led the producing team at the Lyric Hammersmith from 2006 to 2009. Prior to Fuel, Kate worked as Producer at Battersea Arts Centre (2002-2005), and as a journalist on Arts & Features for The Scotsman (2000-2002). Previously Chair of the Board of Camden People’s Theatre (2012-2020), Trustee at Tobacco Factory Theatres (2014-18), and Co-Chair of Governor at Michael Faraday Primary School (2018-23), Kate is currently a Trustee of National Theatre Scotland (since 2025), a Trustee of Clore Leadership Programme (since 2020), a Board Director for What Next? (since 2020), a Board Director for ARTCRY (since 2024), and Visiting Fellow 2025-2026 at Hertford College, University of Oxford.