City-born comic New Theatre Royal patron
Suzi ‘thrilled’ to take up new role
PORTSMOUTH-born and raised stand-up star Suzi Ruffell has become a patron of the city’s New Theatre Royal.
Suzi recently performed a sold-out show at the Guildhall Walk venue on her biggest tour to date, Dance Like Everyone’s Watching.
She has also had sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and numerous appearances on TV and radio including Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week, The Jonathan Ross Show, The News Quiz and The Now Show.
In 2020 Suzi hosted a new radio show on BBC Radio 2 called Explicable Me and also launched her own hit podcast series, OUT with Suzi Ruffell, which is now in its fourth series and celebrates the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
Suzi said: ‘I am so thrilled to be a patron of such a gorgeous theatre in my home town.
‘As a touring comedian, I have played at theatres all over the country and the historic New Theatre Royal in the heart of Portsmouth is a very special one and standing on that stage is pure joy.
‘I am so excited to get more involved with the theatre and its work to support young people.’
She has already been supporting New Theatre Royal’s associate artist and award-winning community activist The Fabulous Josh and his company Downtown Pompey to bring a new cabaret show True Colours, exploring LGBTQ+ identity, storytelling and autobiography, to the stage this July.
Suzi took part in a Q&A session on identity with a small group of students from local schools for the project.
Head of marketing at the theatre Andy Sheppard added: ‘We are so proud to welcome Suzi as our newest patron.
‘It’s been a privilege to watch her career grow over the years and be part of her journey from early gigs at our Minghella Studio with Tom Allen to recently welcoming her back to host her own show Dance Like Everyone’s Watching, which gained her a nomination for Best Stand-Up Show in the 2021 National Comedy Awards.
‘Suzi is fiercely proud of her identity and we are delighted to have her on board supporting our new True Colours project, championing young creative voices, inspiring new talent and continuing our legacy in Portsmouth.’