Our Patrons
THEATRE PATRON
Johnny McDaid
The Millennium Forum is delighted to announce Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid as our new patron. The patronage honours Johnny’s roots and heritage as a proud Derryman and reflects his belief in using the arts to bring communities together.
“Whether it’s literature, music, drama, comedy, dance or theatre, Derry has a rich history of art and artists. The Arts have always been the connective tissue that brings people together in our city. I am so proud to be from Derry and I am proud to be the patron of the Millennium Forum. I have always been impressed with the incredible work the Millennium Forum does to bring extraordinary performances and acts to Derry in what is truly a global cultural space. I look forward to collaborating with this amazing team and to the many exciting ventures in the future, as they approach their 25th Anniversary in a few years’ time.” – Johnny McDaid.
“I wish to thank Johnny for his support and warmly welcome him as patron. He is an exceptional world class artist whose music has influenced millions. His representation and dedication to what we do here at the Forum will bring much needed recognition and support for our venue and city, particularly during these challenging times. We look forward to working with Johnny in securing our shared goals and aspirations for our city to be recognised globally for its contribution to arts and culture.” – David McLaughlin, Chief Executive of the Millennium Forum
YOUTH PATRON
Jamie Lee O’Donnell
The Millennium Forum Youth Patron is enthusiastically embraced by Jamie Lee O’Donnell, star of internationally acclaimed Comedy Drama, “Derry Girls”.
“I am delighted to have been asked to be Youth Patron for the Millennium Forum, Derry, which does such amazing work on its Youth Musical and Youth Festivals each year in my home town. The Millennium Forum was inspirational to me in the fledgling part of my career as an actor and I am very much looking forward to working with all the young people who come through its doors. I want to congratulate them on the stellar work they are currently doing on the InterAct online festival. I can’t wait to catch up with them all soon on the Masterclass Sessions and, indeed, on all up-and-coming youth events at the Millennium Forum.” – Jamie Lee
“It is fitting have Jamie Lee O’Donnell, an internationally successful young actress, as our Youth Patron as she has worked with us over the years on a number of productions, most recently in 2018 on our acclaimed production of Lisa McGee’s “Girls and Dolls”. At the Forum there has always been a key focus on providing accessible training and events for our young people and we have run many hugely successful initiatives in this regard. The challenge, in this time of pandemic, has been how to reach this group in society which is growing increasingly marginalised at this time. Running the Interact Youth Arts Festival online has allowed us the scope to widen access to this hugely popular festival both in terms of reach – we are attracting young people from a much wider catchment area – and in terms of longevity – we are able to run the event over four weeks instead of over four days. The success of the event to date also serves to underpin our ethos as a ‘teaching theatre’ and we look forward to many such events in the future.” – David McLaughlin, Chief Executive of the Millennium Forum
