Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey are new co-artistic directors of the RSC from June 2023
After months of speculation, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey have been announced as the co-artistic directors of the RSC from June 2023.
They will step into the role vacated by Gregory Doran, who stepped down in April - although he continues to work with the company as an advisor and director.
Current acting artistic director Erica Whyman had been hotly tipped for the top spot. She will continue in her current role until June 2023, before leaving the company to pursue a freelance career.
Regular collaborators Daniel and Tamara applied for the position together - he is currently artistic director of Chichester Festival Theatre and she is artistic director of Theatr Clwyd.
The appointment decision was made by a recruitment panel headed up by board chair Shriti Vadera, and included Noma Dumezweni, Nicholas Hytner, Genista McIntosh, Ayanna Thompson, Mark Thompson. At the final stage candidates also met key stakeholders, including the other trustees on the board, the RSC Youth Advisory Board and the Senior Leadership Team
Ms Vadera commented: “The board is delighted to appoint Daniel and Tamara as co-artistic directors from an exceptionally strong field of candidates.They bring a brilliant track record of artistic achievement with a strong commitment to education, communities and championing diverse talent and voices, alongside a proven strategic ability to lead major companies. Their partnership heralds an exciting vision for the future of the RSC to attract world-class artistic talent, captivate today’s audiences with Shakespeare, classics and new work, and increase radically the reach and impact of our pioneering learning, partnerships and digital work.”
Daniel Evans said:
“I was fortunate to see so many inspiring performances at Stratford during my teenage years; and later celebrated my 21st birthday there during my first professional job post-drama school. So, to be returning to the RSC as its co-artistic director is immensely meaningful to me. To do so alongside Tamara is a joy and a privilege. We share deep-rooted values and an ambitious vision for the Company, and we're both looking forward to working with Catherine [Mallyon, executive director] and the team to begin this new, exciting chapter in the RSC's story.”
Tamara Harvey said:
“Being taken to Stratford to see Murder in the Cathedral at the Swan when I was 15 was one of the most vivid moments of my childhood. A sense of awe, but even then, a desire to get in there and start making plays: two feelings I continue to hold today. Stepping into this job is both the most exciting and the most daunting thing I’ve ever done. The great joy of working in partnership with Daniel, an artist I admire beyond measure, is that we share both that excitement and that awe at becoming the next custodians of this amazing company. We bring a shared belief in all that the RSC can be - a home for radical, relevant theatre made by artists from across the UK and the wider world. A global community inspired by Shakespeare, bringing together myriad voices to tell the stories of our time - and of all time.”
See Thurday's Herald for more on this story.
