Nadia Fall, the artistic director of Stratford East since 2017, has been named the new artistic director and joint chief executive of London's Young Vic Theatre.
Fall will join the organization in January 2025, succeeding Kwame Kwei-Armah, who will step down from the role following his final production, A Face in the Crowd, in September. She will lead the Young Vic with Executive Director Lucy Davies, who will also become joint chief executive.
Fall, who was also previously an associate at the National Theatre from 2015–2018, said in a statement, “The Young Vic was first built as a pop-up theatre for a younger, bolder generation of artists and audiences. Today it is a celebrated cornerstone of London theatre, but that mischievous spirit of a makeshift, anti-establishment theatre still courses through its veins, and I find that incredibly compelling. The Young Vic is not afraid to ask the difficult questions, and it’s particularly exciting to me that its audiences have an appetite for that provocation.
“I was born in Southwark and raised in and around the borough as well as the Middle East, to South Asian parents, and I love that the Young Vic holds hands with its local community of Southwark and Lambeth whilst looking out towards the rest of the world through its artists and stories. It’s exactly who we are in London—both local and international.
“I am thrilled to be leading the team at a theatre where I was first taken into the fold as a young student director when Associate Artistic Director Sue Emmas watched the first night of the very first show I ever directed in a pub theatre in Kennington. It’s one of life’s full circle moments, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Chair of the Board Glenn Earle added, “Nadia has a proven and long-standing record not only of theatre leadership, but also of significant artistic success, at the National Theatre, at Stratford East, and as a freelance director. Critically, Nadia also shares our core Young Vic values of commitment to community and to broadening access to theatre and creative education."
Executive Director Davies shared, “I can’t wait to welcome Nadia to the brilliant Young Vic team. She’s a leader and artist of great flair, ideas, and intelligence, with roots in our borough and ambitions for the world. She’s a fantastic successor to stand on Kwame’s mighty shoulders and take us into future adventures. Very exciting times.”
Current Artistic Director Kwei-Armah stated, “I congratulate Nadia and the Young Vic. Nadia will get to work with some of the most dedicated and skilled theatre people in our sector, and they will get to work with a fearless artistic leader.”
At Stratford East, Fall's programming highlights include a hit revival of Equus, which transferred to the West End in her first season; August Wilson’s King Hedley II, starring Sir Lenny Henry, which she also directed; and a large-scale production of Noye's Fludde with English National Opera that brought together 200 young people and received the Olivier for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
As associate at the National Theatre, she wrote and directed the acclaimed HOME and directed Chewing Gum Dreams, The Suicide, Our Country’s Good, and DARA, among others. Her TV credits include Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads: The Outside Dog for BBC One and NO MASKS for Sky Arts. Her debut feature film Brides is in post production and was chosen for the Great8 platform of British films at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
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