Traverse Theatre Announces Associate Director Gareth Nicholls

The Traverse Theatre is delighted to announce that award-winning theatre director Gareth Nicholls will be joining the Company's artistic team as Associate Director from 8 May. Working alongside Artistic Director Orla O'Loughlin and fellow Associate Director Zinnie Harris, Gareth's duties will include working on the dramaturgy of in-house commissions, overseeing open submissions, directing a range of ambitious new work, contributing to a range of creative learning projects and assisting in both year-round and Festival curation. Gareth will also direct one of the Traverse Festival 2017 productions.

The Traverse previously welcomed Gareth when he directed the World Premieres of A Gambler's Guide To Dying (Festival 2015) and Donald Robertson is Not a Stand-Up Comedian (Festival 2014), both penned by now Traverse Associate Artist Gary McNair, and together winning them a Fringe First award, a Holden Street Theatres' award and a Scottish Arts Club award.

Prior to this, Gareth was in post as the Citizens Theatre's Main Stage Director in Residence (2014-16) - stacking up show duties on a sell-out production of Trainspotting , while Blackbird and Into That Darkness both received Critics' Award for Theatre in Scotland nominations. This year has seen him direct the Scottish Premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage at the Tron Theatre, whilst A Gambler's Guide to Dying continued its ongoing world tour with a stint at New York's East 59 East.

Gareth Nicholls says:

"I'm absolutely delighted to be joining the Traverse as Associate Director. The Traverse has been fundamental to the development of theatre in Scotland for decades - encouraging, challenging and emboldening artists to say what they want to say in vibrant and uncompromising new ways. It champions the strongest voices and supports the brightest talent to tell stories that cut straight to the heart of what it means to be human. I'm looking forward to contributing to a theatre that has such a rich history; to directing bold and ambitious new work on its iconic stage, to collaborating with the very best of Scotland's new writing talent and to building on the stellar work that's already taking place at the Traverse."

Orla O'Loughlin, Artistic Director, Traverse Theatre says:

"I am delighted to welcome Gareth to the Traverse as Associate Director. He joins a dedicated and tenacious team bursting with enthusiasm and ambition for new writing in Scotland and beyond. Gareth not only brings a track record of deeply considered, stylish and sophisticated directorial work but a reputation as a supportive and collaborative practitioner. His excellent reputation both as an artist and as a champion of other artists makes him the perfect fit to work alongside myself and my team to ensure the Traverse continues to develop talent, engage new audiences and create powerful and relevant contemporary theatre with international impact. I am so looking forward to seeing all the brilliant new work Gareth will make with us, starting this August as part of our Traverse Festival programme."

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY, Gareth Nicholls

Gareth is a Glasgow-based theatre director who aims to produce bold, challenging and uncompromising work with strong aesthetics and robust texts at their heart.

Most recently he held the post of Citizens Theatre's Main Stage Director in Residence (2014-16), where his shows included Into That Darkness, Vanya, Blackbird and a sell-out production of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting - all of which went on to gain much critical acclaim, including four- and five-star reviews, plus CATS (Critics' Award for Theatre in Scotland) nominations for Blackbird and Into That Darkness.

He has directed productions for a range of companies including National Theatre of Scotland, Traverse Theatre, Tron Theatre, The Arches, A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Macrobert Arts Centre, HighTide Theatre and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He trained in Contemporary Theatre Practice at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and previously held the posts of National Theatre of Scotland Emerging Artist and Imaginate Artist in Residence.

He has won several awards including two Fringe First awards (Educating Ronnie and A Gambler's Guide To Dying), a Scottish Arts Club award (Donald Robertson Is Not A Stand-Up Comedian) and The Arches' Platform 18: New Directions award (2011).

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY, Orla O'Loughlin

Orla is Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre. Prior to taking up post at the Traverse, she was Artistic Director of Pentabus Theatre and International Associate at The Royal Court Theatre.

Directing work for the Traverse includes: Girl in the Machine, Grain in the Blood, Tracks of the Winter Bear, Milk (Tom Erhardt Award), The Scotsman Fringe First and Scottish Arts Club Theatre award-winning Swallow, The Scotsman Fringe First award-winning Spoiling, The Scotsman Fringe First, Herald Angel and CATS award-winning Ciara, The Devil Masters, Clean, Fifty Plays for Edinburgh, The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society, the Herald Angel award-winning Dream Plays (Scenes From A Play I'll Never Write) and the CATS nominated A Respectable Widow Takes to Vulgarity and The Artist Man and the Mother Woman.

Other directing work includes: For Once (Hampstead Theatre, National Tour); Kebab (Dublin International Festival/Royal Court Theatre); How Much is your Iron? (Young Vic); The Hound of the Baskervilles (West Yorkshire Playhouse/National Tour/West End); Tales of the Country, Origins (Pleasance/Theatre Severn); Relatively Speaking, Blithe Spirit, Black Comedy (Watermill Theatre); Small Talk: Big Picture (BBC World Service/ICA/Royal Court Theatre); A Dulditch Angel (National Tour) and The Fire Raisers, sob stories, Refrain (BAC).

Orla is a former recipient of the James Menzies Kitchin Award and the Carlton Bursary at the Donmar Warehouse. She was also listed in the Observer as one of the top 50 cultural leaders in the UK.

Her upcoming projects include Locker Room Talk by Gary McNair which will play at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin in May and the world premiere of Meet Me at Dawn by Zinnie Harris which will premiere at the Traverse as part of the Edinburgh International Festival in August.

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