Jonathan Church to Take Over as Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company

As announced earlier in the year, Andrew Upton's tenure as Artistic Director draws to a close at the end of 2015.

We are delighted to announce today that Jonathan Church CBE will succeed Andrew Upton as Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company (STC). He will commence work on programming STC's 2017 season immediately.

An accomplished British director and artist, Jonathan joins STC after a string of successful directorships in the UK. Most recently, he has been credited with completely transforming the much-loved UK institution Chichester Festival Theatre, where he has been Artistic Director since 2006.

David Gonski, Chairman of Sydney Theatre Company said, "I am very excited to announce Jonathan Church as our next artistic leader. After a comprehensive international search, the board was presented with a very accomplished shortlist of Australian and overseas candidates. We are extremely confident that Jonathan Church's tremendous breadth of experience across the course of his career is a brilliant fit for STC.

"Jonathan is both an acclaimed theatre director in his own right, and also an artistic director with an extremely impressive track record in establishing positive relationships with a broad range of top theatre artists. He has also demonstrated in his leadership of a number of organisations the capacity to build audiences through programming. I know that he will build on the excellent work of Andrew Upton who has been Artistic Director for the last eight years, the first five alongside Cate Blanchett".

Jonathan Church said: "I am delighted and honoured to be the next Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company and alongside Executive Director Patrick McIntyre look forward to leading the company through its next phase of development.

"I have watched from afar STC's growth over the past 30 years and the company has become a beacon of artistic adventure and international excellence. Recently I have also been fortunate enough to begin to work first hand with some of Australia's best theatre practitioners and I have a strong sense of the extraordinary talent that exists and the deep sense of commitment to the theatre and the arts in general that a wide range of companies have fostered in Australia. I am therefore immensely excited to be coming to STC's home at the Wharf and along with its dedicated staff work with the best existing and emerging Australian talent to continue to serve Sydney audiences with the most vibrant, excellent and entertaining theatre possible."

Patrick McIntyre, Executive Director of STC said: "I'm looking forward to working with Jonathan on taking STC into its next era. His exuberant enthusiasm for our art form and broad tastes have earned him many admirers around the globe. I'm sure Jonathan will prove a great fit with the team at STC, our community of theatre makers, audiences and supporters."

Current Artistic Director of STC Andrew Upton said: "I think Jonathan Church is a terrific choice as the next Artistic Director of STC. After a period being led by an actress and a writer, I think it's important to have a theatre director once more at the helm. I look forward to fresh perspectives on the international theatre canon and a continuation of STC's championing of local theatre makers and stories, including on the international stage. Developing pathways for artists is one of the key aspects of being an Artistic Director of a theatre company this size and Jonathan has a great track record for enabling artists in the UK", Upton said.

More about Jonathan Church CBE

During the last decade at Chichester Festival Theatre, Jonathan has produced a diverse program of over 100 shows, including 22 new works, from the large-scale to the intimate. Almost 50 of these have transferred to the West End, Broadway or toured to prestigious organisations such as New York's BAM.

During this period Church also played a critical role in raising the funds for and overseeing a huge $46M redevelopment of Chichester Festival Theatre in time for the venue's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2014.

Highlights of Jonathan Church's artistic directorship at Chichester have included Lucy Pebble's Enron directed by Rupert Goold (West End and Broadway), The Judas Kiss with Rupert Everett directed by Neil Armfield (West End), Macbeth with Patrick Stewart (West End, BAM, Broadway, BBC Film), Sweeney Todd with Michael Ball (West End), Six Characters in Search of an Author (West End), King Lear with Frank Langella (BAM), South Downs by David Hare (West End), The Pajama Game directed by Richard Eyre (West End), Top Girls by Caryl Churchill (West End) and the current hit Gypsy with Imelda Staunton (West End).

Many productions Jonathan has directed have enjoyed success on the West End and gone on to tour internationally, including the recent debut play by Mark Hayhurst Taken at Midnight, Singin' in the Rain (soon to be seen in Australia), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Last Confession with David Suchet (recently seen throughout Australia), Of Mice and Men and The Witches.

In June 2015, Jonathan received into the Order of the British Empire as a Commander, for his services to the Theatre.

Prior to Chichester, Jonathan was Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 2001 - 2005 and Salisbury Playhouse from 1995 - 1999, "both theatres whose fortunes he restored" according to Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph. He was also Associate Director of Hampstead Theatre from 1999-2001, Associate Director of Derby Playhouse from 1994-1995. He trained as Assistant Director at Nottingham Playhouse, following work backstage as an Assistant Electrician and Stage Manager.

Jonathan has his own production company in the UK, Jonathan Church Productions Ltd, which has a development agreement with Delfont Mackintosh Theatres.

We look forward to getting to know Jonathan and introducing his work to you. See you soon at the theatre.

Photo by Johan Persson

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