Stratford East Appoints Jade Lewis as Associate Artistic Director

Stratford East has announced that Jade Lewis has been appointed Associate Artistic Director. Lewis is currently an Associate Artist at Synergy Theatre Project and has held a number of associateships across the sector.

Lewis takes up the role with immediate effect, and will be working closely with Lisa Spirling, as she begins her tenure as Artistic Director, to shape the artistic vision of the theatre.

Jade Lewis said: "I'm really excited to be working in a building such as Stratford East with its range of audiences, vast programming and its strong relationship with its community. I look forward to having the ability to contribute my learning and leadership towards this organisation, a staple of British theatre which is thrilling and rewarding. I'm looking forward to collaborating with Lisa Spirling, Hanna Streeter and the rest of the team at Stratford East to maintain and deepen the impact and history of this iconic building.”

Lisa Spirling, Artistic Director and Co-CEO said: "The Stratford East team and I are thrilled to have Jade join us at this key moment. Jade's brilliance as a director, theatre maker and writer are well-established, but she is also an extraordinary enabler of artists. Someone who makes it a priority to hold space for others, to fight for their stories to be told and thinks always about those who may think theatre and the arts is not for them. Stratford and Newham are lucky to have her!”

Jade Lewis is an Olivier Award-winning director, writer, and theatre maker. Currently Associate Artist for Synergy Theatre Project and previously Associate Director at Theatre503. Theatre directing includes: Millennium Girls (Brixton House), Tale Of Us (Brixton House/National tour), Sweat (Royal Exchange Manchester), SleepOva (The Bush), Superhoe (Royal Court), Get Dressed (Unicorn Theatre), Followers (Brixton House) with Synergy Theatre Project, Extinguished Things (Summerhall, Edinburgh), Quarter Life Crisis (The Bridge, Underbelly Cowgate, Edinburgh), On the Edge of Me (Vault Festival, Rich Mix and Soho Theatre) and War and Peace (Southwark Playhouse). As writer and director: Get Dressed (Unicorn Theatre) and Astro Babies (Ovalhouse). As assistant or staff director: Nine Night (National Theatre/Trafalgar Studios), …A Profoundly Affectionate Devotion for Someone… (Royal Court), The Convert and Iphigenia Quartet (The Gate), Venus/Mars (Old Red Lion/The Bush) and Blakta (Young Vic). Audio includes: World of Curls, NSA, Exemplar for BBC Radio 4. Screen includes: The Ancestors (NYT), Edition 3 Newspaper (Royal Court) and Even At Our Age (Twenty Twenty at the Young Vic).