Dundee Rep announces new artistic directors

ONE of Scotland’s leading theatres, Dundee Rep, has announced it will be run by two artistic directors from next year.

Philip Howard, who spent 11 years at the helm of the Traverse in Edinburgh, and Jemima Levick, the current assistant director at Dundee Rep, will replace James Brining, who has been snapped up to join West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Mr Brining had held the roles of both artistic director and chief executive at Dundee Rep since the departure of Dominic Hill, to the Traverse, in 2008, when he replaced Mr Howard.

His 11-year tenure at the Traverse was followed by several years teaching at Glasgow University.

Dundee Rep is both a leading arts venue in the city as well as home to the country’s only full-time producing company. Recent hits have included Sunshine on Leith and Further Than The Furthest Thing.

The new Dundee Rep appointments are the latest in a game of musical chairs being played out in Scottish theatre, with Mr Hill recently taking over at the Citizens’ Theatre in Glasgow and new appointments at both the Traverse and Perth Theatre.

Yesterday’s announcement came just days after it emerged that Vicky Featherstone was standing down as artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland.

Dundee Rep, which dates back to 1939, has created more than 30 productions during the nine-year tenure of Mr Brining, and has an annual audience of around 70,000 a year.

A joint statement from Mr Howard and Ms Levick said: ““We are absolutely delighted about our joint artistic appointment at Dundee Rep.

“Under James Brining’s leadership the Rep has achieved remarkable success, and it’s a privilege to build on the legacy he has left behind.

“The board has made a bold choice, demonstrating a belief in an artistic pluralism that will enable us to deliver a diverse programme of work for this extraordinary organisation.

“To our minds, there is no other company like Dundee Rep in the UK. We share a vision for world class theatre, both in performance and participatory activities, and look forward to delivering these to both local and international audiences.”

Peter Inglis, chairman of Dundee Rep’s board, said: “After a competitive and vigorous search process, we are confident that this new artistic pairing will bring a fresh, exciting and ambitious approach to complement, develop and maintain the already ground-breaking work of the theatre.”