Sydney Theatre Company have announced that their new artistic director is resident director Kip Williams, who stepped into the acting-AD role after the sudden departure of Jonathan Church, just six months into his tenure.
STC Chairman Ian Narev said of the appointment: “Kip is a visionary artist who spoke to us about his love for the Company, and his practical vision for how it can use its strong foundations to reach even higher artistic standards for audiences, artists, staff and the community. The esteem in which he is held by colleagues, from the country’s leading artists to those just starting out, is clear. All of us on the board were unanimous that Kip was the standout choice as Artistic Director.”
Williams, who will be the youngest artistic director in the Sydney Theatre Company's history, graduated from Media and Communications at Sydney University and entered NIDA’s Directors course at the age of 22 (the youngest in his year). At 24 he graduated, and was invited to direct Fifth of July at Princeton University’s Summer Theater. At 26 he was hired by Sydney Theatre Company as a resident director.
Now, at 30, he has nine main stage shows for that company under his belt, including the 2016 productions The Golden Age, All My Sons and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His track record, while characterised by bold aesthetic, textual and staging choices, reveals a sensitive, thoughtful approach to source material.
Kip 101
Grew up in: Sydney, part of a musical family, seeing work by Neil Armfield, Benedict Andrews and Barrie Kosky.
Production that changed his life: Neil Armfield’s 2003 production of Waiting for Godot: “It was right about the time I was getting my teeth stuck into Beckett.”
Mentors: “Working with Neil and Benedict were quite key experiences, because I had admired their work so much.”
Pet causes: His Masters thesis examined “the representation of women on the Australian main stage’”.
Pet peeves: “I don’t like to see cinema or TV on stage.”
Favourite playwrights: Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett.
Opening night nerves? “That anxiety about putting my work in front of people has never gone away, but I think that’s a good thing. It keeps me honest.”
See what Kip is directing in Sydney Theatre Company's 2017 season.