Kate Horton to join National Theatre in Spring 2012

Kate Horton, Executive Director of the Royal Court, joins the National Theatre as Deputy Executive Director in Spring 2012.

Dominic Cooke to step down as Artistic Director in April 2013.

Monday 19 December 2011, The Royal Court today announced that Executive Director Kate Horton is to take up a new position at the National Theatre in April 2012 and Artistic Director Dominic Cooke will step down the following year to focus on freelance work. Dominic will continue to lead the Company until April 2013 with two further seasons to announce.

Anthony Burton, Chairman of the Board said:
“Under Dominic and Kate’s leadership the Royal Court’s reputation has been consolidated and enhanced, they have ensured that the Court keeps true to the vision of enabling writers to develop and produce new work of artistic excellence. The body of work produced in Sloane Square, out of London, in particular the great success of Theatre Local, and abroad has been astonishing and we are immensely proud of their dazzling achievements. The Court is now an international powerhouse which provides a fantastic platform for the next Artistic Director and Executive Director.

“For the immediate future I wish Kate the very best in her new and exciting role and I eagerly look forward to Dominic’s upcoming productions at the Court over the next 15 months. He is supported by a brilliant team that will carry on the excellent work of the Court. We will start the search for the next Artistic Director in early 2012. “

Kate Horton, Executive Director said:
“I am thrilled to be joining Nick Hytner, Nick Starr and Lisa Burger at the National Theatre. This is an irresistible chance for me to work with the brilliant team leading one of our most vital cultural organisations.

“To work alongside Dominic Cooke at the Royal Court has been a privilege and a true joy. I couldn’t admire or value him more highly as a Director, Chief Executive or friend. It has been an honour to work with him in leading an extraordinary Royal Court team in delivering Dominic’s programme, in Sloane Square, Elephant and Castle, the West End and Broadway and I have also relished working with some of our most exciting writers, actors and artists. I am grateful for the continual support I have had from the Board and in particular Anthony Burton. I know that I leave a thriving organisation in very capable hands and will always cherish my time at the greatest new writing house in the world.”

Collaborating for more than four years, Dominic and Kate have worked to continue the Royal Court’s historical legacy of staging new plays and developing the future of British writing. The Royal Court is now in one of the strongest positions it has been for years. In amongst the commercial success and financial firm-footing achieved they have worked to stage plays by first time writers, to take risks in a spirit of experimentation and to stage difficult work that would not be programmed elsewhere.

Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director said:
“In January 2013 it will be seven years since I was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Court. This follows eight years as full time Associate Director at the Court and the RSC. After nearly 15 years on the management of two extraordinary companies, and with my trusted colleague Kate Horton moving on to an exciting new role at the National, it feels like the right point to begin the process of handing over to a new Artistic Director. In the spring of 2013, I will move on from the Court to focus on freelance work..

“My time with Kate at the Court has been a thrilling adventure. Through the theatre’s burgeoning writers’ groups, we’ve brought a new generation of playwrights to the stage, including many young women. We’ve given main stage debuts to writers who had exclusively been produced in smaller spaces. We’ve produced many more experienced writers, allowing them to develop and flourish. Box office receipts and fundraising are at an all time high. We’ve launched Theatre Local, enabling many people to see a play for the first time. We’ve transferred and produced our own work in the West End and on Broadway, which has ensured the company’s financial security in troubling economic times. We have a committed and talented staff team who are at the top of their game. Much of this is due to Kate Horton, whose tenacity, managerial skill and wisdom have been an inspiration. On behalf of all the Royal Court staff I wish her all the best in her new role, in which I am sure she will excel.

“My focus now will be on the next 15 months of programming for the Court. Having just announced nine new plays for the first six months of 2012 I’ll be planning the next two seasons, which we will announce in due course, and will include some exciting surprises. By the time I leave Sloane Square, I will have produced around 100 new plays. There are many people who have given their talent, passion and hard work to make that work happen and I am hugely grateful to all of them.”

Dominic Cooke will direct the next production in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. In Basildon by David Eldridge opens 16 Feb 2012.

-ends – (19/12/11)

Notes to Editors

During Dominic’s seven year tenure at the Royal Court over 100 new plays will have been staged.

Dominic has already programmed 16 first time writers – half of these have also had their second plays staged. The programme has included debut work from Bola Agbaje, Mike Bartlett, Alia Bano, EV Crowe, DC Moore, Anya Reiss, Polly Stenham plus plays by Luke Norris and Hayley Squires which form part of the 2012 Young Writers Festival. New work by these writers has won awards, been re-staged nationally and internationally, is studied on syllabuses and has transferred to the West End (That Face).

Through finding new innovative frameworks Dominic and Kate have worked to produce new work commercially within the west end, making successes of Clybourne Park, ENRON and Jerusalem and amplifying the impact on the long-term finances of the theatre. They have worked to encourage a sustained appetite for new work and over 220,000 people attended a Royal Court performance last year alone.

Through the new initiative of the Studio more than 1,300 playwrights have participated in the Court’s writers groups since Dominic was appointed. Work has been staged by members of the Young Writers Programme, Invitation and Studio Groups, Critical Mass and the Unheard Voices programmes.

Dominic has worked to develop the next step for emerging writers and has staged work by 21 playwrights in the earlier stage of their career including plays by Bruce Norris, Lucy Prebble, Nina Raine, Christopher Shinn, Penelope Skinner and Laura Wade. With plays like ENRON, Now or Later and Posh, he’s helped writers to move forward from debuts in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs by staging their second plays on the main stage.

A further strand of his work has been to create a home for established writers and to stage the new plays of writers in their prime. Plays by 16 well known writers have been programmed including new work from Richard Bean, Jez Butterworth, Caryl Churchill, Martin Crimp, David Eldridge, David Hare, Joe Penhall, Mark Ravenhill, Wallace Shawn, Simon Stephens and Roy Williams.

International productions have been staged by 11 foreign writers, alongside countless readings, residencies and development programmes across the globe. Royal Court work has been seen as far as American, Austria and Australia – and also by communities in Elephant and Castle and Peckham through the recent Theatre Local initiative.

Since Dominic joined, the Royal Court has received over 189 award nominations and 56 wins including the 2010 Stage Award for Theatre of the Year plus three Olivier Awards in 2011.