The Board of the Young Vic have announced today that influential artistic director David Lan will step down after leading the company for almost two decades.
Appointed in 2000, David has led the Young Vic to highly celebrated success over the course of 17 years, winning an Olivier Award for the entire 2003 season and going on to claim every major London and New York theatre award since.
His pioneering tenure has seen him collaborate with artists including Peter Brook, Patrice Chereau, Luc Bondy, Ivo Van Hove, Benedict Andrews, Katie Mitchell, Richard Jones, Diane Paulus, Joe Wright and Simon Stone, with highlight productions including the Olivier Award-winning duo of Yerma and A View From The Bridge.
He also wrote and developed the architectural brief for the 2004/6 re-development of the theatre, which was named RIBA London Building of the Year upon reopening, and has nurtured the careers of many younger theatre makers, establishing the Genesis Directors Program and the Jerwood Directors Award (now the Jerwood Assistant Directors Award). In 2014, he was awarded a CBE for services to theatre.
Of the announcement, he said: “There is never an easy time to slip away but I wanted to leave at a time of our greatest strength and success.
“The Young Vic is now admired and emulated internationally as well as loved by our audience in Waterloo, in London and across the UK. It’s the right moment for it to set off on a new journey and a new adventure.”
David will carry on as artistic director and CEO until a new artistic director is appointed towards the end of this year. He will continue to oversee the 2017/18 season, his last at the Young Vic, which will be announced in mid July.