A former artistic director of Glasgow’s much-missed club and arts venue The Arches is to take the reins of the National Theatre of Scotland.
Jackie Wylie has been announced as the third artistic director of the company, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
NTS said the search for a new leader to replace Laurie Sansom, who departed unexpectedly earlier this year, had attracted a strong field of candidates from the UK and overseas.
In Wylie, who is co-director of Glasgow’s Take Me Somewhere festival – a successor to The Arches – the theatre found someone very close to home.
She said it was a privilege to get the NTS job. “Ten years ago it pioneered the ground-breaking model of a theatre without walls and since then it has combined world-class artistic distinction with a particular commitment to involving the entire population of Scotland.
“I look forward to continuing that spirit of innovation, building on the organisation’s many existing successes and relationships whilst also bringing in new voices, seeking out exciting collaborations at home as well as looking outwards, across the world.”
The move unites Wylie with Lucy Mason, the interim chief executive of NTS, who previously covered Wylie’s maternity leave at The Arches. The venue controversially closed in 2015 when it lost its late licence.
Dame Seona Reid, who chairs the theatre’s trustees, said: “Jackie brings great energy and a passion for theatre-making that is far-reaching and collaborative and we look forward very much to Scotland’s national theatre entering its second decade with her at the helm.
“Under her leadership, we will see a commitment to building on the National Theatre of Scotland’s exceptional reputation for world-class theatre whilst engaging further with new forms of theatre, new audiences, new communities and new talent.”
Edinburgh-born Wylie was artistic director and joint chief executive of The Arches from 2008-15 and established its annual international festival Behaviour.
She joins at an important time for the NTS, as it is about to open its new headquarters, Rockvilla – the site of a former cash and carry in north Glasgow.
