The Royal Theatrical Support Trust and Northern Stage in partnership with Rose Theatre, English Touring Theatre and Mercury Theatre announce Jack Bradfield as winner of the 2023 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award, and Lilac Yosiphon as runner-up.
The Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST) and Northern Stage have announced Jack Bradfield as the winner of the 2023 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award, and Lilac Yosiphon as the runner-up.
The Award – run this year by the RTST in collaboration with Northern Stage – is made to an up-and-coming director who has demonstrated exceptional directing skills in a rigorous competitive process judged by a panel of eminent theatre practitioners. The winner receives a career-transformative, first-time commission to originate and direct a production on the mid-scale, as part of the participating theatre’s main programme, and to take that production on a regional tour, typically through a co-production. The RTST makes a significant contribution towards production costs.
The RTST received 90 entries for the 2023 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award. As a result of winning, Jack Bradfield will direct a brand-new production at on Northern Stage’s main stage, with the support of Northern Stage Artistic Director Natalie Ibu and the full Northern Stage team, in a co-production with Rose Theatre in Kingston, English Touring Theatre (ETT) and Mercury Theatre in Colchester. The production will open in September 2024 as part of Northern Stage’s Autumn season and then go on tour to Rose Theatre, Mercury Theatre and venues arranged by ETT. The RTST will contribute £50,000 towards the production costs. As runner-up, Lilac Yosiphon will receive mentoring support from Northern Stage.
Jack and Lilac were selected by a panel comprising Natalie Ibu (Chair and Artistic Director of Northern Stage), Tinuke Craig (director), Debbie Duru (designer); Debbie Hannan (director); Christopher Haydon (Artistic Director of Rose Theatre), Kate McGrath (playwright and CEO of Fuel Theatre), Lucian Msamati (actor) and Richard Twyman (Artistic Director of ETT).
Sir Geoffrey Cass, RTST Chairman, said today
Uniquely, our annual Award fulfils twin-purposes: it identifies and boosts the career of a brilliant director, and it provides financial support to an excellent British regional producing theatre to create a production. The 2023 winner and runner-up were selected from eight high-calibre finalists after an exacting test of their directing skills over a weekend of Directing Workshops in which they were observed directing actors, and then interviewed – twice – by our judging panel of highly experienced theatre practitioners. We’re immensely grateful to the panellists for their diligence, and to Northern Stage, under the inspiring leadership of Kate Denby and Natalie Ibu, for being our 2023 Award partner and committing to stage the winner, Jack Bradfield’s production with RTST support.”
Mark Hawes, Director of the RTST, commented:
We’re thrilled that our 2023 Award is the catalyst for Jack Bradfield’s regional mid-scale directing debut at Northern Stage and on tour with ETT, Mercury and Rose, supported by the RTST. Jack joins a roll of honour of six directors whose careers have been propelled on to the mid-scale by previous years’ Awards. As runner-up, Lilac Yosiphon is also in the company of distinguished predecessors. For sure: both Jack and Lilac are directors to watch.“
Jack Bradfield stated:
It’s an honour to receive this year’s RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award from RTST and Northern Stage. This is an opportunity like no other, and I can’t wait to create a new show as part of the main seasons at Northern Stage, The Rose, and Mercury Theatre, and to take it on tour with ETT. I’d like to thank the panel for their generosity and rigour, as well as everyone who has supported my work as a director over my career so far. I’m looking forward to making a show with heart and humanity for audiences across the country.”
Natalie Ibu, Artistic Director of Northern Stage also commented:
At Northern Stage we are committed to supporting the development of the next generation of inspiring, ambitious and skilled theatre artists to make work on mid-scale both here in Newcastle and on stages across the country. We’re so grateful to all the finalists for their bold visions, courage and passion for putting big stories on big stages that they believed could have big impact on audiences across England. We received 90 entries so choosing a winner amongst such talented individuals was a real challenge and we offer particular congratulations to Lilac as runner up. We can’t wait to introduce our winner Jack to the team at Northern Stage and begin working with him on his new show. We have been so impressed by his craft, creativity, and commitment to putting audiences at the centre of his practice – audiences here in Newcastle and across the UK are in for quite the event.”
Full details of the production and touring schedule will be announced in early 2024.