National theatre boss woos younger audience
Newly-appointed artistic director sets ambitious new targets
THE new artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland has pledged to produce plays that will attract more young people to see performances.
Jackie Wylie, the first Scot to hold the post, said she will be bringing in “new forms of theatre, new voices, and doing all I can to attract new and younger audiences”.
Ms Wylie, 36, from Edinburgh, is the former artistic director of Glasgow arts venue The Arches, which shut last year after police concerns about drug use at its clubbing nights that were not part of its artistic output.
The venue became known for cutting-edge theatre, new writing and performance art under her seven-year tenure.
Ms Wylie will not be directing plays herself at the NTS, unlike her two predecessors, but she promised to be a “creative producer”, bringing together writers, directors and actors to work on theatrical projects.
Ms Wylie, who will take up the post early next year, said it was too early to identify themes or issues she would like to address, but said: “I am incredibly proud of what we did at The Arches, the artists we worked with and the connections we made nationally and internationally.
“But the NTS has a much broader canvass than that, to work on a national level and to try and attract a whole range of audiences.”
She added: “I see myself as an artistic leader but I work through the programming, and the curatorial practice - my role is a creative producer.”
On being Scottish, she said she felt pleased she had been appointed as the “best person for the job.”
The Arches, underneath Central Station, was shut in 2015 after pressure from Police Scotland led to the city’s licensing board to remove its late licence, ending the clubbing events that financially underpinned its cultural programme.
Ms Wylie is co-director of Take Me Somewhere, a new citywide festival, based at the city’s Tramway. She will take over the NTS after it has moved into its first purpose-built headquarters, Rockvilla, in north Glasgow.
The former artistic director, Laurie Sansom, earlier this year said he hoped the NTS would not become the “National Theatre of Glasgow”.
Ms Wylie said: “It is so important NTS is a national company, it is at the very heart of what it means and it is so important there are stories to be found throughout the whole of Scotland: I don’t have any worries about that.”
She added: “It’s an incredible privilege to be given the opportunity to lead the National Theatre of Scotland. 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
‘‘ I am incredibly proud ofwhatwedidatThe Arches, the artists we worked with and the connections we made
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.”
Seona Reid, chairwoman of the NTS, said Ms Wylie was “wonderfully energetic and passionate” and had an impressive connections nationally and internationally.
She said: “The Arches produced a particular style of work that was experimental and innovative, but the NTS has to be broader.”
Ms Reid added: “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.
“We will see a commitment to building on the National Theatre of Scotland’s exceptional reputation for world-class theatrewhilst engaging further with new forms of theatre, new audiences.”