First woman to become Old Vic’s artistic director
THE new artistic director for Britain’s longest continuously running theatre has been named – and she said she feels “a great sense of awe and excitement” to take on the role.
Nancy Medina is the first woman, and the first person of colour, to take up the prestigious role as theatre director for the Bristol Old Vic, and will join the theatre full-time in spring next year.
She follows Tom Morris, who is stepping down after a critically acclaimed 12 years in the role.
As a theatre director Nancy Medina’s credits include Trouble in Mind at the National Theatre and Strange Fruit at the Bush Theatre. She’s currently directing a world premiere production of The Darkest Part of the Night by Zodwa Nyoni at the Kiln Theatre in north London.
She has lived in Bristol for 14 years, and said it will be a great honour to run the Old Vic.
“I feel a great sense of awe and excitement to be embarking on a journey that will contribute to the great legacy of leading England’s oldest working theatre,” she said.
“I feel gratitude to be joining the amazing team at Bristol Old Vic and to further the outstanding work that Tom and Charlotte [Geeves, executive director] have initiated for excellence in creativity, innovation, artist development and engagement with the wider city of Bristol.
“I have lived in Bristol for 14 years, have grown as a person, as an artist, and I am happily raising my children here. It will be a great honour to listen, reflect and engage with the people of Bristol and together imagine what the future of theatre and the arts can be in this shining city of the South West,” she added.
The chair of the Bristol Old Vic theatre described Ms Medina as an “inspiring visionary”, and confirmed she would also be appointed as the Old Vic’s joint CEO at the same time.
“I am absolutely delighted that Nancy Medina will be joining Bristol Old Vic as our next artistic director and joint CEO,” said Bernard O’Donoghue.
“We were humbled to have had an astonishing calibre of candidates apply for this role, which reflects the strength of Bristol Old Vic, its place in UK and international theatre, and the legacy and achievements of Tom Morris over the last 12 years.
“Nancy is an inspiring visionary, a highly accomplished and awardwinning director, and a passionate advocate for Bristol.
“Her commitment to our ambitions for Bristol Old Vic to be a producing powerhouse, an important civic space for Bristol and the region, and being an accomplice in the work on social justice, diversity, inclusion and equality is clear in everything she does.
“The board, the executive team, our partners, stakeholders and I look forward to working with her in this next exciting chapter of the theatre’s life,” he added.
Outgoing artistic director Mr Morris recently announced he would be stepping down next year. He has led the Old Vic with an emphasis on greater engagement with the different communities in Bristol and outreach work to places that normally wouldn’t get involved with the theatre, as well as overseeing a multimillion-pound refurbishment of the theatre that created a new front of house area on King Street.
He said Ms Medina was a “landmark director at the height of her powers”.
“This is a brilliant appointment made by an outstanding board through a groundbreaking and incisive process,” he said. “Nancy is a landmark director at the height of her powers and a visionary creative leader.
“Through her own rehearsal rooms and the extraordinary achievement of setting up the Bristol School of Acting, she has established an unmatched reputation in combining radical change with artistic excellence. This combination is precious and rare.
“To survive and flourish over the next decades, British theatre is going to have to change and that will need outstanding leadership. Through this appointment, Bristol Old Vic has put itself in the best possible position to be in the vanguard of that process,” he added.