21 replies to this topic

[Backdrifter]

He'll be leaving Headlong, according to their twitter feed.

[paultheatre]

Thoughts on this appointment?

[AnnieInTheStalls]

I'd never have predicted this. But I think it's very exciting news for the Almeida, which does need a kick up its arse.

[Epicoene]

Excellent news. Thought he would have held out for a shot at the NT instead.

[Epicoene]

And leaving the RSC list of associate directors too I suppose, not that they got much value out of him. Let's hope he's finished his Hollywood film by August else he'll be pulling out of this job too.

[Honoured Guest]

Yes, I agree - exciting news! I would expect he'll sharply redefine the Almeida's public profile and also restructure its annual programme. He's fortunate to come in with such a well-established strong personal reputation because I think the current Almeida supporters will accept his ideas, with little risk of their feeling threatened and deserting their favoured theatre.

The Almeida's future ACE funding has been significantly cut and so it would be difficult for it to perpetuate its current annual activity cycle under any artistic director. So it's great to see it led by someone who has a track record of accepting the challenges of circumstances and creating new ways of achieving great work within these constraints.

[Boob]

Excellent news indeed for the venue.  I had resigned myself to the idea that it would be Sharrock and now my only concern is that it leaves her available for the National job.  No thanks.

[Honoured Guest]

Epicoene, on 08 February 2013 - 11:33 AM, said:

And leaving the RSC list of associate directors too I suppose,

Indeed, Rupert Goold and Roxana Silbert (now leading Birmingham Rep) are no longer listed as part of the RSC Executive Team on their website. It would appear that Goold has only very recently stepped down because his biography is still linked to the webpage, whereas Silbert's biography has been removed. Michael Boyd's other Executive Team members are all still in post (Associate Directors David Farr and Deborah Shaw, RSC Writer in Residence Mark Ravenhill and Associate Designer Tom Piper). Gregory Doran has yet to appoint new Executive Team Members below the level of his new Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman, as he said at the recent new season announcement.

http://www.rsc.org.u...k/whos-who.aspx

EDIT 5.35pm Goold's biography has now also been removed from the RSC Executive Team webpage.

[Epicoene]

Goold is nothing if not overtly ambitious. He applied for the RSC job but was then induced to withdraw his application when they introduced an entirely new requirement that the AD had to live in Stratford (presumably to favour their own in-house candidate). The fact he hasn't waited for the NT post to become vacant indicates to me that he knows (or strongly suspects) that job is already allocated in some way (for example, that N.Hytner has decided he is so totally indispensable he's staying for another 10 years, or that the NT board have let it be known it will go to a female candidate). Anyway, Goold is relatively young enough to take the NT as the next but one. It will be interesting to see whether the chattering classes (include me in) gravitate back to the Almeida after the Donmar's decade of dominance.

[Lynette]

Will the Almeida become "achingly fashionable" again?