Ellen McDougall announced as new Gate Theatre artistic director

Ellen McDougall will take up the position of artistic director of the Gate Theatre from March 2017.

The announcement of McDougall's appointment comes following Christopher Haydon's decision to step down from the position after five years.

McDougall is an associate artist at the theatre and served as associate director for two years from 2012. She directed the production of Idomeneus at the Gate in 2014 and her previous projects include The Rolling Stone at the Orange Tree Theatre, The Glass Menagerie (Headlong, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Everyman and Playhouse) and Henry the Fifth at the Unicorn Theatre.

McDougall said she was "thrilled" to be appointed, adding: "It is both daunting and inspiring to be taking over from Christopher Haydon's bold and passionate tenure…To me, the Gate Theatre is a home for fearless emerging artists who want to challenge the assumptions about the way theatre is made and experienced in this country. Its internationalism is underpinned by a belief that drawing on a diverse range of forms and stories inspires the most exciting theatre."

The director's upcoming projects include The Remains of Maisie Duggan at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and Othello at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

Haydon commented: "[Ellen's] appointment to the post of artistic director is further proof of the vital role that the Gate plays in the process of discovering, developing and promoting the most exciting theatre talent of the future."