Dominic Cooke Announces April 2013 Departure from Court

Cooke, who is leaving to pursue freelance work, will have been at the helm of the Court for over seven years by the time he leaves, having previously spent eight years as an associate director.

Executive director Kate Horton is also departing the Sloane Square venue, a year before Cooke, to join the National Theatre as deputy executive director.

She said today: “I am thrilled to be joining Nick Hytner, Nick Starr and Lisa Burger at the National Theatre. This is an irresistible chance for me to work with the brilliant team leading one of our most vital cultural organisations.

“To work alongside Dominic Cooke at the Royal Court has been a privilege and a true joy. I couldn’t admire or value him more highly as a director, chief executive or friend. It has been an honour to work with him in leading an extraordinary Royal Court team in delivering Dominic’s programme.”

Dominic Cooke added: “My time with Kate at the Court has been a thrilling adventure. Through the theatre’s burgeoning writers’ groups, we’ve brought a new generation of playwrights to the stage, including many young women. We’ve given main stage debuts to writers who had exclusively been produced in smaller spaces. We’ve produced many more experienced writers, allowing them to develop and flourish.

“My focus now will be on the next 15 months of programming for the Court. Having just announced nine new plays for the first six months of 2012 I’ll be planning the next two seasons, which we will announce in due course, and will include some exciting surprises.  By the time I leave Sloane Square, I will have produced around 100 new plays. There are many people who have given their talent, passion and hard work to make that work happen and I am hugely grateful to all of them.”

Cooke will direct the next production in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, David Eldridge’s In Basildon, which opens on 16 February 2012.  

His many other directing credits during his time as artistic director include Clybourne Park, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Wig Out!, Now or Later, Rhinoceros and The Pain and the Itch.