Ramin Gray

Touring theatre company ATC today announced (14 October 2010) the appointment of Ramin Gray as their new artistic director, following the departure of Bijan Sheibani earlier this year.

The company, who are currently co-producing Ivan and the Dogs which opens at the Soho Theatre tonight (previews from 12 October 2010) prior to a national tour, were nominated for an Olivier Award for their production of Tarell Alvin McCraney‘s The Brothers Size which was co-produced with the Young Vic in 2007.

Gray’s previous posts include work with the Liverpool Playhouse, where he re-opened the Playhouse Studio as a dedicated space for new plays from 1992 to 1995, and the International Associate, then Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre from 2000 to 2009 where he directed over 15 premieres including Push Up by Roland Schimmelpfennig, Terrorism by the Presnyakov Brothers and Scenes from the Back of Beyond by Meredith Oakes.

His freelance theatre work inclues two plays for the RSC, David Grieg‘s The American Pilot and Leo Butler‘s I’ll Be The Devil.

Born in London in 1963, Gray grew up in Oxford, Tehran, New York and Paris before graduating from Oxford. As well as speaking a number of languages, he has travelled extensively in the Middle East. He takes up the position of artistic director in late October.

In other industry news, Lucy Bailey, the theatre director who recently staged Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe, is to launch an 80-seat theatre in Notting Hill next month. The Print Room, a newly renovated 1950’s warehouse on Hereford Road will launch with a season showcasing lesser-known works by famous authors.

The venue’s first performance will be Fabrication, a piece written by Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini which has been adapted for the stage by poet Jamie McKendrick. The play, which follows a married man’s obsession with his teenage son, will run from 9 November to 4 December 2010, directed by Bailey. It is the first time the work has been performed since 1972 when it was staged in Italy.

Also announced were plans to stage Alan Ayckbourn’s Snake in the Grass. That production will star Susan Wooldridge who, amongst Wooldridge’s many stage and screen appearances, was last seen in the Open Air Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Bailey will co-artistic direct the venue with Anda Winters – a producer and designer – who hope to run the theatre as a production house. The pair are currently self-funding the project, which they say is not sustainable. Two other theatre directors, a choreographer and a musician are attached to the new venue as artistic associates.