The Stage

Featherstone named new NToS head

Published Friday 30 July 2004 at 13:55

Paines Plough director Vicky Featherstone has been announced as the surprise appointment to become the first director of the National Theatre of Scotland.

Featherstone is a respected voice in British theatre who is known for her championing of both new writing and theatre. She will take up the post on November 1. Her contract is set to run for three years, with an option on two more.

“I am passionate, I am politically passionate about moving theatre forward and about what theatre means to a nation, to individuals and culturally,” Featherstone said.

“You can’t just do that as a director with one show. This is about something strategic, something which we can all come together and make demands on.”

The NToS is a commissioning organisation rather than one that produces plays in its own building, although Featherstone will head up a core work force of approximately 15 at the organisation’s base in Glasgow.

It will be some time before the Scottish theatregoing public gets to see the first fruits of the appointment, but Featherstone promised: “We will have very exciting epic productions, state of the nation productions which will make us proud to be alive, let alone Scottish or going to the theatre.

“But I also think that people’s work begins in training, in allowing them to take risks and I think risks are an important factor. I am fearless about this. I want to encourage people to be able to take risks and to really push their ambitions.”