Kwame Kwei-Armah to leave the Young Vic

Looking at those stats it appears comparable with the ehtnic minoirty population stats for Lambeth and Southwark. How much of the theatres programming appealed to the community though ?

Lynette Linton feels like the most obvious choice, given the huge success of her work at the Bush. She values diversity in the same vein as Armah, but has a much more refined programming taste, so might be able to revive the building a little.

Rachel O'Riordan, currently AD at the Lyric Hammersmith, would also be a sensible guess. She was one of the final three for the NT job, which would give her an edge.

Clint Dyer (or Rufus Norris, but that feels too soon) may also be an option with the entry of Rubasingham at the NT.

Icke, Rupert Goold, Ivo van Hove, Katie Mitchell, Rebecca Frecknall - would also be absolutely brilliant, are technically free, but sadly I don't think the YV is attractive enough for any of them.

He did apply for the NT, though. I suppose that's just down to the calibre of the job, though - the Young Vic isn't quite same!

Too talented and successful ?

That's via Alistair Smith, writing in The Stage from 13th December 2023: www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/indhu-rubasingham-will-be-a-fine-choice-for-the-national-theatre-if-given-time

I imagine Goold will simply go freelance after he retires from the Almeida - it'd surely be too late for him at the NT after Rubasingham's run. Shame though - he's arguably the best AD in London at the moment, pumping out talent and hits like nobody else.

He’s only 51 and I assume Rubasingham’s contract is only 5 years. There have been one or two ADs recently baling out after 5-6 years rather than extending. I wonder what Norris will do next - he doesn’t strike me as being equipped to set up his own production company, or get much high-profile work as a freelance to be honest.

I think after their tenure at The Bush and after being first choice for The new Royal Court Artistic Director position, if they want it, this is Lynette Linton and Daniel Bailey’s for the taking.

O'Riordan’s taste feels a little too conservative for The Young Vic.

I know. But the likes of Juliet Stephenson and McKellen are plainly happy to work with him.

I disagree, I think Lynette Linton would be able to freshen things up and likely have revivals. She directed Blues for an Alabama Sky at the National in 2022 as well as Richard III at the Globe so she's done classics and older plays.

Rachel O'Riordan as I mentioned would suit The Old Vic better. 

Pre-covid I thought he did a pretty good job and the programming was strong,for example, Twelfth Night, Jesus Hopped the A' Train, Death of a Salesman.They also kept the ticket prices down so that you felt like you could take a punt on something you weren't sure about. I didn't begrudge my visit to see Collaboration for a tenner.

I recently watched the NT at 50 on NT live and at the end of it, if I did my counting right, there was an excerpt from one play by a woman, Alecky Blythe's London Road, and one by a black playwright, Kwame's Elmina's Kitchen. There were THREE excepts from plays by David Hare, which IMO were the lowlights of the evening. Seeing it, it was hard notto think that there were certainly must be more interesting voices out there, so it's worth theatres trying to find those voices - something that I think Lynette Linton has done very well at the Bush. I also thought her direction of Blues for an Alabama Sky at the NT was very good and shows she can handle a big stage. Whether she would want the headache of the Young Vic is another question.

Let the hagiography begin !

www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/feb/08/theatre-needs-risk-takers-like-kwame-kwei-armah-whose-young-vic-has-been-dynamite?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-5

Oklahoma! was just a transfer from USA wasn't it ?

"The Young Vic was founded in 1970 on a mission to present the classics to young audiences" - it would be interesting if they went back to that mission rather than trying to be yet another new play venue in a very very crowded market.