Vicky Featherstone to replace Dominic Cooke at Royal Court

The National Theatre of Scotland’s Vicky Featherstone is to succeed Dominic Cooke as the artistic director of the Royal Court.

Featherstone, who has been the artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland since its formation in 2006, will replace Cooke when he steps down in April, 2013.

She said: “Under the brilliant leadership of Dominic Cooke the Royal Court has achieved phenomenal success and it is a great honour and privilege to be taking over from him as artistic director. Since I first became aware of the power of theatre to challenge and entertain, the Royal Court has been at the very forefront of my experience. In its tireless championing of the playwright as the centre of the creative process the Royal Court has created the environment for some of our greatest and bravest thinkers and talents to emerge.”

She added that her “entire understanding of and belief in theatre is predicated on the playwright”.

“It is the playwrights who find story, form and structure in the most unlikely yet inspiring places and who breathe the life into ideas, thus demanding their urgent work be realised for an audience,” she said.

Featherstone described her time with the National Theatre of Scotland as “life-changing”.

She said: “To have been able to direct and programme a wide-range of work for such diverse audiences in age, geography and background has challenged my notion of what theatre can be.”

With the National Theatre of Scotland, Featherstone’s credits include Enquirer, Appointment with the Wicker Man and the multi-award winning Black Watch, which was one of her first commissions.

Prior to working in Scotland, she was artistic director of Paines Plough Theatre Company, from 1997 until 2005.

Featherstone has also worked in television as a drama executive.

Anthony Burton, chairman of the board at the Royal Court, said Featherstone had “dazzled the selection panel with her vision and inspiration”.

Meanwhile, Cooke said he “couldn’t be happier” about his replacement, describing Featherstone as a “brilliant and inspiring director”.

He announced he would be stepping down in 2013 at the end of last year, stating he wanted to focus on freelance projects.