| Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON (August 13, 2015) — Andy Pringle, Chair of the Board of Governors, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Carroll as the next Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival. As Artistic Director Designate, Carroll will work with current Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell during the 2016 season to familiarize himself with the complex workings of The Shaw and plan his first season. He will officially take the helm of the Shaw Festival on December 1, 2016 at the start of the 2017 season.
“Our Search Committee spent over a year speaking to people and interviewing candidates from Canada, America and Europe. The interest we received is a great testament to the regard in which the Shaw Festival is held both domestically and internationally,” said Peter Jewett, Chair Designate of the Board of Governors and Chair of the Artistic Director Search Committee. “We are delighted to have attracted a person of Tim’s calibre as our next Artistic Director. His extensive experience, his empathy for actors, his imagination and creativity, and his keen interest in the Festival’s mandate will produce an exciting and entertaining time at The Shaw in the coming years.”
A renowned theatre and opera director with international credits, Carroll has 25 years of experience, having begun his career with the English Shakespeare Company in 1990 before becoming the Associate Director at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. Carroll’s extensive opera experience includes seven years as the Artistic Director of Kent Opera and acclaimed productions of Benjamin Britten’s The Prodigal Son and Handel’s Acis and Galatea. While the Associate Director of Shakespeare’s Globe in London, Carroll’s productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III enjoyed record-breaking runs in London’s West End and a Tony Award-winning visit to Broadway. Carroll is a founding member of the experimental theatre group The Factory in London where he directed acclaimed productions of Hamlet, The Seagull, and The Odyssey. His work has been seen in theatres all over the world, including the Lincoln Center in New York, Sydney Opera House, and Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy. He has directed many productions in Hungary, and for the National Theatres of Norway, Romania and Portugal. Carroll’s work has also graced Canadian stages with several productions at the Stratford Festival, most recently King John, which also appeared on movie screens around the world. This fall Carroll will direct Ben Hur at the Tricycle Theatre in London. In addition to his experience as an accomplished director, Carroll brings a wealth of knowledge in artist development having taught master classes at conservatories internationally.
“It’s an honour to be asked to lead this wonderful company,” said Mr. Carroll. “The Shaw has an unrivalled reputation for intelligent theatre that challenges and entertains. I can’t wait to work with this committed and brilliant team of artists.”
“Tim is an artist of international stature well known for his love of actors and the idea of company,” said Ms. Maxwell, Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival. “He is a great fit for the Shaw Festival and I welcome him on behalf of all of us.”
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