Stratford East’s Artistic Director Nadia Fall announces that she will be stepping down from her role in December 2024 to take up the position of Artistic Director at the Young Vic.

Nadia has been Artistic Director and CEO since 2017, her wide-ranging programme has ensured that Stratford East is one of London’s most cherished and bold theatres.  Alongside her main stage productions, this has included a dynamic Learning and Participation programme for young people and the local community and the Freelance Royalty Scheme a network supporting the freelance workforce, and she was also a Sky Arts creative Associate representing theatre. 

Nadia Fall said today, “Being the Artistic Director of Stratford East has been an enormous privilege and one of the most important and exciting times in my life. The rich history, politics, plays and people make this theatre incredibly precious, and it has a unique personality and an authenticity that is palpable as soon as you walk through the doors, and it’s downright infectious. My work at Stratford has been a labour of love and the experience will forever be part of me. I’m so proud of the productions and participatory initiatives that my team and I have produced, and I especially want to thank my talented Executive Director Eleanor Lang for steering the ship with me, as well as the brilliant staff, the brave artists, dynamic chair Margaret Hodge alongside the board but also the very special audience. As I begin a new adventure at the Young Vic theatre, I will really miss Stratford.

I’ll miss walking in to box office and catching up with everything there is to know about British theatre from the team, introducing artists to our beautiful auditorium and seeing it take their breath away every time, being metres away from the actors doing their first run-throughs in the rehearsal room and the midwifery of plays with the fantastic directors, sitting amongst our audience who call and respond to the work in such a thrilling way here, and regularly walking out the auditorium to find a salsa class or impromptu party in the bar. I’ll miss the amazing vibe of this rare jewel which is a true cornerstone of the community and has a spirit that is priceless.

Looking ahead I also cannot wait to see what the next lucky artistic director does with this lightening-rod of a theatre in the East end.”

Chair of the Board, Margaret Hodge, added “For the last seven years Nadia has been the artistic director at Stratford East theatre – responsible for some brilliant productions and helping to strengthen the reputation of the theatre in its important place in the theatre landscape. She has maintained Stratford East’s character for not following the crowd, presenting revitalised classical works and also producing new pieces for contemporary audiences, especially speaking to our local community. She has helped to steer us through the highs of shows that were so successful they transferred to the West End and received an Olivier nomination, to the lows of an international pandemic. The Trustees deeply appreciate Nadia’s strong, and creative leadership and we wish her great success in her new role at the Young Vic”.

During her tenure Nadia has directed The Village, an adaptation of Fuente Ovejuna by April De Angelis starring Anya Chalotra and Art Malik, King Hedley II by August Wilson, starring Aaron Pierre and Sir Lenny Henry, The Sun, The Moon and The Stars by Dipo Baruwa-Etti starring Kibong Tanji Shining City by Conor McPherson with Brendan Coyle, Village Idiot by Sampson Hawkins a Ramps on the Moon show, and during lockdown Nadia co-wrote No Masks with Rebecca Lenkiewicz which she directed for a Sky Arts drama starring Russell Tovey, Anya Cholotra, Eamon Walker, Lorraine Ashbourne and Anna Calder-Marshal, and wrote and directed Welcome To Iran for BBC Radio 3. She will be directing Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party this autumn.

Her programme has seen a variety of reimagined classics and timely revivals, welcoming some of the best directing talent in the industry, including Lyndsey Turner’s Olivier Award-winning Noye’s Fludde by Benjamin Britten, which saw 200 local children and community take to the Stratford East stage; Equus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Ned Bennett, which transferred to the West End and received three Olivier Award nominations; a 30th anniversary production of Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing directed by Anthony Simpson Pike; and The Big Life, which returned to Stratford East, directed by Tinuke Craig, 20 years after its original run.

She has also presented ground-breaking new work including Extinct by April De Angelis directed by Kirstey Housley, Now, I See by Lanre Malaolu, the UK premieres of Tambo and Bones by Dave Harris, directed by Matthew Xia and The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, directed by Ellen McDougall.

Nadia’s final season at Stratford East will be announced this autumn, and recruitment for the organisation’s new Artistic Director will begin in the summer.