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Dateline: 14th March, 2011
Brown to Leave Leeds Ian Brown has announced that he is to leave his post of Artistic Director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse towards the end of 2012. "It is always difficult to make the decision to step away from something of which you are extremely proud and that has been a truly amazing and enjoyable part of your life", he said.
"I have always believed that Artistic Directors shouldn’t stay too long; that these are jobs not for life and run on fixed term contracts for some very good reasons. Ten years feels about the right amount of time to have made your mark and then to let a new era in the theatre’s history begin. It is important to me to be able to hand this building over to its next Artistic Director in the best possible shape I can, to do that takes time and requires a smooth transition from one Artistic Director to another, which is why this announcement comes so early in the planning stages.
"I feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to run this fantastic building. During the last nine years we have produced many remarkable shows, collaborated with truly groundbreaking people, supported new writers, young directors and emerging companies and cemented our work for young people through the creation of First Floor. It has been a pleasure and is an honour to be part of the legacy of this flagship producing theatre." In 2002 Brown took on the job of both Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Playhouse from Jude Kelly who had led the building since it opened in 1990. Brown was an associate director at the Playhouse from 2000 and was appointed ahead of strong competition to take over as Artistic Director. He began his directorship with a critically acclaimed production of Hamlet starring Christopher Eccleston and went on to direct successes such as Tom Courtenay in Pretending to Be Me, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, As You Like It and comedy classics such as When we Are Married with Les Dennis and Maggie Steed in the award winning Hay Fever. Under his guidance West Yorkshire Playhouse has been responsible for co-producing shows which have gone on to have life outside the Playhouse. Since 2002 nine shows have transferred to the West End (including Pretending to Be Me, The 39 Steps, which is still running in London’s West End, and most recently Othello starring Lenny Henry), thirty two productions have toured the UK and some have also gone on to tour internationally.
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