It’s been announced that Sean Foley will take over as artistic director of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in Summer 2019.

Foley is a multi-Olivier Award winning actor, writer and director. He achieved success as a founder of the theatre company The Right Size, earning major UK and international success in the early 2000s with THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE. Written by and starring Foley, the play won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy as well as receiving a Broadway transfer. In recent years, Foley has worked as a director overseeing the West End productions of THE PAINKILLER, JEEVES AND WOOSTER IN PERFECT NONSENSE and THE LADYKILLERS.

Foley will be joined at the Birmingham Rep by new deputy artistic director Amit Sharma and new executive director Rachael Thomas. Sharma has previously worked as an associate director at Graeae and associate artistic director at Manchester’s Royal Exchange. Meanwhile, Thomas currently serves as executive director at Derby Theatre.

Foley said: ‘The UK’s Second City is full of amazing people: as one of the most multicultural cities in Britain, its stories are specific, but also universal. I’m British, but also half Irish, half Brummie, and am excited to be returning to work in the city having grown up in its suburbs.’

Sharma said: ‘I have had such an amazing time with Graeae, who will always be part of my life, but the opportunity to join Sean, Rachael and the remarkable team in Birmingham fills me with such excitement that I can’t wait to get started.’

Thomas said: ‘These are exciting times for Birmingham as it continues its transformation into a world class city – from the major redevelopment of the city centre to its role as host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the vision and ambition within the city is clear.’

Foley takes over the role of artistic director from Roxanna Silbert, who assumes artistic directorship of London’s Hampstead Theatre this Spring. Foley’s first season of work at the Birmingham Rep will begin in 2020.