£70,000 grant awarded to the Young Vic: Jerwood Assistant Directors

One of London’s leading theatres for more than fifty years, the Young Vic Theatre was founded in 1970 as a space for world-premiere productions as well as unexpected takes on classic plays that speak to our present. 

Over the next two years, Jerwood Foundation funding for Assistant Directorships at the Young Vic will provide eight early-career directors with paid hands-on experience working with leading directors and artists on an eclectic programme of productions that reflect the Young Vic’s bold and innovative ethos.

Jerwood Assistant Directors will work on a Young Vic show over a three-month period, during which time they will see how complex productions are realised. They will access vital learning through practical experience in the rehearsal room and through previews, playing an active and crucial role in the creative process. 

 

After the preview period, Jerwood Assistant Directors will undertake a two-week placement observing the day-to-day running of the Young Vic to learn how a producing house operates. After completing the main activity, artists will join the Young Vic’s Jerwood Assistant Alumni Group and be invited to apply to Ambassador Trusteeships, which the Young Vic appoints on a two-year rolling basis. 

 

The first Jerwood Assistant Director funded by this grant is Alex Hurst who will assist Nadia Fall directing Entertaining Mr Sloane. 

Jerwood Assistant Directors will also be recruited to receive experience working on Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Broken Glass later in Nadia Fall’s inaugural season. 
 

Nadia Fall, Artistic Director Young Vic said:  

When I began my journey as a young director, all I craved was to be in a rehearsal room, because what was clear to me even then was that directing is a completely practical endeavour, where you learn and grow through practice and application as opposed to through textbooks in an academic setting. 

We were delighted to receive the news that the Jerwood Foundation has awarded us a grant towards our Assistant Directorships, and we are thrilled to be embarking on this next chapter of our partnership. Over the past twenty years, Jerwood’s transformative support has helped us put the development of new artists at the heart of our work.

Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee Jerwood Foundation said: 

This two-year grant reaffirms Jerwood Foundation’s long-standing support of the Young Vic Theatre and underlines Jerwood’s ongoing commitment to supporting emerging talent in the arts in the UK. Young Vic’s Jerwood Assistant Directors Programme will create vital opportunities for emerging directors to train, experiment and showcase their skills.

 For more information, please visit Young Vic 

September 1, 2025