Joe Murphy appointed Birmingham Rep’s New Artistic Director

Birmingham Rep is delighted to announce that Joe Murphy has been appointed the new Artistic Director at The Rep.

Joe, 39, is currently Artistic Director of the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. His career as a stage director and creative artist includes work at The Old Vic, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Bush, Chichester Festival Theatre and Soho Theatre. He has also toured work to New York, Moscow, St Petersburg, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bengaluru (Bangalore).

Andy Street, Chair of The Rep, said: “Joe comes to The Rep as one of the brightest young directors of his generation with an incredible track record of success. I’m confident that under his leadership The Rep will thrive artistically and connect with even more audiences and participants across the city and beyond.”

Rachael Thomas, Chief Executive of The Rep added “We’re thrilled to have appointed a director of Joe’s talent to lead The Rep artistically. He has a palpable sense of vision for the theatre that is centred on Birmingham whilst being bold and ambitious in scale and reach.”

During Joe’s time at the Sherman Theatre, where he has been Artistic Director since 2019, the theatre has staged over 18 world premieres and was nominated for The Stage’s Theatre of the Year Award and The Sky Arts Theatre Award.

Joe was Associate Director on the adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Originally made as a two-parter for The RSC, on which Joe also worked, Wolf Hall went into the West End before heading to Broadway. 

“Birmingham Rep is a local theatre with a global reach. I am absolutely thrilled to join at an exciting time for the theatre and for the city. The Rep is a powerhouse of drama, and I look forward to working with the talented team there and the community in and around Birmingham,” Joe Murphy, New Artistic Director.

Joe will lead an artistic team which includes Madeleine Kludje, as newly appointed Deputy Artistic Director, and Iqbal Khan who is re-appointed as Associate Director.

For more Birmingham Rep news, visit birmingham-rep.co.uk

Joe Murphy, Image credit The Rep