Kip Williams takes the reins while STC hunts for a new Artistic Director.

Sydney Theatre Company has announced that Kip Williams is to be the company’s Interim Artistic Director, effective immediately, until the new Artistic Director is appointed later in the year. The appointment follows the controversial departure of British director Jonathan Church, who parted ways with STC in May less than nine months after being appointed Artistic Director, leaving programming for the 2017 season incomplete.

“We have begun the recruitment process for a new Artistic Director and Kip will provide strong artistic leadership during this transitional period,” said STC Chairman Ian Narev. “Kip has an intimate knowledge of the company, excellent relationships with theatre makers and a great track record as a practising artist.”

A distinctive theatrical voice who has sometimes divided critics, Williams, aged 30, has been closely involved with STC ever since he worked as an assistant director on Andrew Upton’s 2011 production of The White Guard straight after completing a Master of Dramatic Art in Directing at NIDA.

A year later, he directed a production of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood for STC in his own right. Talking to Limelight recently, Williams described the opportunity to direct...