After five successful years as Artistic Director of The Gate, Ellen McDougall is stepping down to take up freelance directing opportunities.
From 2017 to 2020 McDougall programmed over 20 productions, including international coproductions, and adaptations of works by Jamaica Kincaid, Valeria Luiselli, Klaus Mann, Jose Saramago and Derek Walcott. Last year, The Gate was awarded Jerwood Arts’ ‘Commissioning for the Future Fund’, in recognition of the extraordinary work the theatre has done to support theatre artists before Covid-19, and especially since the pandemic.
Joseph Smith, Chair of the Board said:
We are grateful to Ellen for her artistic leadership of The Gate over the last five years. Her tenure includes many artistic highlights, such as Effigies of Wickedness with ENO, and Dear Elizabeth, but it is also characterised by her commitment to supporting artists at all stages of their careers, and to building partnerships with artistic and community based organisations, including Shubbak Festival, the Harrow Club and Migrants Organise. The Gate has long been a springboard for emerging talent in theatre and we are excited to imagine our future under new leadership, one that will build on the Gate’s past successes and reinvent the theatre for the times we live in now.
Ellen McDougall said:
I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved over the last five years at The Gate. This is a theatre built and sustained by the most extraordinary, imaginative and energetic community and I’m grateful to everyone who supported me during my tenure. The Gate has long been a space for artists to reimagine and challenge what theatre is, and who it is for. It’s a space that welcomes courage, innovation and playfulness, and it’s a privilege to have been part of it. With a visionary Leader in Shawab Iqbal at the helm, and exciting plans in development for the future, I can’t wait to see the next chapter in the Gate’s story take shape, and I wish the team all the very best going forwards.
Shawab Iqbal, the Gate’s Executive Director and Joint CEO said:
I wish Ellen every success for the next stage of her career, and want to pay tribute to all of her achievements at the Gate. I look forward to continuing to lead the theatre into an exciting new chapter, which will always be a place for artists and our local communities to be unapologetic, bold and fearless.. The Board and wider team remain committed to planning a future which makes a notable contribution to Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy and Investment Principles over the coming years.