Islington's Hope Theatre will be on the look-out for a new Artistic Director this year as the current holder of the position, Matthew Parker, has announced that he is to step down.

Mr Parker took over the reigns as Artistic Director of The Hope Theatre in September 2014, and in the past 4 years has established it as one of the leading lights on the London Fringe.

The 50 seat theatre resides above the famous Hope & Anchor pub and has been host to many an established stage and screen actor as well as new and first time performers, writers and theatre companies.

The Hope Theatre is a place for audiences and companies to explore big ideas working with exciting companies to present a mix of new writing, lost gems from well-known writers, re-polished classics and innovatively staged musicals.

In 2017 The Hope was nominated as Fringe Theatre of the Year at the annual Stage Awards and Mr Parker was awarded the Best Artistic Director Offie award that same year.

His directing work at The Hope has included LOVESONG OF THE ELECTRIC BEAR (winner of 2 Offie awards and transferred to the Arts, West End) HER ACHING HEART (4 Offie nominations, winner of Best Play at the Spy In The Stalls Awards 2016), BRIMSTONE & TREACLE starring Hope Patron Paul Clayton (2

Offie nominations) and a revival of THE LESSON which gave Matthew his fifth Offie nomination as Best Director.

The Hope also won Best Social Media Presence at the 2019 Offie awards for Matthew's work in social media outreach.

Mr Parker said ...

"I'm tremendously proud of my time at The Hope, of what we have achieved and the opportunities it has afforded me, both as a director honing my craft and of our collaborations with over 100 theatre companies, new and established, and giving

voice to many first time writers.

I don't yet know what or indeed where my next role will be but I am excited to move forward with my career as a director and artistic director and to finding a brilliant person to take The Hope forward"

The Hope's Board of Trustees said ...

"We are so proud of all that Matthew has achieved at The Hope.

When he took the reins, the theatre was less than a year old and had not yet developed an identity or following.

It is entirely due to his complete dedication and ceaseless hard work that four years later The Hope is a respected and loved venue both within the industry, as well as with audiences.

The numerous awards we have been fortunate to receive is testament to this.

The Hope is today a beacon within the small-scale theatre world, with a reputation for high-quality work, while championing the use of Equity payments for every actor, which is no mean feat in a 50 seat theatre.

While we will miss him greatly, we are looking forward to continuing his legacy under new leadership."

Mr Parker's final season will be announced soon, and his next in-house production will be a revival of true crime musical THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD & LOEB STORY which he will also direct.

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