Off-Broadway's Park Avenue Armory has named Deborah Warner its new artistic director, with the tenure to begin immediately. The theatre and opera director succeeds the group's most recent leader, Pierre Audi, following his sudden death last year.

Warner comes to the Manhattan company after a long career in the U.K., with past work at Kick Theatre Company, Royal Shakespeare Company, London's National Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio, and more. She was the first woman to win the Olivier for Best Director, for her Titus Andronicus, and also directed The Last September for the screen. Warner has twice brought productions to Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for her 2002 Medea, and returning in 2013 with The Testament of Mary.

"I have always been inspired by the artistic potential of the Armory, the epitome of an unconventional space, where artists are prompted to think boldly, innovate, and work at scale," says Warner in a statement. "It is a rare institution that welcomes ambition in this way, and I am tremendously excited to contribute to its extraordinary trajectory."

"The powerful combination of artistic rigor and daring imagination have solidified Deborah Warner’s standing as one of the most innovative and influential directors working today," adds Armory Founding President and Executive Producer Rebecca Robertson. "Throughout her career, she has demonstrated the highest level of excellence, with a proven track record of celebrated works in theatre and many other genres, including opera, classical music, and adventurous hybrid productions. She has a trailblazing approach to bringing new meaning to Shakespeare and other beloved classics, such as her productions of Richard II and King Lear; a passion for outside-the-box thinking; and a fascination with the power of 'found' spaces. All of this aligns precisely with the Armory’s own artistic vision, which demands high-quality, imaginative, and unconventional thinking to provide those memorable ‘only at the Armory’ experiences that continue to attract our audiences."

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