Josie Rourke is a British theatre director.

She attended St Patricks RC High School in Eccles

Eccles, Greater Manchester

Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...

, Salford

City of Salford

The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...

 and her first notable work was as assistant director to Peter Gill

Peter Gill (playwright)

Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...

 in his premiere of The York Realist

The York Realist

The York Realist is a 2001 play by Peter Gill. It was premiered at the Lowry in November 2001 before moving to the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Court Theatre in January 2002 by English Touring Theatre, with Gill himself directing...

in 2002. From 2002 to 2007 she worked as a freelance director, with her work including the 2002-03 Crazyblackmuthafuckin'self by DeObia Oparei

Deobia Oparei

Deobia Oparei is a London born actor perhaps best known for his role as the Gunner in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and as Thundarian in Your Highness. His acting career in the early 1990's included minor television roles he spent the mid 1990s performing as a Drag Queen in Sydney...

 at the Royal Court Theatre

Royal Court Theatre

The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...

 and 2006 RSC

Royal Shakespeare Company

The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...

 productions of Believe What You Will and King John (the latter starring Joe Milson as 'the bastard' and Richard McCabe

Richard McCabe

Richard McCabe is a Scottish actor.-Biography:Richard McCabe was born in Glasgow to a Scottish father and French mother . He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , where he won several awards. Following the early death of his father and his mother's re-marriage, he grew up in Sussex where...

 as 'King John'). During that period she also worked as the Associate Director of Sheffield Theatres

Sheffield Theatres

Sheffield Theatres is a theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire comprising three theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Crucible Studio...

 and Trainee Associate Director at the Royal Court.

In 2007 Josie was appointed Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre

Bush Theatre

The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...

 in West London. There she has directed many hits including Nick Payne

Nick Payne

Nick Payne is a British playwright who studied at the University of York and subsequently at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writer's Programme...

's If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet

If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet

If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet is the first full length professionally produced play by the British playwright Nick Payne. It was produced at the Bush Theatre in London in 2009 receiving very positive reviews and earned Payne a nomination for the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising...

.

In 2011, Rourke directed a production of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

's play Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....

at Wyndham's Theatre

Wyndham's Theatre

Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...

, starring David Tennant

David Tennant

David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...

 and Catherine Tate

Catherine Tate

Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...

. The production ran between 16th May and 3rd September.

In March 2011, it was announced that Rourke would take over from Michael Grandage

Michael Grandage

Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer, and current Artistic Director at the Donmar Warehouse, London. Grandage won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for Red.-Early years:...

 as the new director of the Donmar Warehouse

Donmar Warehouse

Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...

theatre in January 2012.

External links

• http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/biography/josie_rourke/