The New Vic’s Artistic Director, Theresa Heskins, and Associate Director Vicki Dela Amedume MBE have been nominated for Best Director at the prestigious UK Theatre Awards, recognising their collaborative work on the New Vic’s 2024 production of The Company of Wolves.
A rare staging of Angela Carter’s gothic horror, The Company of Wolves combined innovative storytelling with spectacular contemporary circus disciplines, including Chinese Pole, against an evocative soundscape. The result was a truly unique theatrical experience, staged in-the- round at the New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Theresa Heskins’ and Vicki Dela Amedume’s collaborative directing work has been recognised before with their Olivier award-winning West End production of The Worst Witch (2017). They have previously worked together on a number of New Vic productions including The Wicked Lady (2009), Dracula (2015), Astley’s Astounding Adventures (2018 & 2023) and most recently, The Princess and The Pea (2024). Their enduring partnership – combining contemporary circus with captivating storytelling – forms the foundation of the New Vic and Upswing’s Circus Theatre Partnership, that continues to push the boundaries of the combined artform.
The directors are nominated in the Best Director category alongside Nadia Fall for Stratford East’s production of Abigail’s Party and Prasanna Puwanarajah for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Twelfth Night.
Speaking about the nomination, Fiona Wallace, New Vic Theatre Managing Director, said: “Everyone at the New Vic is delighted to see this national recognition for Theresa Heskins and Vicki Dela Amedume. Their approach to collaborating as directors is unique, as demonstrated by their amazing work on The Company of Wolves. The show was a standout production for us and the whole team feel incredibly proud of this nomination.”
The UK Theatre awards are the only nationwide awards that celebrate outstanding achievement in regional and national theatre. Winners are selected by a judging panel of industry professionals and will be announced at this year’s ceremony, which takes place on Sunday 12 October.