Josh Roche
Production: My Name is Rachel Corrie by Katharine Viner and Alan Rickman.
Designer: Sophie Thomas, Producer: Paul Casey, Lighting Designer: Joe Price.
Josh is a director and dramaturg, and studied English Literature with Creative Writing at the University of Warwick. He was previously Writer’s Centre Associate at the Soho Theatre and an Associate Reader for Sonia Friedman Productions and Shakespeare’s Globe. From 2011 – 2016 he was the Artistic Director of Fat Git Theatre and is currently Associate Director with Poleroid Theatre. He is an Education Associate Practitioner at the RSC.
“I’m stunned and delighted to win the JMK Award. It’s hard to express quite what it means to me. The chance to direct at the Young Vic is extraordinary in any context, but to be working on this play makes the opportunity even more remarkable. My Name is Rachel Corrie is about the irrepressible political voice of Rachel Corrie, an American activist who was killed in Gaza in 2003. Directing this play as Trump overturns decades of work towards a settlement in Palestine is galling, but proves this is a story worth telling. Rachel Corrie and I were born only ten years apart. Her legacy is our inheritance. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to tell her story on the Young Vic stage, and hugely indebted to the JMK Trust” – Josh Roche
The runner-up was Nathan Crossan-Smith with his proposal for ‘random’ by Debbie Tucker Green (working with designer Nina Patel Grainger and producer Tobi Kyeremateng).
The other finalists and their teams in 2017 were:
Anthony Simpson-Pike with designer Emma Bailey and producer Debo Adebayo
Chelsea Walker with designer Rosanna Vize and producer Annabel Williamson
Finn den Hertog with designer Camilla Clarke and producer Laura Mallows
Polina Kalinina with designer Emma Bailey and producer Morag Massey
Rafaella Marcus with designer Ruta Irbite and producer Frankie Parham
Sadie Spencer with designer Alex Berry and producer Celia Dugua.
Photo of Josh: Rob Logan
Production Photos: Ellie Kurttz
