The winner of the JMK Award 2024 was Adam Karim with his production of Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph, presented in partnership with the Orange Tree Theatre. Adam worked with designer Roisin Jenner on the production.
As well as the JMK Award, the Trust acknowledges one runner-up in the process in memory of August O’Neill. In 2024, director Sam Woof and their designer Natalie Johnson, who worked together on their ideas for Colder than Here by Laura Wade.
Adam Karim is a freelance theatre director and facilitator. As Donmar Warehouse’s Resident Assistant Director ’23, his credits include Clyde’s, When Winston Went To War With The Wireless, Trouble In Butetown. Directing Credits include Platform (East15), Pressure Drop (Immediate Theatre), The Yard (Schools Tour) Second Person Narrative (RBSW / Clapham Omnibus). Other Assistant Directing includes: The P-Word (Bush Theatre), Sorry You’re Not A Winner (Paines Plough).
‘I was never supposed to be an artist. I was supposed to get better grades (much better grades), get a sensible job (doctor, lawyer… – you know the drill) not complain, not think too much, not feel too much and definitely not express any of it. So, it’s still quite a shock to me at times to find myself in this position. I’ve been very lucky in what can only be described as a burning hellfire of an arts landscape where opportunity is rare.
I managed to work pretty consistently as an actor before directing and learning my trade as a director through assisting I landed myself some pretty sweet gigs with wonderful artists I admire greatly. I worked at new-writing powerhouse Paines Plough, game-changing (and Olivier Award Winning) Bush Theatre on The P-Word, and the much-coveted Donmar RAD position meant learning from some of the best directing talent around (Tinuke Craig, Katy Rudd, Lynette Linton). And yet when I left that role in January this year, I had nothing lined up. Not a single gig. Sweet FA. A ton of great ideas and a ton of unanswered or polite rejection emails.
Directing Guards At The Taj, as the grateful winner of this year’s JMK Award (alongside brilliant designer Roisin Jenner), we had to pitch to a panel through many rounds, so I’ve been thinking about it a lot!
Winning the JMK is life changing, because now I get to actually do, and ‘order’; the power structures of British Theatre, have to take a back seat for a moment. ‘F**k The King. Beauty Shall live!’ No, far from it. In truth there is always a price to be paid for beauty. Others must be the judge of our success in making something beautiful and to have a career in this ruthless game there is no avoiding the power structures.’ – Adam Karim
You can read more about our finalists for the 2024 award, here.
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The JMK Award this year has been made possible by the Martin Bowley Charitable Trust, the Katie Bradford Arts Trust, the Leche Trust, the Cockayne Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the London Community Foundation, the Patricia Routledge Foundation, the Orange Tree Theatre and all our individual donors.
