The £25,000 Young Director Award for 2016 from JMK Trust has been awarded to Roy Alexander Weise for his proposal for Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, which will soon be staged at the Young Vic.
The two runners-up were Chelsea Walker for Low Level Panic and Tom Bailey for The Human Voice, who will each receive £1,000.
Weise trained on the directing course at Rose Bruford College before becoming a member of the Genesis Directors Network at the Young Vic and Associate Artist at The Red Room. In 2014, he was runner-up for the JMK Award and BBC Theatre Fellow at the Bush Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith.
His professional directing debut is Stone Face by Eve Leigh, which is currently playing at the Finborough Theatre in London until 11 June. His assistant director credits include Hangmen at the Royal Court and West End.
Weise said, "Fifteen years ago, I walked into a theatre to use the bathroom. I'd never even been in one before. And now, I'm directing this play—a story that means so much to me and so many other people—at one of the best theatres in the world with the JMK giving the kind of support that says 'we trust you and believe in you'."
JMK Trust Chair Stephen Fewell added, "we first encountered Roy’s work two years ago, when he was runner up for the JMK Award in 2014, and in the meantime he has shown not only great tenacity in getting his own work on, but the ability to adapt and learn as part of the dynamic teams at the Bush and Royal Court theatres. His winning reflects the crucial importance of well-funded, long term artist development: diverse pathways offering a distinct series of opportunities to directors nationwide.
"Like James [Menzies-Kitchen], who the award itself commemorates, Roy’s journey began in acting; he has a definite skill and facility with performers alongside the acumen and drive so essential for building both creative teams and a career. All this makes him precisely the sort of artist we set out to support, so I’m particularly thrilled that he has won this opportunity to bring his work to a wider audience. It’s a privilege to be part of his journey."