Youth Theatre Ireland Appoints Deputy Director

Youth Theatre Ireland is delighted to announce that Alan King will move into the position of Deputy Director. Alan brings 30 years of arts and youth theatre experience to his new role. Alan has held the position of Youth Theatre Officer at Youth Theatre Ireland since 2010. In this role, he supported the sustained artistic development of youth theatres through the development of resources, training, support and advice for established and developing youth theatres in Ireland.

Notable successes include the development and innovation of the Young Critics Programme, building and curating the Playshare collection and he produced the National Youth Theatre from 2015 to 2020. He also has worked in various capacities on multiple aspects of Youth Theatre Ireland’s work including festivals, exchanges, leader training and writer’s commissions.

Alan joined Dublin Youth Theatre in 1991. “It’s 30 years to the day since I first joined a youth theatre. I love it as much now as I did then. I hope to bring all my experience, knowledge and care to our members, our sector and beyond. Youth Theatre offers such a rich experience and I will support and guide new groups to take a foothold in their communities and enrich and empower the lives of many young people, as it has mine. I look forward to stepping up into this new role and helping Youth Theatre Ireland grow even more.”

He brings multiple skills across myriad disciplines to this new role including, Child Welfare & Protection, policy and implementation, Youth Theatre Development, Critical and Design Thinking, Strategic Planning, Artistic Development and Event Planning and Delivery. His career has spanned acting, producing, directing, group facilitation and project managing a variety of youth led and professional projects. He was Chairperson of Dublin Youth Theatre (2013-2016), Artistic Director of Bewley’s Café Theatre (2005-2007) and Executive Producer of Purple Heart Theatre Co. (1999-2005).

Speaking about Alan’s appointment, Eoghan Doyle, Director of Youth Theatre Ireland said ‘I am thrilled to welcome Alan to the role of Deputy Director. Alan’s passion and commitment to youth theatre is evident from his significant contribution to the organisation over the past decade and I look forward working closely with Alan in this new exciting role on the next stage of Youth Theatre Ireland’s journey.’

His current areas of interest are in Digital Learning, Design Thinking and Digital Youth Work. He graduated with First Class Honours from the inaugural NUI Certificate in Digital Creativity in Youth Settings - Level 8 in 2019 and was awarded a full Artist and Youth Work Residency Grant from the Arts Council and NYCI in 2020 and 2021.