Foster, who is currently represented by a touring production of Calamity Jane, has also recently directed The Memory of Water (New Vic, Stoke & Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough), Brecht's The Good Person of Sichuan (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); the 20th anniversary production of Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing (Arts Theatre and tour), and Merrily We Roll Along (Clwyd Theatr Cymru).
In a press statement, he commented, "Curve is a remarkable theatre, representing everything I believe theatre should be. I consider it a great honour to build upon the tremendous foundations laid over the past five years by Paul Kerryson, Fiona Allan and the inspirational team in Leicester, which places the community and audiences at the heart of Curve's bold, contemporary and eclectic programming. Needless to say, I am tremendously excited to begin my Curve adventure, collaborating with a hugely talented and dynamic team, developing all strands of the programme: drama, dance, new writing and of course, musical theatre. I cannot wait to get started."
He joins CEO Fiona Allan, newly appointed commercial director Alister de Ternant, and a soon-to-be appointed chief operating officer to create the new core executive team. Foster will be responsible for developing the artistic strategy for Curve, with an emphasis on continuing to grow the company’s national reputation for musical theatre, developing drama audiences, and building strong links with Leicester’s diverse communities.
In a press statement, Allan commented, "Nikolai was our stand-out choice as Artistic Director, and I’m very much looking forward to working with him. Leicester loves musicals, and under Paul Kerryson’s leadership we have grown a reputation for producing exceptional musical theatre - this is a legacy I feel confident that Nikolai will continue to develop and expand with his own ideas and energy. Alongside this, Nikolai is committed to growing our drama audiences and links with Leicester’s cosmopolitan communities - so very important to ensuring our future success. His taking the role will complete Curve’s new leadership team which saw the recent recruitment of Alister de Ternant as Commercial Director."
For further details on current programming, visit www.curveonline.co.uk.
