Madani Younis leaves Bush Theatre to become creative director at Southbank Centre

Madani Younis is set to leave his post as artistic director of the Bush Theatre to become the creative director of the Southbank Centre.

Younis took over at the Shepherd's Bush venue in 2012, and his tenure saw a major renovation of the theatre which saw audience capacity triple, as well as a number of hit productions.

During his time at the Bush, he oversaw a number of critically-acclaimed productions such as Monica Dolan's Olivier Award-nominated The B*easts, Arinze Kene's one-man show Misty, which is set for a West End transfer, and NASSIM, which is currently touring internationally.

On leaving the Bush, he said his time at the theatre has been "one of his proudest achievements to date" and was the theatre "invested in a vision that celebrated not just the best of theatre but the best of our country's inherent culture."

He will leave the Bush in January 2019, after he has directed his final production, An Adventure by Vinay Patel in September, and will become the new creative director of the Southbank Centre.

Here, he will work with the Centre's directors of music and the Hayward Gallery, Gillian Moore and Ralph Rugoff respectively, to create collaborations and co-commissioned work across the riverside venue.

Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, said: "It's my priority to ensure we bring world-class Arts and Performances to all audiences and I know that Madani will bring a new energy and vision to our site and iconic venues."

Younis added that he was "thrilled" to be joining the centre and "extremely excited about this new chapter in my life".

He said: "I'm looking forward to joining Elaine, Ralph and Gillian to develop impactful, forward-looking cross-artform collaborations and, as part of the wider artistic team, bringing world-class art to audiences old and new".