Anne-Louise Sarks has been named as Melbourne Theatre Company’s next Artistic Director. The director, whose production of ABC journalist Sally Sara’s new play Stop Girl has just finished its run at Belvoir, will become the company’s seventh Artistic Director, taking over from Brett Sheehy later this year.

Anne-Louise SarksAnne-Louise Sarks has been announced as Melbourne Theatre Company’s new Artistic Director. Photo supplied

“After an extensive search, I am delighted to announce Anne-Louise Sarks as MTC’s next Artistic Director,” said Chair of MTC, Jane Hansen AO. “Anne-Louise is an outstanding talent and I am very excited about her vision and the Company’s next artistic evolution. Her wealth of experience both nationally and internationally will bring a fresh creative energy to MTC, signalling a vibrant future for the Company and Australian theatre.”

Sarks has been Artistic Director of the Lyric Ensemble at the Lyric Hammersmith in London and of Melbourne independent theatre company The Hayloft Project. She has been Resident Director and an Associate Artist at Belvoir, Director in Residence at Malthouse Theatre, and in 2010 she was Emerging Resident Director at the MTC.

Her adaptation of Euripides’ Medea with Kate Mulvany, first staged at Belvoir,...