Artistic director Sean Holmes announces departure from Lyric Hammersmith

Sean Holmes has announced he is to step down as the artistic director of the Lyric Hammersmith in October this year, after just under ten years in charge of the theatre.

Since January 2009, when Holmes took over as AD from David Farr, Holmes has directed 22 shows at the venue. These include Blasted, which won the 2011 Oliver Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.

Holmes has also been responsible for the 2015 production of Bugsy Malone, the first in over a decade, The Plough and The Stars which also toured the US and Ireland, Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and F**king, and Ghost Stories which transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre.

It has also been announced that Holmes' departure will also see a refurbishment of the theatre's Victorian Matcham auditorium as well as the modernisation of the Studio theatre, with work beginning in June 2018.

Holmes said: "I've been incredibly lucky over the last nine years to have been the artistic director of the Lyric Hammersmith. During that time, it has been a home to the weird, the wonderful and the unexpected.

"I'm going to miss it very much, but I feel it's time for a new generation to take over the helm and look forward with great anticipation and excitement to seeing a new artistic vision illuminating the theatre I love."

Executive director Sian Alexander added "It's been a joy and a privilege to co-lead the Lyric with Sean in the final three years of his tenure. We will truly miss him and his unique spirit and energy."

The search for a successor to Holmes will commence at the end of this month.