Theatre academic and historian Greg Homann has been appointed the new artistic director of The Market Theatre in Newtown.

Homann, who was announced on Thursday morning by The Market Theatre Foundation board, replaces James Ngcobo who left seven months ago to join Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.

According to the board, Homann brings a wealth of experience as a director, writer, mentor and cultural historian to the new role. He has been widely celebrated for his landmark roles in the world of theatre and over the last decade, he has established himself as one of the outstanding figures in South African theatre. 

Homann has worked for institutions like The Wits School of Arts and Afda Johannesburg where he was the head of the School of Live Performance. Homann was for some time Resident Dramaturg at The South African State Theatre. He has been a member of the National Arts Festival artistic committee and served as an ambassador for the festival.

Armed with a master’s degree with distinction in text and performance studies from King's College London and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started on the new role on Wednesday.

Homann said about his new job: “I’m thrilled to have been appointed as The Market Theatre Foundation’s artistic director. It’s a role that I feel deeply honoured to have been offered. I have enormous respect for what The Market Theatre Foundation stands for. For almost 50 years the foundation has served as an unflinching platform for the very best actors, performance artists, directors, playwrights, theatre-makers, designers, and visual artists in this country. It has given our most socially engaged and politically conscious storytellers a voice. I believe a significant part of the job is to open the door to the next generation of such artists.”

Chief executive officer of the foundation, Tshiamo Mokgadi, said: “It gives me great pleasure to extend my warmest congratulations to Greg on his appointment as the artistic director of the foundation. I look forward to working with him as we work for the improvement of our business and the industries we service.”

“Homann has bold plans for the Market Theatre and has indicated that he intends to hit the ground running. Soon after taking up the role, I want to initiate a multi-pronged new plays development programme aimed at writers, playwrights, and theatre-makers of all experience levels. Let’s invest time and energy into preparing our untold stories for future production.”