Edward Hall is to be Hampstead Theatre's next artistic director, taking over from Anthony Clark at the end of the month. And for those of you who are now wondering, yes, he is the son of Peter Hall, formerly of the National Theatre and RSC, though you should all probably forget that now, and try and judge him on his own merits. He has worked with all-male Shakespeare company Propeller, and is an artistic associate of the National Theatre, the Old Vic in London and the Watermill Theatre, Newbury.

Speaking about his new role, Hall said: "Hampstead Theatre is dedicated to encouraging 'the new', a sensibility which I share. I have been freelancing for nearly 20 years. Hampstead gives me a unique opportunity to focus my creative energies in one place. As the first stand-alone new theatre to be built in London since the National opened in 1976, the facilities offer me a chance to explore different stage configurations in a contemporary and well-designed setting. The auditorium offers the chance to explore both the intimate and the epic in an environment where the audience always feels in touch with the performance".

He continued: "I hope to continue and to build on the extraordinary successes that the theatre has enjoyed over the last few years by delivering provocative drama to as wide an audience as possible. The theatre has been producing and co-producing an extraordinary amount of new plays, some have been more box office friendly than others, but all have demonstrated a commitment to new work and experiment which I hope to continue".