Marking a breakthrough moment in his fledging directing career, Roy Alexander Weise bagged the James Menzies-Kitchen award for young directors in spring 2016, following in the footsteps of major players in British theatre such as Thea Sharrock, Orla O'Loughlin and Polly Findlay.

The 28 year old south west Londoner, who initially wanted to be an actor before being given the opportunity to lead his own project, won critical acclaim for his directorial debut, Eve Leigh's Stone Face, playing at the Finborough Theatre until June 11. Speaking about his award, JMK Trust Chair Stephen Fewell described Menzies-Kitchen as someone who 'has a definite skill and facility with performers alongside the acumen and drive so essential for building both creative teams and a career'. Now, thanks to his £25k prize, the young director is to stage Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop – set the night before Martin Luther King’s assassination – at the Young Vic later this year.