Vancouver theatre artist Stephen Drover, who's currently artistic director of Rumble Theatre, has been named the new associate artistic director at the Arts Club Theatre Company.

In his new role, which begins May 28 part-time and transitions to full-time by September, Drover will be responsible for new-play-development programs. He'll also oversee company and individual residencies at the Arts Club and professional-development initiatives for artists.

In addition, Drover is set to act as the company’s dramaturg and support recently installed artistic director Ashlie Corcoran.

At Rumble, Drover has promoted mentorship between emerging and established artists, with projects including the Directors’ Lab, the Living Room salon series, and the biennial Tremors festival.

He also founded a commissioning program to create new Canadian adaptations of classical texts, with results including Indian Arm by Hiro Kanagawa (a 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama winner) and the critically acclaimed The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius by Colleen Murphy. Drover dramaturged and directed both those shows.

Drover has also directed Arts Club shows like 2017's Hand to God, 2010-11's The Patron Saint of Stanley Park, and 2009's Skydive. He's also on tap to direct Mustard as part of the Arts Club’s 2018–19 season.

Drover, who comes from Newfoundland, sits on Studio 58’s program advisory committee; has directed new-play development processes with Playwrights Theatre Centre; and is a member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. He is an adjunct professor at UBC, where he teaches Shakespeare Text Analysis and Performance. Drover has been a regular teacher and adjudicator for Theatre BC, the project coordinator for Electric Company Theatre, and an artist-in-residence at Neworld Theatre. Drover has worked as assistant director at both the Stratford Festival and Vancouver Opera.