Two of Australia’s best credentialed directors will join Melbourne Theatre Company from January 2017.

Melbourne Theatre Company has announced the appointment of two new associate directors: Dean Bryant and Sarah Goodes. The pair will join the company from the beginning of 2017, working closely with artistic director Brett Sheehy.

This will be the second high-profile director position held by Goodes at a State theatre company. She returns to Melbourne (where she studied at the VCA) after four years as co-resident director of the Sydney Theatre Company, a position she shared with Helpmann Award-winning director Kip Williams. During her time at STC, Goodes directed a number of critical hits, including the world premiere season of The Battle of Waterloo, by Kylie Coolwell, and Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s OrlandoOf her return to Victoria, Goodes said: “Being a graduate of VCA I look forward to living in the artistically inspiring city of Melbourne again and creating work alongside and with the incredible artists in the state.”

Dean Bryant is best known for his musical theatre credits, with two of his most recent productions – the Helpmann Award-winning Sweet Charity, and Little Shop of Horrors, which transfers...