Young Vic the entire faculty resigned from the Old Vic, but in 1969 Frank Dunlop became founder-director of The Young Vic theatre with his free adaptation of Molière's "The Cheats of Scapin", presented at the new venue as a National Theatre production, opening on 11 September 1970 and starring Jim Dale in the title role with designs by Carl Toms (decor) and Maria Bjornson (costumes). Initially part of the National Theatre, the Young Vic Theatre became an independent body in 1974. In the words of Laurence Olivier, then director of the National Theatre: "Here we think to develop plays for young audiences,
James Houghton (artistic director) James Houghton (artistic director) James Houghton (September 4, 1958 - August 2, 2017) is an American educator, mentor, and arts administrator. He is primarily known for being the former Director of Drama at The Juilliard School and the former artistic director of Signature Theatre Company. James Houghton was born in San Francisco, California to mother Joan Heaney, a preschool teacher and dental assistant, and father Sherrill Houghton, a school administrator. He first found his love of theatre at St. Ignatius Preparatory School, a Jesuit school in the Bay Area. There, he started his own theatre company with friends called Overeasy