UK theatre director Jonathan Church joins Sydney Theatre

Mr Church is the STC's first international artistic director

The man who led a major turnaround in UK theatre has taken on one of the top jobs in Australian theatre.

The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has named Jonathan Church its artistic director, replacing Andrew Upton.

Mr Upton and his wife, Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, ran the STC for many years.

Mr Church is credited with transforming the popular Chichester Festival Theatre, where most recently he was artistic director.

Upton and Blanchett are a formidable pair in Australian theatre circles

Chichester Festival Theatre announced in March that both Mr Church and executive director Alan Finch would leave at the end of September 2016.

Under their tenure, the theatre underwent a major redevelopment, doubled audience numbers and transferred several shows to the West End, including Enron and Sweeney Todd.

Mr Church said he looked forward to leading the STC through its next phase.

"I have watched from afar STC's growth over the past 30 years and the company has become a beacon of artistic adventure and international excellence," Mr Church said in a statement.

He joined the Chichester theatre in 2005 and with Mr Finch oversaw its 50th anniversary in 2012.

He will start work on programming STC's 2017 season immediately.

Mr Upton praised the appointment.

"After a period being led by an actress and a writer, I think it's important to have a theatre director once more at the helm," Mr Upton said in a statement.

"I look forward to fresh perspectives on the international theatre canon and a continuation of STC's championing of local theatre makers and stories, including on the international stage."