The Victory Gardens Theater has hired Chay Yew, a 46-year-old playwright and

The Victory Gardens Theater has hired Chay Yew, a 46-year-old playwright and director who was born and raised in Singapore, to be its new artistic director.

Yew, who is currently based in New York and is a major figure in the world of contemporary Asian-American drama, is the author of such works as “Porcelain,” “Question 27, Question 28” and the editor of “Version 3.0,” a new anthology of Asian-American plays. He was the director of the Asian Theatre Workshop at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles for 10 years. His works have been produced by many prestigious theaters, including the Public Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club in New York, the Royal Court Theatre in London and the La Jolla Playhouse in California.

“It’s thrilling and exciting,” Yew said in an interview Tuesday, “and there’s also a sense of here we go, here’s everything you wanted to do in American theater and now you have to make it happen.”

Yew, who will move from New York to Chicago and whose hiring signals a significant shift in generation and point of view for Victory Gardens, said he hoped to keep the current artistic staff. Sandy Shinner, the associate artistic director under the retiring Dennis Zacek and a candidate for this position, is to be invited to stay on. Yew also said he planned to maintain the playwright’s ensemble established during Zacek’s long tenure.

“The ensemble will always be part of the Victory Gardens family,” Yew said. “It’s not about elimination, it’s about expanding.”

“I was very attracted to this theater and to Dennis’ legacy,” Yew continued. “This is about new works and bringing diverse and pluralistic playwrights into the fold.”

“I’m thrilled,” said Jan Kallish, the Victory Gardens executive director. “I think Chay has a great vision.”

“I am happy that the choice has been made,” Zacek said, “and I wish the new artistic director, and the theater, the very best.”