James Dacre

Early years

James Dacre was born in 1984, the son of Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail. He won a King's Scholarship to Eton where he won the Newcastle Scholarship and then studied Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion at Cambridge University where he edited Varsity, the student newspaper and directed at the ADC, taking several productions to the Edinburgh Festival. On graduating, he won a Fulbright Scholarship and Shubert Fellowship to study Theatre Directing at Columbia University School of the Arts in New York. Dacre then worked as an assistant director to twelve directors including Anne Bogart, Robert Woodruff and Silviu Purcărete, and trained on the ITV/Channel 4 regional theatre director scheme at the New Vic Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Career

On returning from America, Dacre directed and produced The Mountaintop, which transferred to the West End and went on to become the surprise winner of the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play. Subsequently he became Associate Director at the New Vic Theatre and Theatre503 and directed in the West End and at Shakespeare's Globe, Royal Exchange Theatre, Royal National Theatre and many regional theatres before taking up his current role at Royal & Derngate.

In 2015 Royal & Derngate won the UK Theatre Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre for an ambitious season of productions staged nationwide including the world premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Hook produced to mark the centenary of his birth and Shakespeare’s King John staged at Shakespeare’s Globe, Salisbury Cathedral, Temple Church and The Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. 

In 2016 Royal & Derngate was shortlisted for The Stage’s Regional Theatre of the Year Award, having reached more than half a million audiences across the UK and toured to over 65 theatres that year. In 2016 Dacre’s production of The Herbal Bed won Best Touring Production at the UK Theatre Awards.

Selected work