James Dacre

James Dacre
Born
James Charles Dacre

May 1984 (age 40)
EducationEton
Alma mater
OccupationTheatre director
TitleArtistic director, Royal & Derngate
Parents
RelativesPeter Dacre (grandfather)
Websitewww.jamesdacre.com

James Charles Dacre (born May 1984) is a British theatre, opera and film director and producer. He was artistic director of Royal & Derngate Theatres in Northampton from 2013-2023[1] and prior to that held Associate Director roles at The New Vic Theatre, Theatre503 and The National Youth Theatre.

Early years

James Dacre was born in 1984,[2] the son of Paul Dacre, former editor of the Daily Mail.[3] He won a King's Scholarship to Eton[4] where he won the Newcastle Scholarship. He then studied Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion[5] at Jesus College, Cambridge[6] where he edited Varsity, the student newspaper[7] and directed at the ADC, taking several productions to the Edinburgh Festival.[3] On graduating, he won a Fulbright Scholarship and Shubert Fellowship to study Theatre Directing at Columbia University School of the Arts in New York.[8] 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[9] at the New Vic Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Career

On returning from America, Dacre directed and produced The Mountaintop,[10] which transferred to the West End and went on to become the surprise winner of the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play.[11] Subsequently, he became Associate Director at the New Vic Theatre and Theatre503[12] 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. He held this role for a decade, producing more than 120 shows of which 60 toured both nationally and internationally and 42 transferred to London[13] and were recognised with Olivier, Evening Standard, WhatsOnStage and The Stage awards.[14]  

In 2015, Royal & Derngate won the UK Theatre Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre,[15] for an ambitious season of productions staged nationwide, including the world premiere of Arthur Miller's The Hook[16][17] produced to mark the centenary of his birth[18][19] and Shakespeare's King John[20] staged at Shakespeare's Globe, Salisbury Cathedral,[21] Temple Church and The Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta.[22]

In 2016, Royal & Derngate was shortlisted for The Stage's Regional Theatre of the Year Award,[23] having reached more than half a million audiences across the UK and toured to over 65 theatres that year. Also in 2016, Dacre's production of The Herbal Bed[24] won Best Touring Production at the UK Theatre Awards.[25] In 2019/20 the venue was chosen as Outstanding Theatre of the Year by Michael Billington[26] won the Olivier Award for Best Family Entertainment.[27] Dacre directed the world premiere of The Two Popes by Anthony McCarten with Anton Lesser and Nicholas Woodeson,[28] which was subsequently adapted into the 2020 Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated film The Two Popes.

Selected work

References

  1. ^ "James Dacre announced as new artistic director at Royal & Derngate". Evening Standard. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  2. ^ "James Charles DACRE". Companies House. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b Cavendish, Dominic (21 January 2013). "James Dacre interview: 'In ten minutes almost a thousand men were slaughtered'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  4. ^ Lawson, Mark (16 September 2014). "James Dacre: Theatres must learn to collaborate more". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  5. ^ [email protected] (16 December 2013). "Alumni profiles – Faculty of Divinity". divinity.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Coveney, Michael (15 August 2004). "A new Dacre take on morality". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  7. ^ "James Dacre brings his acclaimed version of Shakespeare's 'King". The Independent. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  8. ^ "James Dacre: Director". ideastap.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Directors, alumni and past participants – RTYDS". rtyds.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  10. ^ "James Dacre: American words, British production". The Independent. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  11. ^ Malvern, Jack. "Katori Hall wins Best New Play title at Olivier Awards". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Theatre503 appoints new associate directors | News | The Stage". The Stage. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  13. ^ Henley, Matthew (13 October 2022). "James Dacre to step down as artistic director of Royal and Derngate".
  14. ^ "James Dacre to step down as Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate after a decade next Spring". 13 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Franco-British Young Leader Biographies" (PDF). francobritish.org.
  16. ^ Smith, David (2016). "Interview with Director James Dacre". The Arthur Miller Journal. 11 (1): 37–47. doi:10.5325/arthmillj.11.1.0037. JSTOR 10.5325/arthmillj.11.1.0037.
  17. ^ Masters, Tim (24 November 2014). "Unseen Arthur Miller drama set for world premiere". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  18. ^ Trueman, Matt (10 June 2015). "Arthur Miller's The Hook: world premiere for 'snarling beast of a play'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  19. ^ Sulcas, Roslyn (24 June 2015). "Arthur Miller's Screenplay 'The Hook' Finds a Home Onstage in England". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  20. ^ "King John, Shakespeare's Globe, review: 'could hardly be more timely'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  21. ^ "Salisbury International Arts Festival 2015 diary: Day 4". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  22. ^ "King John, by the Globe Theatre, at the Salisbury Festival | Magna Carta Trails". magnacartatrails.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  23. ^ "The Stage Awards 2016 | The Stage". The Stage. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  24. ^ "'The Herbal Bed', Shakespeare's daughter and modern media intrusion". The Independent. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  25. ^ "UK Theatre Award Winners 2016". uktheatre.org.
  26. ^ Odell, Carly (14 October 2022). "Royal & Derngate's artistic director stepping down after 10 years at the helm of Northampton theatre". Northampton Chronicle.
  27. ^ Orme, Steve (26 October 2020). "Worst Witch wins Olivier for Northampton theatre". British Theatre Guide.
  28. ^ Howson, Amanda (26 September 2022). "Gripping drama The Two Popes returns to Royal & Derngate in Northampton". Northampton Chronicle.