Jeremy Herrin
Introduction '''Jeremy Herrin''' is an English theatre director. He is one of the founding directors of Second Half Productions.
Career Having trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Herrin was an assistant director under Stephen Daldry at the Royal Court Theatre from 1993 to 1995.He then was a staff director at the National Theatre from 1995 to 1999.In 2000 he became associate director at Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, where his credits included plays by Richard Bean and Joe Harbot.His breakthrough show was the critically successful ''That Face'' by Polly Stenham at the Royal Court Upstairs in 2007, which subsequently transferred to the West End. He was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Best Director for Stenham's ''Tusk Tusk'' in 2009.He became the deputy artistic director at the Royal Court to Dominic Cooke in 2009.He has directed a number of new plays at the Royal Court including ''Spur of the Moment'' by Anya Reiss, Richard Bean's ''The Heretic'' and ''No Quarter'', also by Stenham, in 2013.Herrin made his Shakespearean debut at the Globe Theatre in 2011, directing Eve Best in ''Much Ado About Nothing''. In 2011 Herrin directed several West End productions, including a well received revival of Alan Ayckbourn's ''Absent Friends''. He also directed the UK premiere of David Hare's ''The Vertical Hour'' as well as the world premiere and West End transfer of Hare's ''South Downs''. He has directed Roger Allam in ''Uncle Vanya'' and in ''The Tempest'' at Shakespeare's Globe. He was nominated as Best Director in the 2013 Olivier Awards for his work on ''This House'' by James Graham at the National Theatre.In December 2013 he directed the world premiere of two plays adapted from Hilary Mantel's novels ''Wolf Hall'' and ''Bring Up the Bodies'' for the RSC. The plays subsequently transferred to The Aldwych Theatre. In 2021 he directed the stage adaptation of Mantel's third novel in the trilogy ''The Mirror and the Light'', which played at the Gielgud Theatre.In 2013, he succeeded Rupert Goold as the artistic director of Headlong, where he has directed a number of hit productions including Jennifer Haley's ''The Nether'' (at The Royal Court Theatre), ''People, Places and Things'' by Duncan Macmillan and ''Labour of Love'' by James Graham, featuring Martin Freeman and Tamsin Greig in the West End.In 2022 he directed Amy Adams, who made her West End debut, in a production of Tennessee Williams' ''The Glass Menagerie'', his inaugural production for Second Half Productions. His production of Best of Enemies based on the acclaimed documentary by Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville transferred from the Young Vic theatre to the West End, winning the South Bank Show’s best Production award. The show was broadcast on NT Live.
Philosophy Herrin describes himself as the archetypal Royal Court Theatre director, putting the writer before the director:You never want anything onstage that the writer doesn’t like. You need them to be entirely proud. What you want is to give them the deluxe version of their play... I try to disappear into the work. I’d hate for someone to say, in the way they do about other directors, ‘That’s a very Jeremy Herrin production.’ Ego’s a really dangerous thing in theatre. It’s a collegiate enterprise.Herrin has been instrumental in the founding of Stage Directors UK, an organisation that aims to create better working conditions and terms for directors.
Theatre + Stage productions directed by Jeremy Herrin Year Title Author Theatre Notes 2017  ''Labour of Love''  James Graham  Noël Coward Theatre  2017  ''The House They Grew Up In''  Deborah Bruce  Chichester Festival Theatre  2017  ''Common''  D. C. Moore  Royal National Theatre - Olivier Stage  2017  ''Junkyard''  Jack Thorne  Bristol Old Vic, Theatr Clwyd and Rose Theatre, Kingston  2016  ''Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme''  Frank McGuinness  UK Tour  2015  ''People, Places and Things''  Duncan Macmillan  Royal National Theatre - Dorfman Stage, 2016 transfer to Wyndham's Theatre, 2017 transfer to St. Ann's Warehouse New York and 2017 UK tour  2015  ''The Absence of War''  David Hare  UK Tour  2014   ''The Nether''  Jennifer Haley  Royal Court Theatre - 2015 transfer to Duke of York's Theatre  2012  ''This House''  James Graham  National Theatre - 2016 Transfer to Chichester Festival Theatre and Garrick Theatre, 2018 UK Tour Nominated for 2013 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director 2012  ''Children's Children'' Matthew Dunster  Almeida Theatre  2012  ''Absent Friends''  Alan Ayckbourn  Harold Pinter Theatre  2011  ''Uncle Vanya''  Anton Chekhov  Chichester Festival Theatre  2011  ''Death and the Maiden''  Ariel Dorfman  Harold Pinter Theatre  2011  ''Haunted Child''  Joe Penhall  Royal Court Theatre  2011  ''South Downs''  David Hare  Minerva Theatre, Chichester  2011  ''Much Ado About Nothing''  William Shakespeare  Globe Theatre  2011  ''The Heretic''  Richard Bean  Royal Court Theatre  Winner Best New Play Laurence Olivier Award 2010  ''Kin''  E.V. Crowe  Royal Court Theatre  2010  ''Spur of the Moment''  Anya Reiss  Royal Court Theatre  Nominated for Evening Standard Award Best Director 2010  ''The Laws of War''  various authors Royal Court Theatre  2009  ''The Priory''  Michael Wynne  Royal Court Theatre Winner Best Comedy Laurence Olivier Award 2009  ''Tusk, Tusk''  Polly Stenham  Royal Court Theatre  Nominated for Evening Standard Award Best Director  2009  ''Marble''  Marina Carr  Abbey Theatre  2008  ''The Family Reunion''  T.S. Eliot  Donmar Warehouse  2008  ''The Vertical Hour''  David Hare  Royal Court Theatre  2007  ''Statement of Regret''  Kwame Kwei-Armah  National Theatre  2007  ''Blackbird''  David Harrower  The Market Theatre  2007  ''That Face''  Polly Stenham  Royal Court Theatre  Nominated for Best New Play in the Laurence Olivier Awards 2007  ''Gathered Dust and Dead Skin''  Joe Harbot  Live Theatre  2005  ''The Lovers''  Bridget O'Connor  Live Theatre  2004  ''Our Kind of Fun''  Alice de Smith Live Theatre  2004  ''Toast (new version)''  Richard Bean  Live Theatre  2004 ''Sudden Collapses in Public Places''  Julia Darling  Live Theatre  2004''Dirty Nets''  Karen Laws Live Theatre  2003 ''Smack Family Robinson''  Richard Bean  Live Theatre  2002 ''Attachments''  Julia Darling  Live Theatre  2001 ''From the Underworld''  Sean O'Brien  Live Theatre  2000 ''The Last Post''  Julia Darling  Live Theatre then tour in County Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria  1999 ''Personal Belongings''  Julia Darling  Live Theatre
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