Carrie Cracknell (born 1980) is a British theatre director. She was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, London from 2007–2012. She was Associate Director at both the Young Vic (2012–2013) and the Royal Court (2013–2014).

Background

Cracknell was born in Carlisle and was raised in Oxford. She read history at the

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

where she was president of The Nottingham New Theatre. She later studied directing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Career

At university she set up a production company called Hush with a group of friends including the actor

Ruth Wilson Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She is known for her performances as the eponymous protagonist in ''Jane Eyre'' (2006), as Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama ''Luther'' (2010–2013, 2019), as Alison L ...

. Their first show transferred to New York and London while they were still studying. At the age of 26 Carrie became the youngest artistic director of a professional theatre in Britain when she and Natalie Abrahami took over The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, which they ran for 5 years and where she directed extensively. Her first dance/theatre collaboration at The Gate, I Am Falling, transferred to

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

and was nominated for a South Bank Show Award. After leaving The Gate, Carrie went on to create her iconic production of

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

which ran twice at the Young Vic before transferring to the Duke of York's in the West End and BAM in New York and for which she was nominated for the Evening Standard Best Director Award. It led to her developing the short film Nora with

Nick Payne Nick Payne (born 1984) is a British playwright and screenwriter. Early life and education Payne studied at the University of York and subsequently at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writ ...

in response to the play which was produced by the Young Vic. She then went on to direct her first opera,

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

Wozzeck ''Wozzeck'' () is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama '' Woyzeck'', which the German playwright Georg Büchner left incomplete at ...

, for the ENO at the Colliseum, which was nominated for an Olivier Award and an International Opera Award. In 2019 she directed

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...

and

Tom Sturridge Thomas Sidney Jerome Sturridge is an English actor. His early films include ''Being Julia'' (2004), ''Like Minds'' (2006), and ''The Boat That Rocked'' (2009). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in ...

in Seawall/A Life at The Public and on Broadway receiving four Tony nominations, for Best Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role twice, for both Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge, and Best Sound Design in a Play for Daniel Kluger. Carrie now regularly collaborates with the National Theatre, where her credits include her acclaimed productions of

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

, A Deep Blue Sea (both with

Helen McCrory Helen Elizabeth McCrory (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021) was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her stage debut in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 1990. Other stage roles include playing Lady Mac ...

and which were live-streamed into cinemas internationally as part of NT Live), Blurred Lines and Julie (starring

Vanessa Kirby Vanessa Nuala Kirby (born 18 April 1988) is an English actress. She has received several accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Born in London to urologist Roger Kirb ...

in a new version by Polly Stenham, also NT Live.) Other credits include Macbeth and Electra (Young Vic) Birdland and Pigeons ( The Royal Court) Oil (The Almeida)

and Stacy (

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

Theatre credits

* ''Sea Wall/A Life'' - 2019

The Public Theatre The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

, New York and The Hudson, New York * ''Julie'' by Polly Stenham after

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

- 2018 National Theatre * ''Oil'' - 2016 ( Almeida) * '' The Deep Blue Sea'' - 2016 ( National Theatre) * '' Macbeth'' - 2015 ( Young Vic) * ''

'' - 2014 ( BAM) * ''

'' - 14 July - 4 September 2014 ( National Theatre) * ''Birdland'' - 2014 (

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

) * ''Blurred Lines'' - 2014 ( National Theatre) * ''Searched'' – 2013 (

Rough Cuts) * ''

'' by Ibsen – 2012 ( Young Vic) * '' Electra'' – 2011 (

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

/ Young Vic) * '' Elektra'' – 2010 (

/ Headlong) * ''Breathing Irregular'' – 2009/2010 (

) * ''A Doll's House'' by Ibsen – 2009 (

) * ''Hedda'' by Ibsen, adapted by

Lucy Kirkwood Lucy Ann Kirkwood (born October 1983) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is writer in residence at Clean Break. In June 2018 Kirkwood was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative. Early life ...

and starring

Cara Horgan Cara Horgan (born 5 October 1984) is an English actress who has appeared on stage, on television, and in films. Career Horgan has appeared in several television productions including ''Peep Show'', ''Traitors'', ''The Rotter's Club'', '' Geniu ...

– 2008 (

) * ''I Am Falling'' – 2008 (

and

) Nominated for Southbank Show AwardGuardian – I am falling
/ref> * ''Armageddon'' by

Mark Ravenhill Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His major plays include ''Shoppin ...

– 2008 (

) * ''The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents'' – 2007 (

) * ''Death and the City'' – 2005 (

Tron Theatre The Tron Theatre is located in the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in what was formerly the Tron Kirk which had started as the Collegiate Church of Our Lady and St. Anne in the Trongate area of Glasgow, Scotland. The Tron Steeple still ...

) * ''Stacy'' by

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', ...

– 2005 (

) * ''Broken Road'' by Ryan Craig – 2005 (British Council Showcase,

BAC BAC or Bac may refer to: Places * Bac, Rožaje, Bac, a village in Montenegro * Baile Átha Cliath, Irish language name for Dublin city. * Bîc River, aka ''Bâc River'', a Moldovan river * Baç Bridge, bridge in Turkey * Barnes County Municipal A ...

) Fringe First Award * ''A Mobile Thriller'' – 2004 ( Traverse,

, Harbourfront Toronto,

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

, National Tour) * ''The Hush'' – 2002 (

, Ohio Theatre New York) * '' Macbeth'' – 2002 (Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham)

Filmography

External links

Personal Website

Agent's Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cracknell, Carrie 1980 births Living people British theatre directors