James was Joint Artistic Director of Paines Plough with George until 2019.
For Paines Plough James has directed YOU STUPID DARKNESS! by Sam Steiner, POP MUSIC by Anna Jordan, OUT OF LOVE by Elinor Cook, BLACK MOUNTAIN by Brad Birch, HOW TO BE A KID by Sarah McDonald Hughes, BROKEN BISCUITS and JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS by Tom Wells, HAPPINESS by Nick Payne (BBC Radio 3), THE ANGRY BRIGADE by James Graham, AN INTERVENTION and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE by Mike Bartlett, HOPELESSLY DEVOTED and WASTED by Kae Tempest, THE SOUND OF HEAVY RAIN by Penelope Skinner, YOU CANNOT GO FORWARD FROM WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW by David Watson, TINY VOLCANOES by Laurence Wilson and FLY ME TO THE MOON by Marie Jones.
James was formerly founder and Joint Artistic Director of nabokov with George, and Associate Director at the Bush Theatre.
Further directing credits include the new musical THE ASSASSINATION OF KATIE HOPKINS for Theatr Clwyd which won Best Musical Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2018; a new production of LES MISERABLES for Wermland Opera in Karlstad, Sweden; TRANSLATIONS for Sheffield Theatres / ETT / The Rose, Kingston which won Best Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2015; a new version of Gorky’s THE LOWER DEPTHS by Guy Jones (RWCMD); A NOBODY (66 BOOKS) by Laura Dockrill, THE WHISKY TASTER by James Graham, ST PETERSBURG by Declan Feenan and PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY by Lucy Kirkwood (The Bush); ARTEFACTS by Mike Bartlett (nabokov/The Bush, National Tour & Off-Broadway); KITCHEN, BEDTIME FOR BASTARDS and NIKOLINA by Van Badham, OLD STREET by Patrick Marber and WHEN CHERYL WAS BRASSIC by Leo Richardson (nabokov); THE LIST by David Eldridge (Arcola).
James has also directed comedians and poets including Isy Suttie, Simon Brodkin (Lee Nelson), Luke Wright, Martin Figura and Aisle16.
He trained as assistant and associate director to Josie Rourke, as staff director to Howard Davies at The National Theatre, and on the National Theatre Studio Director’s Course.
James sits on the advisory board of nabokov and on the ACE London Area Council.
He is represented by Ben Hall and Lily Williams at Curtis Brown.