JAKE.SMITH
THEATRE DIRECTOR
About
Jake is currently the Artistic Director & CEO of Eastern Angles based in East Anglia.
The touring company for the East of England, blazing a trail across East Anglia for over 40 years!
"The National Theatre of East Anglia (BBC Radio Suffolk)"
He began his career as the Creative Learning Facilitator at Hull Truck Theatre (2012 - 2014) before becoming Trainee Director at Chichester Festival Theatre (2014 - 2016) under the tutelage of Jonathan Church, where he assisted directors such as Jonathan Kent, Howard Davies, Nadia Fall, Max Stafford Clark, Jonathan Church and Co-Directed A Christmas Carol in the Festival Theatre with Dale Rooks.
He has held positions as Resident Director at the Almeida Theatre, developing new work for the venue and was invited to the National Theatre Directors Programme in 2017.
He was nominated for an Off-West End Award for his UK Premier of Halley Feiffer's I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard for Best Director.
Jake is passionate about creating and celebrating work with and for a community in surprising ways. He is passionate about excellence, ambition, representation, pride and heart in the stories he creates.
Upcoming credits include:
The Deep (Eastern Angles & Tour)
Theatre Directing Credits Include:
Into the Woods (NYMT Southwark Playhouse), Stones in His Pockets (Eastern Angles & Tour), Cinderella: A FAIRYTALE (Northern Stage), Off The Wall (Hadrian's Wall 1900 & The Customs House), The Crooked Spire The Musical (Chesterfield Theatres), The Wasp (Customs House), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (UK National Tour), MEEK (Apple Cart Arts & Live Stream), The Hound of the Baskervilles (Northern Stage & Tour), A Christmas Carol (Chichester Festival Theatre), West End Girls (Live Theatre & Tour), It's a Wonderful Life, Goodnight Mister Tom, Little Women (East Riding Theatre), I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard, Andy Capp The Musical (Finborough Theatre), The Nutcracker Re-Miced (Durham Gala), The Tempest, As You Like It, Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet (Petersfield Shakespeare Festival)
Assistant, Associate and Resident Director Credits Include: Aspects of Love (West End - Lyric Theatre),
Back to the Future The Musical (Manchester Opera House), The Height of the Storm (West End & UK Tour), The Last Ship The Musical (Northern Stage & UK Tour), For Services Rendered (Chichester Festival Theatre, CFT), Miss Julie & Black Comedy (CFT), Way Upstream (CFT), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (CFT), Gypsy (CFT), Pitcairn (CFT, Shakespeare's Globe & Out of Joint), Stevie (Hampstead Theatre)
Portfolio
THE TIMES ****
"Just when it looked as though theatre-makers had exhausted every possible angle on the Brothers Grimm's best-known tale, along comes this vibrant, big-hearted and fresh slice of festive fun at Northern Stage. The production, directed by Jake Smith and Katy Weir, has an anarchic spirit that's all its own."
CINDERELLA: A FAIRYTALE
THE STAGE ****
"It's hard to do a fresh take on such a familiar and (oft satirised) story but under the sure hand of Jake Smith, the production strikes a nice balance of having enough self-aware humour to make the whole thing fun, without undermining the essential spookiness of the tale."
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
WHATS ON STAGE ****
"Jake Smiths perfectly pitched UK premier [...] is beautifully wrought in Smith's finely acted production [...] a blazingly impressive piece of writing immaculately staged and acted to the hilt."
I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD