Tinuke Craig
Tinuke Craig | |
|---|---|
| Born | London, England |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Education | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art National Theatre Studio |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Associate Artistic Director, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre |
| Awards | Genesis Future Director Award (2014) |
Tinuke Craig is a British theatre and opera director. She is Associate Artistic Director of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, having been appointed to the role in November 2024.[1] Her directing credits span theatre and opera at venues including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Vic, the Almeida Theatre, the Donmar Warehouse, Chichester Festival Theatre and the English National Opera. In 2014 she won the Genesis Future Director Award.[2]
Training and early career
[edit]Craig trained as a director at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and at the National Theatre Studio.[1] She grew up in Brixton, south London, and has spoken about the financial challenges of establishing herself as a director, noting that she could not have done it without being able to live with her mother in Brixton during her early career.[3]
Her early work as an assistant director included wonder.land and Hamlet at the National Theatre, All's Well That Ends Well at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Changeling at the Young Vic, where she assisted director Joe Hill-Gibbins.[4] In 2014 she won the Genesis Future Director Award, which funded her first professional production — debbie tucker green's dirty butterfly at the Young Vic.[3] She was Associate Director at the Gate Theatre from 2015 to 2016, where she directed Hassen Khemiri's I Call My Brothers.[4]
She is also a selector for the National Student Drama Festival and an Education Associate Practitioner at the Royal Shakespeare Company.[4] She is an Associate at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.[5]
Career
[edit]Chichester Festival Theatre
[edit]In 2018, Craig directed a double bill of plays by debbie tucker green — random and generations — at Chichester Festival Theatre, her first directing commission outside London and her first in a large-scale venue. The commission came at the suggestion of Tucker Green herself, who had seen Craig's production of dirty butterfly at the Young Vic.[3] She subsequently returned to Chichester to direct Sarah Kane's Crave.[6]
Lyric Hammersmith
[edit]Craig has been an Artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith and directed its pantomime production of Cinderella.[7] In 2024, she directed Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun for Headlong theatre company, which toured to the Lyric Hammersmith, Leeds Playhouse and Nottingham Playhouse. The production is available to stream on Digital Theatre+.[8]
Almeida Theatre
[edit]Craig directed Maxim Gorky's Vassa at the Almeida Theatre.[6]
The Old Vic
[edit]Craig was Baylis Director at The Old Vic from 2021 to 2023.[1] Her time there culminated in a critically acclaimed production of August Wilson's Jitney, which premiered at Leeds Playhouse in 2021 before transferring to The Old Vic in 2022 and subsequently touring the UK.[7][9]
Donmar Warehouse
[edit]Craig directed Trouble in Butetown at the Donmar Warehouse.[6]
National Theatre
[edit]Craig directed Hamlet for Young Audiences at the Dorfman Theatre and on a National Theatre Tour in 2020 and 2022.[7]
Royal Shakespeare Company
[edit]Craig made her RSC directorial debut with Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal in 2024, as part of the opening season of new Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey. The production played in repertory alongside The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by Blanche McIntyre.[10] She had previously worked at the RSC in 2013 as an assistant director during Michael Boyd's final season as Artistic Director.[10]
English National Opera
[edit]Craig directed the UK premiere of Jeanine Tesori's opera Blue at the London Coliseum for the English National Opera. The production was nominated for the Tait Award for Best New Opera Production at the Laurence Olivier Awards.[10][5]
Theatre Royal Stratford East
[edit]Craig directed The Big Life at Theatre Royal Stratford East.[6]
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
[edit]In November 2024, Craig was appointed Associate Artistic Director of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, joining new Artistic Director Drew McOnie.[1] In 2025 she directed Noughts & Crosses as part of the venue's inaugural season under McOnie.[11] In 2026 she directed A Life in Four Seasons, a contemporary dance work reimagining Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, with choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento and compositions by DJ Walde.[12]
As part of her role, Craig has been central to the development of the theatre's artist development programmes, which launched in 2025. These include Open Room, an entry-level observership programme that gives practitioners at the very beginning of their careers access to professional rehearsal rooms, working around their availability to accommodate other work, study or caring responsibilities;[13] Theatre Dance Lab, a paid residency for early-career musical theatre choreographers culminating in a mainstage showcase; and the Treehouse Project, which offers up to six early-career creatives space to develop their craft, alongside masterclasses, mentorship and industry connections.[14][15] All three programmes returned for a second year in 2026 following their successful inaugural year.[15] Craig and McOnie said of the Treehouse Project launch: "Following on from the success of Theatre Dance Lab and our Open Room observership opportunities during our 2025 Season, we are thrilled to be launching the Treehouse Project, offering much needed space for creatives to work and dream about new and existing projects."[16]
Productions
[edit]Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Genesis Future Director Award | — | — | Won |
| 2024 | Laurence Olivier Award | Tait Award for Best New Opera Production | Blue (ENO) | Nominated |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Tinuke Craig Appointed Associate Artistic Director of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre". Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Tinuke Craig". National Theatre. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Tinuke Craig: 'Becoming a director is harder than ever because it's so London-centric'". WhatsOnStage. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Tinuke Craig". Gate Theatre. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Tinuke Craig". English National Opera. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Tinuke Craig". Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Regent's Park Open Air Theatre appoints Tinuke Craig as Associate Artistic Director". West End Theatre. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Headlong's A Raisin in the Sun Now Available to Stream on Digital Theatre+". Broadway World. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Interview with Tinuke Craig, director of Jitney". Stage Talk Magazine. 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Director Tinuke Craig on The School for Scandal at the RSC". Broadway World. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Regent's Park Open Air Theatre announces 2026 season". Fairy Powered Productions. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Reveals Full Cast for A Life in Four Seasons". Broadway World. 22 April 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Open Room". Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Launches Treehouse Project For Early-Career Theatre Creatives". Broadway World. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Regent's Park Open Air Theatre announces its 2026 season". Theatre Weekly. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Launches New Initiative for Early-Career Creatives". Theatre Weekly. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.