David Farr (theatre director)


David Farr is a British writer, theatrical director and Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Background

Farr was brought up in Surrey and educated at St Hilary's School, Godalming, and Royal Grammar School, Guildford and the University of Cambridge.

Career

Farr began directing theatre at University and won the Guardian Student Drama Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1991 with Slight Possession starring Rachel Weisz. His professional directorial debut came at The Gate Theatre, Notting Hill in 1995 under Stephen Daldry. He was also Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic from 2002 to 2005 and Lyric Hammersmith from 2005 to 2009. In 2009, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as Associate Director.
He wrote regularly for Spooks for the BBC and is a film writer having co-written the Joe Wright film Hanna, released in 2011. Farr's adaptation of John le Carré's novel The Night Manager was aired in 2016 on BBC One. His first novel, The Book of Stolen Dreams, was published by Usborne in 2021.
In September 2025, Farr signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."

Works

Professional productions