[3] On graduating, he won a Fulbright Scholarship and Shubert Fellowship to study Theatre Directing at Columbia University School of the Arts in New York.
On returning from America, Dacre directed and produced The Mountaintop,[10] which transferred to the West End and went on to become the surprise winner of the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play.
He held this role for a decade, producing more than 120 shows of which 60 toured both nationally and internationally and 42 transferred to London[13] and were recognised with Olivier, Evening Standard, WhatsOnStage and The Stage awards.
[14] In 2015, Royal & Derngate won the UK Theatre Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre,[15] for an ambitious season of productions staged nationwide, including the world premiere of Arthur Miller's The Hook[16][17] produced to mark the centenary of his birth[18][19] and Shakespeare's King John[20] staged at Shakespeare's Globe, Salisbury Cathedral,[21] Temple Church and The Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta.
[25] In 2019/20 the venue was chosen as Outstanding Theatre of the Year by Michael Billington[26] won the Olivier Award for Best Family Entertainment.