[2] For his work on the London stage, Herrin has received three Lawrence Olivier Awards for Labour of Love, The Heretic and The Priory.

[4] Working as a theatre director since 1999, Herrin has directed a string of award winning productions that have transferred to the West End and Broadway.

Notable productions include the adaptation of Hilary Mantel's eponymous novels Wolf Hall & Bringing Up the Bodies for the RSC, which transferred to West End (2014) and Broadway (2015).

The revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey into Night at the Wyndham's Theatre (2024) starring Patricia Clarkson and Brian Cox.

[7] His most recent production, the John le Carré novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold adapted for the stage by David Eldridge, was performed at Chichester Festival Theatre in Autumn 2024.

In 2000 he became associate director at Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, where his directing credits include plays by Richard Bean and Joe Harbot.

His breakthrough show was the critically successful That Face by Polly Stenham at the Royal Court Upstairs in 2007,[8] which subsequently transferred to the West End in 2008.

Whilst at the Royal Court Theatre, he directed a number of new plays including Spur of the Moment [11] by Anya Reiss, Richard Bean's The Heretic,[12] No Quarter, by Polly Stenham, in 2013[13] and in 2008 the UK premiere of David Hare's The Vertical Hour starring Indira Varma and Anton Lesser receiving critical acclaim.

[19] Herrin opened a well-received[20][21][22] revival of Alan Ayckbourn's dark comedy Absent Friends at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2012, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.

"[24] The production opened in February 2012 with a star cast[25] including, Kara Tointon, Reece Shearsmith, Katherine Parkinson, David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington and Steffan Rhodri.

[27] This same year he directed the This House by James Graham at the National Theatre and was nominated for Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Director.

[51] The production starred Rory Keenan as Alec Leamas, Agnes O'Casey as Elizabeth Gold and John Ramm as George Smiley.

They like to chew over contradictions and difficult questions but they want to be entertained.”[58] In an article in The Guardian about his production of Wolf Hall he described, ‘“I don’t like to keep audiences waiting.” Discussing the adaptations, Herrin repeatedly mentions the importance of "moving forwards", stressing the dynamism of his approach.’[59] Herrin has expressed his belief that theatre has a role as a mirror to society.

“There’s a responsibility on theatre-makers to reflect the world we live in.”[60] Whilst he was the Artistic Director of Headlong, Britain voted to leave the European Union.