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Miles Gregory

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Miles Gregory
Miles Gregory in 2025
Miles Gregory in 2025
Occupation
  • Theatre producer
  • Theatre director
NationalityNew Zealand / United Kingdom
Period2000–present
Notable awardsDenizen Hero Award (2016)
Sir Peter Blake Leader Award (2018)
Best Director – BroadwayWorld Sydney Awards (2018)

Miles Gregory is a New Zealand / UK theatre director, theatrical producer, arts pioneer and cultural entrepreneur.[1] He is best known as the founder and former Artistic Director of Pop-up Globe (2015–2020), the world’s first full-scale temporary reconstruction of Shakespeare’s second Globe Theatre. He has directed over fifty professional Shakespeare productions around the world.[2] In 2023 he co-founded the personalised AI technology company HyperCinema.[3]

Early life and education

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Miles Gregory was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and educated at King's College, Auckland.[4] He read Modern History at Durham University (University College), completed an MFA in Staging Shakespeare at the University of Exeter, and earned a PhD in Shakespeare in Performance from the University of Bristol.[4]

Career

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United Kingdom

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Gregory began his career in the United Kingdom, founding the British Touring Shakespeare Company in 2000 and the Bristol Shakespeare Festival in 2004.[5] He directed productions in the West End at the Westminster Theatre and served from 2008 to 2011 as Artistic Director and CEO of The Maltings Theatre & Cinema, Berwick-upon-Tweed, where he oversaw a financial and audience turnaround.[6] He served as a visiting lecturer on the MA Acting programme at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London from 2008 to 2010.[7]

Pop-up Globe

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In 2015, Gregory founded Pop-up Globe, a full-scale temporary reconstruction of Shakespeare’s second Globe Theatre, which opened in Auckland, in February 2016.[8] The project staged Shakespearean productions using original practices such as universal lighting, audience interaction, and period-inspired architecture. Over five seasons, the company attracted over 750,000 attendees in New Zealand and Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.[9]

Productions directed by Gregory included Twelfth Night (2016), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018), and Romeo & Juliet (2020). His multi-award-winning bi-lingual 2018 Dream production, incorporating Māori performance traditions, was praised for its cultural integration and theatrical innovation.[10] The company ceased operations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HyperCinema

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In 2023, Gregory co-founded HyperCinema, a digital storytelling company creating personalised live performance with artificial intelligence. The world-first technology premiered in Auckland at a pop-up location on Queen Street in August 2023.[11] The second public installation, Game On!, launched in 2024 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta in partnership with Microsoft.[12][13]

Publications

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  • Gregory, M. (2025). Bloody Good Shakespeare. Auckland: Henslowe Irving Press. ISBN 978-0-473-74491-5.
  • Gregory, M., & Fitzpatrick, T. (2023). "The Pop-up Globe: Designing and Learning to Play an ‘Empathy Drum’." In Semler, L.E., Hansen, C., & Manuel, J. (Eds.), Reimagining Shakespeare Education: Teaching and Learning through Collaboration. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009208412.
  • Gregory, M. (2008). "Cowboys and Romans: Cymbeline and paradigmatic change in the theatre, 1987–2006." In Orford, P. (Ed.), Divining Thoughts: Future Directions in Shakespeare Studies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 1-84718-379-4.

Awards

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  • Sir Peter Blake Leader Award, 2018[5]
  • BroadwayWorld Sydney Best Director Award for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2018[14]
  • Denizen Heroes Award for Contribution to the Arts, 2019[15]

Selected productions

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Personal life

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Gregory is the son of New Zealand fashion designer Trish Gregory. He is married to costume designer Bob Capocci, who served as Head of Costume at Pop-up Globe. They have four children and collaborated on numerous productions, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, and The Comedy of Errors.[16]

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References

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  1. ^ "Miles Gregory: Pop-up Globe Goes Global". RNZ. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  2. ^ Gregory, Miles (2025). Bloody Good Shakespeare. Henslowe Irving Press. ISBN 978-0-473-74491-5.
  3. ^ Ng, Shanti Mathias (11 September 2023). "AI-driven HyperCinema is a narcissist's dream come true". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b De Lore, Clare (12 November 2017). "The Kiwi behind the Pop-up Globe is taking Shakespeare global". Noted. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Miles Gregory". Blake NZ. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  6. ^ Whetstone, David (20 August 2011). "Transformed art centre The Maltings to lose its chief". The Journal. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Excellence and Innovation in Teaching: Pop-up Globe". Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  8. ^ McDonald, Dani. "Auckland's Pop-Up Globe to take Shakespeare to the Aussies". Stuff. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  9. ^ Dirka, Nik (7 February 2020). "Pop-up Globe brought Shakespeare to Life in Aotearoa". RNZ. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  10. ^ Moroney, Elizabeth (2018). "Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream". Shakespeare Bulletin. 36 (1): 354–358.
  11. ^ Mahon-Heap, Jonny (9 September 2023). "World's first AI cinema opening in Auckland to make all your Matrix fantasies come true". Stuff. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  12. ^ "HyperCinema gives every visitor a shot at football fame with Azure AI". Microsoft New Zealand News Centre. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  13. ^ "College Football Hall of Fame puts fans directly into the game with new AI experience" (Press release). College Football Hall of Fame. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Winners Announced for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Sydney Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Denizen Winter 16". The Denizen. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Behind the Scenes with Dr Miles Gregory and Bob Capocci". Eventfinda. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
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