James is an award-winning actor who metamorphosed into a multi award-winning director, who has created a new vision for staging works at the Market Theatre. His passion for working with emerging actors, young designers and for mentoring young industry enthusiasts has yielded impressive results.

Under his directorship the theatre was able to venture into unfamiliar territory, 2014 when it became the first theatre to create its own award that was named after the stellar performer Sophie Mgcina. The Sophie Mgcina Award acknowledges the crucial role of young and emerging professional play in the creative industry.

In his tenure at the theatre James in partnership with the US Embassy have been instrumental in introducing Black History Month Celebrations to South African audiences. This initiative seeks to celebrates Black History Month which is an annual observance in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom for the remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. The Market Theatre has been South Africa’s leading performing arts institution providing high quality and inspiring productions directed by Ngcobo as part of its annual Black History Month observances.

In 2016 he wrote and directed now world acclaimed Songs of Migration with Hugh Masekela and Sibongile Khumalo as lead musicians. The production played to full houses at the Market and was followed by a successful international tour to Washington DC Kennedy Centre, Hackey Empire and Amsterdam. He also adapted E’skia Mphahlele short story

The Suitcase that toured six cities in London for six weeks.

In 2017 James Ngcobo and Danny Boyle went head to head when they both directed for children’s charity a star studded production of The Children’s Monologues which premiered in New York and Johannesburg respectively.

James versatility has seen him undertake commercial work in the directing of the MTN Flash mob at Park Station and the 100 Faces of Madiba produced on behalf of Tourism Indaba in Durban. He also wrote and directed Tshihumbudzo the ANC Centenary celebration and wrote and directed Ubizane for the DAC AU Summit.

His recent and most astonishing work was being creative director for the 2019 Presidential Inauguration on Africa Day.

The Market Theatre launched its first online theatre season Ditshomo to great success in 2020 when the World was grappling with an unprecedented pandemic. The season comprised of brand-new theatre productions curated for live streaming. In 2021 the theatre kept an online visibility with the launch of Salute the Playwright season that premiered in March 2021.

Since the introduction of indigenous language programming in 2015 at the Market now the theatre has become the only theatre to have produced a season of indigenous works and all SOLD OUT within days of opening the shows. Audiences have watched productions in Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Pedi, this season has proven to speak to the yearning of audiences to watch productions in their mother tongues.

With Ngcobo at the helm the theatre continues to create work that is engaging, challenging and entertaining.