James Searle was educated at Brighton-le-Sands Public School and Sydney Boys' High. He graduated in Architecture from The University of Sydney in 1960. Searle became interested in amateur theatre, initially as a designer, and progressed to writing a pantomime (titled 'Aladdin') in the 1960s and later revue sketches. He left Australia in 1967 to work in Britain and the United States of America, but returned to Sydney in 1969. Searle has written and directed plays for the Newtown Theatre, Sydney.
