Conversation so far:
what was Henry's first job?
Irving became a clerk to a firm of East India merchants in London.
What was his first acting job?
he made his first appearance at Sunderland as Gaston, Duke of Orleans, in Bulwer Lytton's play, Richelieu.
was he good at it?
Irving got stage fright and was hissed off the stage.
Did he look for another kind of work after that?
For 10 years, he went through an arduous training in various stock companies in Scotland and the north of England, taking more than 500 parts.
when did he go back to acting?
in 1866 Ruth Herbert engaged him as her leading man and sometime stage director at the St.
James's Theatre, London.

Question: what play did he direct?
Self-contained rewrite: What play did Henry Irving direct?