I am currently the Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta, GA (www.theatricaloutfit.org)
Originally from Belfast, I worked as a freelance director in Ireland before moving to the United States in 2006 to complete an MFA in directing at Columbia University. I have directed an extensive body of work both in the USA and internationally, and my productions have been nominated for numerous awards.
I direct both new plays and dynamic productions of classics, with a focus on deep work with actors, and creating vivid imagery through design. Recent work includes The Honey Trap at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York (New York Times Critic’s Pick) The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini (nominated for seven Suzi Bass Awards, including Best Director and Best Production, remount at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (nominated for six Suzi Bass Awards, including Best Director and Best Production), both for Theatrical Outfit, and The Honey Trap by Leo McGann for Solas Nua in Washington DC (nominated for ten Helen Hayes Awards including Best Director and ‘Best Production’). For a full resume click here.
My work is grounded in the idea that theatre, and other live art forms, are a vital response to a world that is becoming increasingly displaced onto digital platforms and virtual communication. Dynamic theatre artists can connect powerfully with a live audience, and help us celebrate the joys, console the sorrows, and wrestle with the complexity of modern life. I believe that the best work happens when a theatre connects deeply with its community, welcomes diverse voices, and works in the context of the present moment.
Theatrical Outfit (TO) is a 45-year-old professional theatre company located in a beautiful historic building in downtown Atlanta. Our mission is to produce world class theatre that starts the conversations that matter, and we center incredible Atlantan artists right in the heart of our city. During the past 5 years we have been nominated for over 70 awards, and are known as one of the leading theaters in the Southeast.
As well as a Main Stage season of classics and regional premieres, we host the Made in Atlanta new work program. We produced the world premiere of FLEX! by Candrice Jones that was subsequently produced at Lincoln Center Theater, and across the country, as well as the original hip hop musical Young John Lewis that being developed into a TYA version with the Alliance Theatre. We also premiered a new festival model, LAUNCHPAD, with creates a space for Atlanta artists to premiere original work designed to tour.
Prior to joining Theatrical Outfit, I was the Associate Artistic Director of Studio Theatre, one of the leading contemporary theatre companies in DC. Before that I was the Director of Programming for Origin Theatre, an Off-Broadway company whose mission is to bring the best of European new writing to the USA. Additionally, from 2007 to 2015 I was an Associate Director of Rough Magic in Dublin, one of Ireland’s leading independent theatre companies for over 30 years.
Photo by Teddy Wolff