Rachel O'Riordan (born 1974) is an Irish theatre director. She is currently the artistic director at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Ireland to poet and novelist

Robert Anthony Welch Robert Anthony Welch (25 November 1947 – 3 February 2013) was an Irish author and scholar. Biography Robert Anthony Welch was an emeritus professor of English and former dean of the faculty at the University of Ulster. He joined the univers ...

and Angela O'Riordan Welch, O'Riordan first trained as a ballet dancer. This culminated in a scholarship to the White Lodge,

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

"Stage is set for change"
''The Herald'' (Glasgow) (4 April 2012). Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 26 November 2014. and then

Mariinsky Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

(formerly ''Kirov''). She studied English and Theatre studies at

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, before completing her PhD entitled ''Shakespeare's Physical Text: The Body's Imperative'' at the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

in 2002.

Career

From to 2002 to 2011, O'Riordan co-founded and ran the Ransom theatre company in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland, where she directed the production ''Hurricane''. The show was performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and earned a season in London's west-end and off-Broadway in New York City. O'Riordan then completed a season with the

Peter Hall Company Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall CBE (22 November 1930 11 September 2017) was an English theatre, opera and film director. His obituary in ''The Times'' declared him "the most important figure in British theatre for half a century" and on hi ...

, where she directed

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's ''Miss Julie'', and an adaption of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

's ''Animal Farm'' at the Theatre Royal in Bath, England. O'Riordan's tenure as artistic director of ''Ransom'' saw her commission and direct the first play by David Ireland, ''Arguments for Terrorism'', and new plays ''Early Bird'' by

Leo Butler Leo Butler (born 1974 in Sheffield) is a British playwright. His plays have been staged, among others, by the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Almeida Theatre. His plays have been published by Bloomsbury A & C Black. His 2001 ...

and ''Transparency'' by

Suzie Miller Suzie Miller is an Australian/British playwright, librettist and screenwriter. In April 2022, Miller made her West End debut with ''Prima Facie'' starring Jodie Comer. Overview Miller is a contemporary international playwright, librettist an ...

, ''Protestants'' by Robert Welch, and, the Irish famine-based ''This Piece of Earth'' by Richard Dormer. During this time she also ran a three-year programme entitled ''Writers on the Edge'' to develop new writing for women in Northern Ireland. O'Riordan was artistic director at the

Perth Theatre Perth Theatre at 185 High Street (no longer its registered address) Perth, Scotland, opened in 1900 and was extended in the 1980s. The building is category B listed by Historic Scotland, and is operated by the charitable organisation Horsecro ...

between 2011 and 2014. Her first production was

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

''. In October 2013, O'Riordan was announced as artistic director of the

Sherman Theatre The Sherman Theatre ( cy, Theatr y Sherman) is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from Cardiff University. Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Theatre between 2 ...

, and took up the post in February 2014. In January 2016, she was named amongst the 100 most influential people in theatre in the UK by

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

In February 2019 O'Riordan joined the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

, London as artistic director, succeeding Sean Holmes.

Personal life

O'Riordan is married to actor

Richard Dormer Richard Dormer (born 11 November 1969) is an actor, playwright and screenwriter from Northern Ireland. He is best known for his roles as Beric Dondarrion in the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' and Dan Anderssen in Sky Atlantic's '' ...

Selected productions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ORiordan, Rachel 1974 births Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Alumni of Ulster University Irish theatre directors Living people People educated at the Royal Ballet School

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Selected productions

References