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Rachel O'Riordan (born 1974) is an Irish theatre director. She is the artistic director at the Lyric Hammersmith, London.

Early life and education

Born in Cork, Ireland to poet and novelist Robert Anthony Welch 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 and then Mariinsky Ballet (formerly Kirov). She studied English and Theatre studies at Queen Mary, University of London, before completing her PhD entitled Shakespeare's Physical Text: The Body's Imperative at the University of Ulster in 2002.

Career

From to 2002 to 2011, O'Riordan co-founded and ran the Ransom theatre company in Belfast, 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, where she directed August Strindberg's Miss Julie, and an adaption of George Orwell'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 and Transparency by Suzie Miller, 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 between 2011 and 2014. Her first production was Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. "Unfaithful" by Owen McCafferty was produced by the Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014.

In October 2013, O'Riordan was announced as artistic director of the Sherman Theatre, and took up the post in February 2014. The most significant result of the time in Cardiff was the formation of the partnership with playwright Gary Owen. "Iphigenia in Splott" and "Killology" were both award-winners.

In January 2016, she was named amongst the 100 most influential people in theatre in the UK by The Stage

In February 2019 O'Riordan joined the Lyric Hammersmith, London as artistic director, succeeding Sean Holmes. Her first production was a transposition by Tanika Gupta of "A Doll's House" to Victorian Kolkata.

Productions in the return of theatre after the pandemic in 2022 were "Scandaltown" and a revival of "Iphigenia in Splott", again with Sophie Melville. It was the choice of critic Arifa Akbar in the Guardian for best production of the year.

Personal life

O'Riordan is married to actor Richard Dormer.

Selected productions

References

1. ^ Tripney, Natasha (29 January 2016). "Rachel O'Riordan: 'I see Sherman Cymru as the major producing theatre in Wales'". The Stage. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
2. "Lyric Team". Lyric Theatre Website. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
3. ^ "Stage is set for change". The Herald (Glasgow) (4 April 2012). Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
4. Richard Dormer speaking to Hannah Kennedy (29 March 2004). 20 Questions With...Richard Dormer Archived 30 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
5. "Rachel O'Riordan A" – via PressReader.
6. Shakespeare's Physical Text British Library. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
7. David Finkle (21 June 2004). Hurricane review. TheaterMania. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
8. Allison Vale (2007).Animal Farm review. British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
9. Tammy Moore (12 October 2010). "My Cultural Life: Rachel O'Riordan". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
10. Joe Nawaz (12 October 2012). THEATRE REVIEW: Write on the Edge Archived 16 June 2013 at archive.today. Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
11. "Perthshire – Latest news updates, pictures, video, reaction – Daily Record". perthshireadvertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
12. "Review of Theatre of Scotland from the theatre dance and drama in Wales web site". www.theatre-wales.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
13. "Sherman Cymru Announces New Artistic Director" Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Sherman Cymru (15 October 2013). Retrieved 26 November 2014.
14. "Review of At the Royal Court from the theatre dance and drama in Wales web site". www.theatre-wales.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
15. "The Stage 100 2016 (top 5) – Features – The Stage". The Stage. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
16. "Rachel O'Riordan will take over from Sean Holmes at Lyric Hammersmith". London Evening Standard. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
17. "Review of A Doll's House from the theatre dance and drama in Wales web site". www.theatre-wales.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
18. "The best theatre of 2022". the Guardian. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
19. "Olivier Award win for Cardiff play". BBC News. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
20. "What's On". birmingham-rep.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
21. "The Seafarer nominated for three awards". Lyric Theatre, News. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
22. Alan Cumming and Blythe Duff win best actor awards. BBC News (9 June 2013). Retrieved 26 November 2014.
23. Thom Dibin (9 June 2013). "Alan Cumming and Perth’s The Seafarer win at Scottish theatre awards". The Stage. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
24. Owen O'neill. Retrieved 26 November 2014.

• 1974 births
• Alumni of Queen Mary University of London
• Alumni of Ulster University
• Irish theatre directors
• Irish women theatre directors
• Living people
• People educated at the Royal Ballet School
• People from County Cork