TONY FISHER
Tony Fisher is Professor of Theatre, Politics and Aesthetics at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. He is the author of several books and articles including, most recently, The Aesthetic Exception: Essays on Art, Theatre and Politics (Manchester UP, 2023). He has a long-standing interest in the relationship between theatre and questions of political efficacy.
MIRIAM HAUGHTON
Dr Miriam Haughton is Associate Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Galway, PI of Research Ireland Laureate award ‘The Price of Performance’ (2023-2025), and President of the Irish Society for Theatre Research (2023-27). Her monographs include The Theatre of Louise Lowe (CUP Elements 2025, open-access) and Staging Trauma (Palgrave 2018), and co-edited collections include Theatre, Performance and Commemoration (Methuen 2023), Legacies of the Magdalen Laundries (Manchester UP 2021) and Radical Contemporary Theatre Practices by Women in Ireland (Carysfort 2015). She is published in multiple journals including Modern Drama, Performance Research, Irish Studies Review, Contemporary Theatre Review, Performance Paradigm, Feminist Encounters, New Theatre Quarterly and more. Her next monograph The Price of Performance is contracted to Syracuse University Press for open-access publication in 2027.
DEIRDRE KINAHAN
An award-winning playwright, Deirdre is a member of Aosdána, Ireland’s elected affiliation of outstanding artists. She collaborates with artists and theatres all over the world, is literary associate to Meath County Council and has a large canon of regularly produced plays to her credit. Deirdre is published by Nick Hern Books. Her plays have been translated into many languages including Italian, German, French, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Irish, Swedish, Finnish and Brazilian Portuguese.
Recent works include The Saviour for Landmark Productions & Irish Repertory Theatre NYC (2023), An Old Song Half Forgotten for the Abbey Theatre & Sofft productions (2023), TEMPESTA for Glassmask Theatre/Cork Midsummer Festival (2024), Bloody Yesterday for Glassmask (2022), In the Middle of the Fields for Solas Nua Washington DC (2021), The Visit for Draíocht & Dublin Theatre festival (2021/22), Rathmines Road for the Abbey Theatre & Fishamble (2018) and her Irish Revolutionary Triology (written as part of the national commemorations) – OUTRAGE/EMBARGO/WILD SKY.
Deirdre has a number of new Theatre projects premiering in 2026; REFUGE for Staatstheater Mainz in Germany & Fishamble in Dublin, ADRIFT for NOMAD touring group, The Homecoming of Joseph Grace for Cork Midsummer Festival & Pavilion Theatre, EXILE for Meath County Council/Dublin Port. She is also under commission to Landmark Productions, An Taibhdhearc and Fishamble. She has years of experience as a producer and enjoys curating or participating in multi-genre artistic projects for Meath County Council and other national festivals/events.
ALICE KOUBOVÁ
Alice Koubová is a senior researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, an associate professor at the Academy of Performing Arts and co-leader of Systemic Risk Institute. She is also an author and a performer with the Tantehorse Theatre Company and leads a pilot project examining the potential of art-based methods in the societal resilience research. Her publications cover identity, resilience, performativity, relational ethics, political emotions, and artistic research. She is the author and editor of several monographs, such as Self-Identity and Powerlessness (Brill), Resilient Society: Between Powerlessness and Tyranny (wo-men, in Czech), Play and Democracy: Philosophical Perspectives (Routledge), Artistic Research: Is There a Method? (NAMU), and others. Her theatre work addresses the socio-political double binds in contemporary society. She regularly discusses philosophical topics in the media, journals, and podcast series.
LOUISE LOWE
Hailing from the north inner city, Louise makes site-specific and immersive art works within communities of space, place and interest. Louise is a member of Aosdána and a current PhD candidate at TU Dublin.
Since co-founding ANU in 2009, she has created all of the company’s multi-award winning theatre work to date, including: The Dead (co-production with Landmark Productions) Starjazzer (Dublin Theatre Festival), Hammam (Abbey Theatre), Old Ghosts by Marina Carr (Irish National Opera co-production) Staging The Treaty (National Concert Hall), Lolling and All Hardest of Woman (with Emilie Pine for Dublin Theatre Festival, Museum of Literature Ireland, Ulysses 2.2) The Book of Names (co-production with Landmark for Dublin Theatre Festival / Dublin Port), The Party to End all Parties (Dublin Theatre Festival commission), Faultline (Gate Theatre co-production for Dublin Theatre Festival), The Anvil (Manchester International Festival), The Lost O’Casey (Abbey Theatre, Dublin Theatre Festival) winner of 3 Irish Times Theatre Awards, including best new play), Torch, St. Helens UK (Arts Council England, ambition for excellence award), Hentown (Dublin City Council commission / Winner of Irish Times Theatre Award Best New Play), Sunder, The Sin Eaters (Dublin Theatre Festival) These Rooms in collaboration with CoisCeim for London International Festival of Theatre, NOW1418 and Dublin Theatre Festival, winner 2 Irish Times Theatre Awards, PALS in collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland, winner Irish Times Theatre Award, Angel Meadow (Winner Best Production and Best Ensemble Awards at Manchester Theatre Awards, Nominated for Best Director Award, UK National Theatre Awards / HOME Manchester), SOMME (National Concert Hall), On Corporation Street (HOME Manchester), THIRTEEN (Winner 2 Irish Times Theatre Awards), Proclaiming a Republic (National Museum Ireland Commission), Living The Lockout, REBEL REBEL, Glorious Madness, Yellow, Basin, Judging Shaw (Royal Irish Academy), and the Multi Award Winning Monto Cycle encompassing: Laundry, The Boys of Foley Street, Vardo and World End’s Lane. Laundry was chosen to represent 2011 as part of the Modern Ireland in 100 Artworks (2019).
Freelance work includes An Treun: The Summoning of the Lost (Macnas) The Pull of the Stars (Gate Theatre), An Old Song, Half Forgotten (Abbey Theatre), Mabel’s Magnificent Flying Machine and The Steward of Christendom (Gate Theatre), The Saviour (Dublin Theatre Festival, Landmark, Edinburgh International Festival, Cork Midsummer Festival, Irish Rep. NYC), BAIT / Theatre for One (Landmark Productions) Test Dummy (Nominated Best New Play, Irish Times Theatre Awards), Deep (Cork Opera House), The End of the Road (Fishamble), Across the Lough (Performance Corporation), The Bell Room (Upstate), Juno and The Paycock (FLAC) HOME (Draoicht), Secret City, Right Here Right Now, The Baths, Demeter Project Cultural Olympiad Production all for (Prime Cut Productions).
At the LIR academy, Louise has directed No Tall Flowers, The Hush Hush Men, Seablind, What the Water brings, The Nightingale Court, Coop, Given the Day, The Reflector, Silence is Requested and Black Church.
TV and film includes Fair City (RTE), Canaries (Commissioned by Dublin Port), Hecatomb (Gate Theatre), Falling Out of Standing (TATE Uk) and HawksNest. She was awarded a screen Ireland award to develop a TV miniseries based on her play Hentown.