Rachel O'Riordan
Director
Agent
Assistant
Associate Agent
Biography
Rachel is Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre where she launched her critically acclaimed debut season with a new adaptation of A Doll’s House by Tanika Gupta and recently directed Gary Owen’s new version of Ibsen’s Ghosts. She also directed the sold-out remount of Iphigenia in Splott at the Lyric, which was Number 1 in The Guardian’s Top 10 Theatre of 2022.
Other Lyric shows include: Ghosts; Faith Healer; co-directing the Lyric’s post-COVID reopening production Out West; Our Country’s Good, which saw Timberlake Wertenbaker revisit the play for the first time; Love, Love, Love by Mike Bartlett, in the 10-year anniversary revival; Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane with Chichester Festival Theatre. Previously, she was Artistic Director of Sherman Theatre, Wales and transformed the venue which won The Stage’s Regional Theatre of the Year Award under her leadership.
Other Directing : End (National Theatre); Romeo and Julie (National Theatre); the Olivier Award-winning Killology ( Royal Court Theatre); Bird; The Cherry Orchard and Iphigenia in Splott. (Sherman). She was Artistic Director of Perth Theatre, Scotland between 2011 and 2014 and won The Critics’ Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best Director and Best Ensemble for The Seafarer by Conor McPherson. From 2002 to 2011, she co-founded and ran Ransom Productions in Northern Ireland, producing new plays by writers including Suzie Miller (Transparency), Leo Butler (The Early Bird) and David Ireland (Arguments for Terrorism).
Credits
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Romeo and Julie | Little Door Productions |
Film Written by Gary Owen |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
END 2025 – 2026 |
Dorfman Theatre, National |
Written by David Eldridge ★★★★ ‘Immensely moving’ The Telegraph
|
|
GHOSTS 2025 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Gary Owen ★★★★★ The Guardian, Daily Mail |
|
OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD 2024 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Written by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Based on The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally.
|
|
FAITH HEALER 2024 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Written by Brian Friel ‘The definitive production of a drop dead masterpiece’ ★★★★ The Guardian, Telegraph, FT, Standard |
|
ROMEO AND JULIE 2023 |
National Theatre / Sherman |
Written by Gary Owen |
|
IPHEGENIA IN SPLOTT 2022 |
NT / Lyric Hammersmith Theatre / Sherman Theatre National Tour / Schaubūne / Off-Broadway |
Written by Gary Owen ★★★★★ The Guardian, The Stage, What’s on Stage Best New Play at UK Theatre Awards James Tait Black Prize |
|
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE 2021 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Written by Martin McDonagh ‘this revival confirms it as a modern classic’ ★★★★ The Telegraph |
|
OUT WEST 2021 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Written by Tanika Gupta, Simon Stephens and Roy Williams Three excellent monologues ★★★★ The Telegraph |
|
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE 2020 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Written by Mike Bartlett ‘Rachel O’Riordan’s sparklingly satirical production’ ★★★★ The Guardian |
|
A DOLL'S HOUSE 2019 |
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre |
Written by Tanika Gupta ‘Feels as thrilling as it is politically astute’ ★★★★ Evening Standard |
|
COME ON HOME 2018 |
Abbey Theatre, Dublin |
Written by Phillip McMahon |
|
FOXFINDER 2018 |
Ambassadors Theatre |
Written by Dawn King |
|
THE CHERRY ORCHARD 2017 |
Sherman Theatre |
Written by Gary Owen ‘this uprooted Chekhov is sheer quality and sharp as an axe.’ ★★★★ The Guardian |
|
KILLOLOGY 2017 |
The Royal Court |
Written by Gary Owen Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
|
|
THE WEIR 2016 |
Sherman Theatre / Tobacco Factory |
Written by Conor McPherson |
|
BIRD 2016 |
Sherman Theatre / Manchester Royal Exchange |
Written by Katherine Chandler ‘takes flight under the superb direction of Rachel O’Riordan’ ★★★★ The Guardian |
|
UNFAITHFUL 2016 |
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Festival |
Written by Owen McCafferty |
|
ARABIAN NIGHTS 2014 |
Sherman Theatre |
Written by Dominic Cooke |
|
THE SEAFARER 2013 |
Perth Theatre / Lyric, Belfast |
Written by Conor McPherson CATS Best Director and Best Ensemble Awards Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland Best Director UK Theatre awards nomination, Best Director |
|
SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME 2013 |
Perth Theatre |
Written by Frank McGuinness CATS nomination, Best Director |
|
MACBETH 2013 |
Perth Theatre |
Written by William Shakespeare |
|
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS 2012 |
Perth Theatre |
Written by Ron Hutchinson |
|
N.I. OPERA SHORTS 2012 |
MAC Belfast and Southbank London |
Written by Christopher Norby, Deirdre McKay, Ed Bennett, Brian Irvine and Conor Mitchell |
|
OVER THE BRIDGE 2010 |
Waterfront Hall Belfast |
Written by Sam Thompson Irish Times Theatre Awards Best Director |
|
THE ABSENCE OF WOMEN 2010 |
Lyric Belfast / Kiln Theatre |
Written by Owen McCafferty UK Theatre Awards Best Director Nomination |
|
ARGUMENTS FOR TERRORISM 2009 |
Òran Mór |
Written by David Ireland |
|
TRANSPARENCY 2009 |
Mac Belfast |
Written by Suzy Miller |
|
GRIMM TALES 2009 |
Library Theatre, Manchester |
Written by Carol Ann Duffy Manchester Theatre Awards nomination, Best Production |
|
GATES OF GOLD 2009 |
Library Theatre, Manchester |
Written by Frank McGuinness |
|
THE GENTLEMEN'S TEA DRINKING SOCIETY 2009 |
Tron Theatre, Glasgow |
Written by Richard Dormer |
|
ABSOLUTION 2008 |
Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Festival |
Written by Owen O’Neill 1st Irish Festival NYC Best Director Award |
|
ANIMAL FARM 2007 |
Theatre Royal Bath |
Written by George Orwell Adapted by Peter Hall |
|
THE PIECE OF EARTH 2007 |
Underbelly, Edinburgh Festival |
Written by Richard Dormer |
|
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 2007 |
Lyric Theatre, Belfast |
Written by William Shakespeare. UK Theatre Awards Best Director Nomination |
|
THE EARLY BIRD 2006 |
Belfast Festival |
Written by Leo Butler |
|
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED 2006 |
Hampstead Theatre |
Written by Simon Block |
|
MISS JULIE 2006 |
Theatre Royal Bath |
Written by August Strindberg, in a version by Frank McGuiness |
|
HURRICANE 2024 |
Soho Theatre |
Written by Richard Dormer |