KATIE O'HALLORAN, a Dublin-based interdisciplinary theatre director and creator, was recently chosen as this year’s recipient of Druid’s Marie Mullen Bursary award.
The annual award - named after the Druid Theatre Company actor and co-founder - is for female theatre artists in Ireland, working in design, directing, and dramaturgy.
Ms O’Halloran is a co-founder and resident director with Full Measure Theatre in Dublin, and has worked with Dublin Fringe Festival, Fishamble, and the Irish National Opera. She holds a BFA (Hons ) in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory and an MFA (Distinction ) in directing from The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art.
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The bursary will allow Ms O’Halloran paid work opportunities with Druid over the coming year, including the role of assistant director on one of Druid’s major 2022 productions. She will also receive a stipend, mentoring, access to workshops, and Druid’s other development programmes such as FUEL and Druid Debuts.
“Receiving the Marie Mullen Bursary grants me the gifts of time, space and resources to explore new avenues of my artistry,” said Ms O’Halloran. “I am really grateful for this opportunity to work with and learn from Druid and Garry Hynes, and feel a strengthening of my own personal responsibility to support the voices of women in the arts for years to come.”
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Druid’s artistic director, Garry Hynes, said: “Theatre is one of the hardest careers for anyone. For young directors and in these times of COVID-19, it is extraordinarily difficult. That’s why I’m so pleased that this award exists and I’m really looking forward to working with Katie in the coming year.”
Previous recipients of the Marie Mullen Bursary include dramaturg Eleanor White, who has since been appointed Literary Associate at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh; costume designer Clíodhna Hallissey, who has continued to design with Druid; and director Emily Foran who has upcoming productions in An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny and The MAC in Belfast.
