Board of Directors

David is the Director of Dublin Fringe Festival. He also serves as Chairperson of Theatre Forum Ireland and is a Trustee of Theatre Royal, Waterford. Formerly, he was the Programme Director and Executive Producer at Carlow Arts Festival, where he played a key role in shaping the organization’s strategy and expanding its year-round programs. He introduced new programming strands like the O’Hara’s Live & Local Stage, fostering partnerships, sponsorship, and opportunities for local artists. Earlier, David worked as Theatre Programme Manager at VISUAL Carlow. In this capacity, he commissioned and presented works by prominent Irish artists and companies. He developed comprehensive artist support programs and engaged with the community through various initiatives. David authored ‘Our Thriving Tribe; Exploring Entrepreneurship in the Arts’ in 2021, featuring insights from established and emerging Irish arts professionals. David has an extensive background, including being the former Chairperson of the Strollers Network, lecturer at Carlow College, and co-artistic director of Collaborative Artists Collective. His educational achievements encompass a BA in Drama & Performance, an MFA in Art in the Contemporary World, and a Diploma in Creativity, Innovation & Leadership from institutions including TU Dublin, National College of Art & Design, UCD, Columbia College Chicago, and Manchester School of Art (MMU).

A native of Waterford Mary has been committed to supporting artists and arts activity throughout her 30-year career.  Since graduating from Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Mary has spent many years working in a range of management roles in the arts sector.  She has worked as Production Manager on various theatre productions as well as Company Producer with Red Kettle Theatre Company.  Mary’s work has brought her to Donegal, Galway and Cork as well as her native Waterford.

With 13 years’ experience as Theatre Manager at the Theatre Royal, Mary has recently stepped into the role of Theatre Director incorporating the programming and artistic leadership of the organisation.  Mary continues to play a major role in the development of the venues journey while continuing to maximise on increased supports to artists through the venues annual programming strategy and resources.

As a venue partner with the South East Venues Network, Mary continues to deliver supports to the sector regionally.

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Tom Creed is a theatre and opera director, festival director and independent producer, originally from Cork and now based in Dublin. He has been a member of the voluntary steering committee of the National Campaign for the Arts since 2016, who have worked to ensure the survival and recovery of the arts sector during the pandemic.

He has directed with the Abbey, Gate, Irish National Opera, Thisispopbaby, Rough Magic, his own company Playgroup, and many other Irish companies and performers. His work has been seen at the Paris Opera, the Barbican in London, the Edinburgh, Perth and Melbourne International Festivals, and BAM and the Public Theatre in New York.

He has been Festival Director of Cork Midsummer Festival, Theatre and Dance Curator of Kilkenny Arts Festival and Associate Director of Rough Magic. He is on the board of GAZE Film Festival, and was previously on the board of Macnas and Dublin Fringe Festival.

Janice de Bróithe is a Theatre Director, Producer and Facilitator. She holds a BA and an MA in Drama & Theatre Studies from UCC and a PG Dip in Theatre Directing from LAMDA. She is currently the Artistic Coordinator of Equinox Theatre at KCAT Arts Centre, and is also working with Asylum Productions as Assistant Director on their upcoming production The Local. Janice has previously worked as a Line Producer and Volunteer Coordinator with Carlow Arts Festival, Assistant Producer of Carlow Live & Local music festival, and Assistant Producer and Community Coordinator in VISUAL Carlow.  She is also the founder and Artistic Director of Slapdash Theatre Co., a community-based theatre company in Carlow and regularly teaches and facilitates drama in primary, secondary and further education schools and facilitates a variety of drama workshops for various community groups and organisations.

Orla has twenty three years of arts management, producing and programming experience in live performance. She is currently Senior Producer at Once Off Productions, which provides creative and flexible supports to a range of independent performing artists.  Orla was previously Director at glór, a thriving 500 seat theatre and arts centre in Ennis – and led a wide range of creative projects and artists initiatives alongside a dynamic year-round multi-genre programme for over six years.

Prior to this, Orla worked in the UK as Theatre Producer at Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival since January 2012. Here she programmed a large range of theatre and circus for Brighton Festivals 2012-2016, collaborating with Guest Directors Vanessa Redgrave, Michael Rosen, Hofesh Shechter, Ali Smith and Laurie Anderson.  She also led an innovative year-round theatre programme and a range of artist development initiatives at Brighton Dome. Previously she was General Manager at the Gate Theatre in Notting Hill (2011).

Orla was Producer & General Manager at Fishamble: The New Play Company for five years, where she produced ten world premiere productions which toured Ireland and internationally. Orla participated in the 10-month Arts Management Fellowship programme at the John F. Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C.(2007-08), for which she was awarded a Fulbright.

From 2001-2005 Orla was Literary Officer at the Abbey Theatre. Whilst at the Abbey she received funding to develop her dramaturgy skills at the Sundance Theatre Lab, Utah, and the Schaubuhne’s Festival of International New Drama, Berlin. Orla worked as Marketing Administrator at the National Concert Hall upon graduation from University College Dublin with a BA in English and Philosophy.

Paul Johnson is an arts manager, curator, mentor and dramaturge. He is the former Chief Executive of Dance Ireland. Paul’s background is in dance, theatre, film and multi-media, working as a performer, choreographer and collaborator for a range of companies including Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre, IMDT, Scottish Ballet Steps Out, TAG Theatre Company and Brother Films. He ran his own company MaNDaNCE (1991-2001) and was Choreographer in Residence with Project Arts Centre, documented in Fine Lines on Shifting Ground: Reflections on a Choreographic Process (Project Press, 2000).

A creative and strategic thinker with extensive experience in management, leadership, strategy development, governance and relationship building. He was Artists Services Manager with the Arts Council (2003-2006).  He led on the successful opening of DanceHouse in 2006, and over a 14year period grew the programme and reach to create a public-facing flagship home for dance. His previous board experience includes serving on the Arts Council (2009 to 2013), and for Dance Resource Base NI and Ballet Ireland. He is currently a director trustee of IMDT and Create.

A graduate of DCU, Johnson has earned a BA and MA in Communications & Cultural Studies and is currently undertaking a Professional Certificate in Governance (IPA, Dublin), in addition to working on a range of mentorship and consultancy projects.

Orla is Executive Director at Project Arts Centre, a multidisciplinary space in Dublin, which promotes exchange, experimentation and the presentation of extraordinary work that inspires and provokes. Orla manages human and financial resources and works closely with the Artistic Director, Board and executive in developing and implementing policy and strategy. In the last two years, Orla played a key role in the development of a new policy Towards Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, which sits at the heart of Project’s new five year strategy.

Previously, as Head of Arts Participation with the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealíon (2007 – 2013), Orla managed funding relationships and application processes, and led on the development of new policies in Cultural Diversity, Arts and Disability, and Arts and Health. She has extensive experience in arts management, research, policy development, and evaluation, having worked both as an independent arts consultant, and in senior arts management roles e.g. Director, Bealtaine Festival; Acting Director, Droichead Arts Centre; Regional Development Manager, Music Network.

Orla holds a BA in Pure English and an MA in Adult and Community Education. She has served on the Boards of Dance Limerick, Create, and Barnstorm Theatre Company, and is currently on the Board of Music Network.

Aaron Monaghan, co-founder and now the Artistic Director of Livin’ Dred Theatre Company, is a director as well as a multi-awarding winning actor with numerous theatre, film and TV appearances. He trained at The Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin. Aaron has worked extensively with the Abbey Theatre, and with Druid Theatre Company, of which he is an ensemble member and with which he has toured. He has also worked with companies such as Fishamble, Bedrock, Yew Tree and Livin’ Dred, which he co-founded in 2004. Aaron is a recipient of a Lucille Lortel Award, Manchester Evening News Award, an Irish Times Irish Theatre Award and an OBIE Award for Outstanding Performance.

Ronan is a freelance theatre director based in Dublin working across a variety of scales and styles including new writing, reimagined classics and musical theatre. Since 2017 he has held the role of Associate Director at Rough Magic Theatre Company.   In 2020 he was nominated as Best Director at the Irish Times Theatre Awards for his production of Much Ado About Nothing for Rough Magic and Kilkenny Arts Festival.Previous directing credits include KITCHENSINKDRAMA (The Collective), Much Ado About Nothing and Tonic  (Rough Magic and Kilkenny Arts Festival), Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Rough Magic, Dublin Theatre Festival and National Tour), All Mod Cons (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Some Names Were Changed (15th Oak and Dublin Fringe Festival ), Annie (Cork Opera House).Ronan is a former participant of the Abbey Theatre’s Resident Assistant Director programme and is a graduate of the TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama.