Actors
Every year, we invite a team of professional actors to Birr to perform in our Festival Finale, Nurtured New Works.
Previous actors to be part of Scripts include Cathy Belton, Gina Moxley, Peter Campion, Aaron Monaghan, Claire Monnelly, Claire Barrett, Catherine Walsh, Charlie Bonner, Geraldine Plunkett, Carolyn Bracken and lots more!
MEET THIS YEAR'S ACTORS
Andrew Bennett
Andrew Bennett is an actor who has been mostly associated with the Corn Exchange and Pan Pan Theatre companies.
At The Abbey he has appeared in The Marriage of Figaro, Lolita, Tartuffe, The House and Translations.
Most recently on stage he played Mal in Eugene O’Brien’s Heaven, which received its first public hearing at the Scripts Festival in Birr 2021.
On screen he has appeared in Your Bad Self, Garage, The Stag, Black 47 and An Cailín Ciúin. He plays Barry Battles in Chris O’Dowd’s upcoming Small Town Big Story.
Jolly Abraham
Jolly worked as an actor and adjunct professor for several years in New York City where she worked extensively in theatre, tv, and film.
She was a company member of a classical theatre company and has performed on Broadway, Off Broadway and across the US including at The Guthrie.
Since moving to Ireland she has been in An Octoroon and The Weir at The Abbey, Absent The Wrong (Fringe- winner Best play) Speed the Plow (The Civic/Pavilion) tv/film credits include Sisters, Harry Wild series 2 and most recently the film Anniversary opposite Kyle Chandler and directed by Jan Komasa.
Janet Moran
Janet is an actor, playwright and director based in Dublin. Selected Theatre work includes Ulysses, The Plough & The Stars, Juno and the Paycock (National Theatre, London/Abbey Theatre co-production), Shibari, Translations, No Romance, The Recruiting Officer, The Cherry Orchard, She Stoops to Conquer, Communion, The Barbaric Comedies, The Well of the Saints and The Hostage all at the Abbey Theatre, Car Show, Dublin by Lamplight, Everyday, Freefall and Desire under the elms for Corn Exchange, and Heaven ( Irish times award Best Actress) Spinning, Swing (co-writer)and Rathmines Road for Fishamble.
Film and television work includes The Dry, Trivia, Love/Hate, Love is the Drug (RTE), Dublin Oldschool, The Bailout(TV3), The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, Milo, Minim Rest, Bono and My Ex, Moll Flanders, Nothing Personal, Volkswagen Joe and Quirke (BBC).
​
She co-wrote the hit plays Swing, Looking for América and Pure Mental and wrote and directed A Holy Show which sold out at the Dublin and Edinburgh fringe festivals as well as its’ national tour in Spring 2020. She wrote Quake which premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2023.
Cillian Lenaghan
Cillian graduated from the Lír Academy in 2019.
Most recently, he has been cast as Louis in the feature WHITETAIL, directed by Nanouk Leopold; and as Teen Seamus alongside Paddy Considine in Chris O’Dowd’s SMALL TOWN BIG STORY for Sky Originals.
Just prior, he filmed the role of Michael alongside Chris Walley, Lila Coleman and Patrick Martins in FALLING FOR THE LIFE OF ALEX WHELAN, directed by Nell Hensey.
Other recent credits include the role of Conor Skelly alongside Ruth WIlson and Daryl McCormack in THE WOMAN IN THE WALL, written by Joe Murtagh and directed by Harry Wootliff for the BBC and Showtime.
Stage credits include the role of Laurie in LITTLE WOMEN at the Lyric Theatre Belfast, directed by Emily Foran; Terry in WAITING FOR THE OFFO directed by Conan McIvor; STAGING THE TREATY written by Theo Dorgan and directed by Louise Lowe; and DUBLINERS directed by Annie Ryan for Smock Alley & the Corn Exchange.
