Gúna Nua, winner of the Irish Times Theatre Audience Choice Award for Bread not Profits, is an award-winning, critically acclaimed theatre company making new theatre for Irish and international audiences since 1998. We develop productions in relationship with artists and communities to generate dynamic, contemporary and vibrant theatre that challenges and inspires. Drawing on our extensive legacy of award-winning productions, we strive for excellence and innovation by collaborating with exciting partners, finding new and unusual venues and employing cutting edge theatre techniques in our work.
Paul Meade is a writer, director, actor and artistic director and co-founder of Gúna Nua Theatre company. Originally from Limerick, he trained at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin, and later received an M.A. in Modern Drama from University College Dublin. His awards include the Stewart Parker Award for ‘Skin Deep’ (2003) and a Dublin Fringe Best Production Award for ‘Scenes From a Water Cooler (2001). In 2007, Paul was awarded a playwrighting commission by the Irish Council for Bioethics, with the resulting ‘Begotten not Made’ being performed as a staged reading by Fishamble in January 2009 in Farmleigh House. Paul Meade has also written a number of plays for radio broadcast and with Gúna Nua he directs Artistic policy, choosing scripts and directing, writing and producing theatre pieces.
Karen McCartney was part of the first group to graduate from the BA in Acting course at The Lir Academy in 2014.
Since then she has gone on to work at Druid Theatre Company on DruidShakespeare (winner of 2015 Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Production) and Big Maggie, at The Gate Theatre on The Heiress and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. She was also part of the cast of Hostel 16 for the Dublin Fringe Festival and Signatories at The Olympia Theatre. She played Serena, a mermaid, in Futureproof as part of Cork’s Midsummer Festival. She has worked with Rough Magic on the new musical The Train, on the SEEDS production of Mr Burns: A Post Electric Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (winner of 2019 Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Ensemble), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Hecuba. Most recently she played Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet for The Mill Theatre, Cordelia/Fool in King Lear for Festival in a Van and She in Heart of a Dog for Dublin Theatre Festival.
Her film and television credits include Crone Wood (Black Lodge), Fair City (RTÉ), The Titans That Built America (History Channel USA) and a filmed version of Hecuba.
Bláithín Mac Gabhann most recently played the lead role “F” in Malaprop Theatre Company’s WHERE SAT THE LOVERS directed by Claire O’Reilly at Project Arts Centre; the role of Mary (Masha) in Thomas Kilroy’s THE SEAGULL (after Chekhov) directed by Garry Hynes for Druid Theatre Co., and the role of Karen Reid alongside Desmond Eastwood in the TV series HIDDEN ASSETS directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
Further credits include the role of the Outsider in THE WAY OUT directed by Suri Krishnamma as part of the Performance Live collaboration between the BBC, Arts Council England, and BAC; the role of Annie alongside Catherine Walker and Aidan McArdle in Nancy Harris’ OUR NEW GIRL directed by Annabelle Comyn at the Gate Theatre, Dublin; PENANCE directed by Maurice Sweeney for Channel 5; NORMAL PEOPLE directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald; and Dylan Coburn-Gray’s Verity Bargate Award-winning play CITYSONG, directed by Caitriona McLaughlin for the Abbey Theatre, the Soho Theatre London, and the Galway International Arts Festival (2019). Bláithín also played the role of Devlin alongside Eileen Walsh in a Women at RADA reading of LEOPOLDVILLE, directed by Tilly Vosburgh.
Aidan Crowe is a native of Limerick. He began acting at the age of 12 with Spotlight Stage School and after completing the two year programme with Limerick Youth Theatre, he moved to Wales where he studied Drama and Theatre Studies at The University Of Wales, Aberystwyth.
He has most recently appeared as, ‘Billy Sheehan’ in ‘Bread Not Profits’ by Mike Finn, directed by Terry O’Donovan, also for Gúna Nua, ‘Bob’ in ‘Midsummer’ directed by Eoghan Carrick in The Project Arts Centre, ‘ Henry’ in the US/Spanish tour ‘The Bockety World of Henry and Bucket’ , ‘Jacko’ in ‘Click’ by Michael Collier in The Civic Theatre, Tallaght, as part of the ensemble in The Abbey Theatre production ‘King Lear’, Vanner (Sidhe Film/Tree Light Pictures) which was an official selection for the Chicago Irish Film Festival, and My Passenger( Light Leak Films) which was an official selection for the Belfast Film Festival.
Andrea Irvine most recently appeared on screens as Mairéad McDaid in David Ireland’s play SADIE, made by the Lyric Theatre Belfast & Field Day for broadcast on the BBC.
Most recent screen credits include the role of Róisín Hastings opposite Adrian Dunbar in LINE OF DUTY for the BBC; the lead role of Angela Tyrrell in three series of RED ROCK for Element Pictures; and the feature films BOYS FROM COUNTY HELL directed by Chris Baugh, and END OF SENTENCE directed by Elfar Edelsteins.
Her extensive stage work includes (most recently) David Ireland’s CYPRUS AVENUE directed by Vicky Featherstone for the Royal Court and the Abbey Theatre; THE GREAT HUNGER directed by Conall Morrison for the Abbey Theatre, a site specific production; and SIVE directed by Garry Hynes for Druid Theatre Co.
Gary Murphy was most recently cast in “HOLDING” directed by Kathy Burke for Port Pictures. He will appear later this year in “Christmas at the Castle” directed by Stefan Scaini for Hallmark.
Recent stage credits include “Before Monsters Were Made” (Oak Productions), “God bless the child” (PT Productions) and Dancing at Lughnasa (Everyman Palace).
Previous theatre credits include THE DEATH OF HARRY LEON, MACBETH, RICHARD III and AMADEUS (Ouroboros), THE BETRAYAL (Gate Theatre), LA RONDE, THE LOVER, LADIES DAY and THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES (Granary), BANSHEE MAKERS, HATCH 22, THE TRAIL OF JESUS, THE TEMPEST (Corcadorca), TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD (Everyman Palace), SIVE, MOONSHINE, TEA & SEX & SHAKESPEARE, SHARON’S GRAVE (Brown Penny), CRYSTAL, WINTER, THE SYSTEM PARTS I & II (Project Arts Centre) and GARGARIN WAY (Island).
Film & television credits include AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, THE YOUNG OFFENDERS 2, THE VOTING AGE, AN KLONDIKE, VIKINGS, MOONE BOY, A DANGEROUS FORTUNE, LOVING MISS HATTO, DAMAGE, THE DAISY CHAIN, RIPPER STREET, 1916 SEACHTAR DEARMADTA, THE GERMAN, THE TAKE, THE TIGER’S TALE, WHISTLEBLOWER, FAIR CITY, PROOF, THE TUDORS, and LOVE/HATE.
Karl Quinn is a graduate of Theatre Studies (TCD) and Post Graduate diploma in Arts and Learning (NCI). Karl is a Dublin based Theatre Maker with over twenty-five years experience creating work nationally and internationally.
Recently Karl finished shooting Holding, an ITV series based on Graham Norton’s book, directed by Kathy Burke, and with Performance Corporation, Emperor101, a ground-breaking crossover between theatre and VR for Dublin Theater Festival. International work includes: Washington DC (USA), Yukon and Vancouver (Canada), with The Performance Corporation; Bucharest (Romania), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Wales (UK) with Carpet Theatre; London (UK) with Tall Tales and The Bush Theatre; Edinburgh (UK) with Yew Tree; Glasgow (UK) and Pori (Finland) with Painter’s Radio, Pori (Finland) with Inis Theatre.
In Ireland Karl has worked as an: Actor (Fidget Feet, The Performance Corporation, Abbey Theatre, Rough Magic, Ark Theatre, Second Age, Broken Talkers, Gúna Nua, Carpet Theatre); Director (Crude Mechanicals, The Ould Fella, Trolly); Writer (Connected, Crude Mechanicals, Trolly); Devising (Aeneid, The Flood, Pigeon); Writer: Connected, Crude Mechanicals, Trolly. Drama Facilitator (Abbey Theatre); Voice Over (RTE continuity, including Irish Language links). Karl is a Creative Associate on the Arts Council’s Creative Schools team.
Karl has been nominated for The Irish Times Theatre Awards, Dublin Fringe Awards, Off West End Awards, Bewley’s Little Gem Awards.
