Olwen Fouéré
Quick Facts
Biography
Olwen Fouéré is an actress, writer and theatre artist born on the west coast of Ireland of Breton parents Yann Fouéré and Marie-Magdeleine Mauger.
Theatre
As a free-lance actress, Fouéré's has worked with the Abbey Theatre, the Gate Theatre, the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1980 she formed Operating Theatre, an avant-garde theatre company with composer Roger Doyle. She recently established an artistic entity called 'TheEmergencyRoom' for the development of her ongoing projects.
Play | Role | Director | Writer | Venue | Company | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Taming of the Shrew | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The Broken Heart | – | Mark O'Rowe | – | Various | Abbey Theatre World Tour | 2011 |
Terminus | A | Mark O'Rowe | Mark O'Rowe | Various | Abbey Theatre World Tour | 2011 |
The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane | Gertrude | Gavin Quinn | William Shakespeare | – | Pan Pan theatre | – |
Medea | sole Chorus | Selina Cartmell | translated by Robin Robertson | – | Siren productions | – |
Sodome, My Love | Celle de Sodome | Laurent Gaudé | Lynne Parker (translated by Olwen Fouéré) | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | – | – |
The Rite of Spring | the Cailleach | Michael Keegan-Dolan | – | London Coliseum | Fabulous Beast and ENO | – |
Under Glass (The Test Tube) | – | Suzy Willson and Paul Clarke | Alice Oswald | – | The Clod Ensemble | – |
Paula Spencer, La Femme Qui Se Cognait Dans Les Portes | solo | Michel Abécassis | Roddy Doyle (trans. Ian Monk and Isabelle D. Phillippe) | Théatre de l'Eveil tour including Bouffes du Nord, Paris, and Project Arts Centre, Dublin | – | – |
Woman and Scarecrow | Woman | Selina Cartmell | Marina Carr | Abbey Theatre | – | – |
The Bull | Maeve | Michael Keegan-Dolan | – | Dublin Theatre Festival 2005, Barbicanbite 2007, speilzeiteuropa08 | Fabulous Beast | – |
Catastrophe | The Assistant | Selina Cartmell | Samuel Beckett | Barbican | Gate Theatre Beckett Festival | – |
Titus Andronicus | Tamora | Selina Cartmell | Shakespeare | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | Siren Productions | – |
Here Lies | Antonin Artaud | Selina Cartmell | – | Galway Arts Festival 2005, Dublin and Paris 2006 | Operating Theatre | – |
A Cry from Heaven | Ness | Olivier Py | Vincent Woods | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
The Plough and the Stars | Mrs Gogan | Ben Barnes | Seán O'Casey | Abbey Theatre, Barbicanbite and Cork Opera House | – | – |
The Playboy of the Western World | Widow Quinn | Ben Barnes | John Millington Synge | Abbey Theatre (USA Tour) | – | – |
Passades | self and explorer | Selina Cartmell | – | Lee's Cash 'n Carry, Dublin | Operating Theatre | – |
La Musica | Woman | Selina Cartmell | Marguerite Duras | SS Michael and John, Dublin | Siren Productions | – |
The House of Bernarda Alba | Augustine | Martin Drury | Frederico Garcia Lorca, trans. Sebastian Barry | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | Michael Barker-Caven | Shakespeare | Dublin and Irish tour | Second Age | – |
Lessness | solo | Judy Hegarty-Lovett | Samuel Beckett | Gare StLazare Irl | Kilkenny Arts Festival, Cottesloe Theatre, Dublin Fringe Festival | – |
Bailegangaire | Dolly | Tom Murphy | Tom Murphy | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Chair | solo | Johnny Hanrahan | Operating Theatre | Peacock Theatre, Dublin | Operating Theatre | – |
The Playboy of the Western World | Pegeen Mike | Niall Henry | John Millington Synge | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Peer Gynt | Solveig | Conal Morrison | Henrik Ibsen (trans. Frank McGuinness) | Royal National Theatre, London | – | – |
Romeo and Juliet | Lady Capulet | Tim Supple | Shakespeare | Royal National Theatre, London | – | – |
The Tempest | Ariel | Conal Morrison | Shakespeare | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Life Is a Dream | Rosaura | Calixto Bieto | Caldéron de la Barca (trans. John Clifford) | Edinburgh Festival '98, Barbican '99, BAM,'99 | – | – |
The Wake | Mary Jane | Patrick Mason | Tom Murphy | Abbey Theatre and Edinburgh Festival | – | 1988–1999 |
By the Bog of Cats (World Premiere) | Hester Swane | Patrick Mason | Marina Carr | Abbey Theatre (Dublin Theatre Festival '98) | – | 1988 |
Angel/Babel | solo | Leon Ingulsrud | Operating Theatre | Project@the mint, Dublin | Operating Theatre | 1999 |
Lady Windermere's Fan | Mrs Erlynne | Alan Stanford | Oscar Wilde | Gate Theatre Dublin & Charleston Spoleto Festival | Company | 1997–1998 |
The Electrocution of Children | Margot | Brian Brady | Chris Lee | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards | Empress and Moon | John Crowley | Chikamatsu Montsaemon, trans. Peter Oswald | Royal National Theatre | – | – |
Play and Come and Go | – | Bairbre Ni Chaoímh | Samuel Beckett | Gate Theatre & Lincoln Center, New York | – | – |
Double Helix | Bickerstaffe | John Crowley | – | Peacock Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Six Characters in Search of an Author | Mme. Pace | John Crowley | Luigi Pirandello, trans. Tom Kilroy | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Slaughter City | Cod | Ron Daniels | Naomi Wallace | – | Royal Shakespeare Company, The Pit | – |
The Mai (World Premiere ) | The Mai | Brian Brady | Marina Carr | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | Company | Year |
Old Times | Anna | Kevin Billington | Harold Pinter | Gate Theatre, Dublin | Gate Theatre Pinter Festival | – |
Sheep's Milk on the Boil | The Inspector of Wrack | Tom Hickey | Tom Mac Intyre | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | – | – |
Hamlet | Hamlet | Michael Sheridan | Shakespeare | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | – | – |
The Tempest and Macbeth | Ariel and Lady Macduff | Michael Bogdanov | Shakespeare | World tour | English Shakespeare Company | – |
The Cherry Orchard | Varya | Michael Bogdanov | Anton Chekhov | Gate Theatre, Dublin | Company | Year |
Salome | Salomé | Steven Berkoff | Oscar Wilde | Gate Theatre '88, Edinburgh Festival '89 & Spoleto '90 | Company | 1988, 1989, 1990 |
The Master Builder | Hilde Wangel | Paul Unwin | Henrik Ibsen | Bristol Old Vic, Bristol | 1989 | |
Dancing at Lughnasa | Agnes | Patrick Mason | Brian Friel | Phoenix and Garrick Theatre, London | – | – |
The Master Builder | Hilde | Paul Unwin | Henrik Ibsen, trans. Michael Meyer | Bristol Old Vic | - | - |
Bajazet | Atalide | Peter Eyre | Racine, trans. Allan Hollinghurst | Almeida Theatre, London | - | - |
Cathleen Ni Houlihan & The Cuchulainn Cycle | Cathleen and Aoife | Jim Flannery | William Butler Yeats | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Peer Gynt | Solveig and Anitra | Patrick Mason | Henrik Ibsen, trans. Frank McGuinness | Gate Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Les Liaisons Dangereuses | La Presidente de Tourvel | Ben Barnes | Christopher Hampton (after Laclos) | Gate Theatre, Dublin | - | |
Uncle Vanya | Sonya | Paul Unwin | Anton Chekhov | Gate Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Fool for Love | May | Ray Yeates | Sam Shephard | Abbey Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Innocence | Caterina | Patrick Mason | Frank McGuinness | Gate Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
The Playboy of the Western World | Pegeen Mike | Garry Hynes | John Millington Synge | Druid Theatre New York Tour ‘86 | - | - |
The Pantagonal Dream | solo | David Heap | Sebastian Barry | Damer Hall Dublin | Operating Theatre | - |
The Diamond Body | solo | Brendan Ellis | Aidan Mathews | Dublin, Bush Theatre London ‘84, Avignon Festival’86, Glasgow Mayfest ‘87 | Operating Theatre | - |
The Antigone | Antigone | Michael Scott | Aidan Mathews | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | |
The Old Woman Broods | Kazimierz Braun | - | Tadeusz Rosewicz | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
Extremities | Marjorie | Julian Plunkett-Dillon | William Mastrosimone | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
The Morning After Optimism | Anastasia | Michael Scott | Tom Murphy | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
Three Bunches of Blood and a Lump of Fog | - | Michael Scott | Sean MacCarthy | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
Three Sisters | Irina | Stephen Rea | Anton Chekhov, trans. Brian Friel | Field Day 1981 | - | - |
Twelfth Night | Viola | Christopher Fitzsimon | Shakespeare | Irish Theatre Company | - | - |
Withering Hypes and Bubblegum | - | Thom MacGinty | - | - | Grapevine touring company | - |
The Glass Menagerie | Laura | Paul Brennan | Tennessee Williams | Gate Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Riders to the Sea | Kathleen | Brendan Ellis | John Millington Synge | Players Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Not I | solo | Brendan Ellis | Samuel Beckett. | Focus Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
The Fall of the House of Usher | Madeleine | Peter Sheridan | Steven Berkoff (from Edgar Allan Poe) | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
The Hostage | Teresa | Sean Treacy | Brendan Behan | Project Arts Centre and Eblana Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Marat/Sade | Charlotte Corday | Michael Sheridan | Peter Weiss | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
Famine | Maeve | Tom Murphy | Tom Murphy | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
Dev | Mrs DeValera | Peter Sheridan | - | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
The Risen People | Annie | Jim Sheridan | James Plunkett | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | - |
A Month in the Country | Vera | Mary Elizabeth Burke-Kennedy | Turgenev | Focus Theatre, Dublin | - | - |
Endgame | Nell | Sean Treacy | Samuel Beckett | APE Theatre company, Dublin | - | - |
Film
- The Survivalist directed by Stephen Fingleton. Role: Kathryn.
- This Must Be the Place directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Role: Mary's mother.
- The Other Side of Sleep directed by Rebecca Daly. Role: Maggie.
Television
- Above Suspicion (Mrs Hughes) /Gillies MacKinnon/ ITV/ by Lynda LaPlante
- The Ambassador /Ken Grieve/ Ecosse Film and TV
- Ballykissangel series one /Chris Harrison / BBC
- Hard Shoulder /MirrorFilms/RTÉ/Channel 4/ by Mark Kilroy
- When Reason Sleeps (Celia)/ R. Wynne Simmons /RTÉ/ Channel 4
- Time After Time (Young Nun) /Bill Hays/ BBC
- The Irish R.M. (Miss Malone) /Roy Ward-Baker / BBC/RTÉ
- A Painful Case (Mary Sinico) / John Lynch /RTÉ/ Channel 4
- The Babysitters /Pat O'Connor / RTÉ
Visual Arts
Olwen Fouéré features in several works by artist James Coleman which continue to be shown internationally. Their first collaboration So Different and Yet... which was created in 1980 was recently shown at IMMA during March and April 2009 as part of the large James Coleman retrospective exhibition. Recently she worked with artist Andrew Duggan on unravel on Inis Oirr, Dublin Biennial and University of Lyon.
Awards
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB theatre awards 1999.
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB theatre awards 2000.
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB theatre awards 2006.
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB theatre awards 2011.
- 'Best Actor' at the Dublin Theatre Festival 2003.
- 'Samuel Beckett Award' at the Dublin Theatre Festival 1998.
Publications
She has contributed to a number of publications on contemporary theatre and performance including:
- The Dreaming Body, edited by Melissa Sihra and Paul Murphy;
- Women in Irish Drama, edited by Melissa Sihra
- Actors Voices: the people behind the performances, edited by Patrcik O'Kane
- The Theatre of Marina Carr, edited by Cathy Leeney and Anna McMullan
- Theatre Talk, edited by Lilian Chambers, Ger Fitzgibbon and Eamonn Jordan
- Operating Theatre 1980–2008
Documentary
A documentary of a year in her life, "Theatre in the Flesh" directed by Dara McCluskey, was produced for RTÉ's Arts Lives series in 2005.