Olwen Fouéré
Olwen Fouéré (born March 2, 1954) is an Irish actor, writer/director and creative artist. She was born on March 2, 1954,[1] in Galway, Ireland to Breton parents Yann Fouéré and Marie-Magdeleine Mauger.[2] She is one of Ireland’s most important contemporary theatre and performance artists. Her extensive practice navigates Theatre, Film, the Visual arts, Music, dance theatre and Literature including collaborations with writers such as Irish playwright Marina Carr and French writer Laurent Gaudé; visual artists James Coleman, Aurélien Froment and Jesse Jones; directors Steven Berkoff, John Crowley, Yael Farber, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Selina Cartmell and Caitríona McLaughlin.
Olwen Fouéré | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1954 |
| Occupation | Actor, Writer, Director, Creative Artist |
| Parent(s) |
|
She was a co-artistic director (with composer Roger Doyle) of the music and theatre company Operating Theatre (1980-2008) and in 2009, Fouéré founded TheEmergencyRoom dedicated to her own experimental work. She received international acclaim for her creation of riverrun (her adaptation and performance of the voice of the river in Finnegans Wake) and for her work as performer and artistic collaborator in Jesse Jones’s Tremble, Tremble which represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale in 2017.
Notable film apprearances include This Must be the Place by Paolo Sorrentino, The Survivalist by Stephen Fingleton and Mandy by Panos Cosmatos. Upcoming film releases include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) and The Northman by Robert Eggers.
In 2020, Olwen was listed at number 22 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.[3]
Theatre
Olwen Fouéré’s theatre history spans over four decades. She performs internationally in English and in French with theatres in Ireland, USA, France, UK, Australia and beyond including the Abbey Theatre, Gate Theatre, Royal National Theatre, Bouffes du Nord, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and St. Ann's Warehouse in New York and with the Sydney Theatre Company, Australia. In 1980, she formed Operating Theatre, an avant-garde theatre company with composer Roger Doyle. In 2009, she established an artistic entity called TheEmergencyRoom for the development of her own projects including the internationally acclaimed riverrun (her adaptation of the voice of the river in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake) co-produced by Galway International Arts Festival and Cusack Projects Ltd; her staging of Lessness by Samuel Beckett (Barbican, Galway International Arts Festival and Project Arts Centre, Dublin); her translation and performances of Sodome, My Love by Laurent Gaudé (in association with Rough Magic) and her translation and production of Danse, Morob, written for her by Laurent Gaudé.
| Play | Role | Director | Author | Venue | Company | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iGirl | Solo Performance | Caitríona McLaughlin | Marina Carr | Abbey Theatre Dublin | - | 2021 |
| The Last Season | Winter | Danielle Michich | Force Majeure | Carriageworks, Sydney Arts Festival | Force Majeure | 2020 |
| Blood Wedding | Mother | Yaël Farber | Frederico Garcia Lorca (adapted by Marina Carr) | Young Vic Theatre, London | - | 2019 |
| Nous l'Europe, banquet des Peuples | Ensemble | Roland Auzet | Laurent Gaudé | Festival d’Avignon | - | 2019 |
| Danse, Morob | She | Olwen Fouere and Emma Martin | Laurent Gaudé | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | - | 2017 |
| UNWOMAN III | Unwoman (solo) | The Rabble | - | Dublin Fringe Festival and Melbourne | - | - |
| Ballyturk | 3 | Enda Walsh | Enda Walsh | Abbey Theatre 2017 and St Ann's Warehouse New York 2018 | Landmark Theatre Productions & Galway International Festival | 2017, 2018 |
| WHAT IF WOMEN RULED THE WORLD | The President | - | Yael Bartana | Manchester International Festival at Aarhus and Volksbuhne Berlin | - | - |
| SALOME | Nameless Woman | - | Yaël Farber | - | Shakespeare Theatre Company Washington DC and National Theatre, London | - |
| LEFT BEHIND: SONGS OF 1916 WIDOWS | Narrator | - | Simon O’Connor and Michelle O’Rourke | - | National Concert Hall, Dublin | - |
| THE FEVER | Solo | - | Fintan O’Toole | National Concert Hall, Dublin and Opera House, Belfast | - | 2016 |
| DEATH AT INTERVALS | Death | Kellie Hughes | - | - | Galway International Festival / Dublin Theatre Festival | - |
| EMBODIED | Performer | Megan & Jessica Kennedy | - | Junk Ensemble Production | - | - |
| RIVERRUN | Solo performance | Olwen Fouéré (with co-director Kellie Hughes) | Olwen Fouéré (adapted from Finnegans Wake) | TheEmergencyRoom/ Galway International Arts Festival | International tour | 2013-2016 |
| THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST | Dr. Chausuble | Antony McDonald | Composer: Gerald Barry | NI Opera | - | - |
| A TENDER THING | Juliet | Selina Cartmell | - | Siren Productions | - | - |
| MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES | El Duende | Conor Hanratty | - | - | Cork Opera House | - |
| THE RITE OF SPRING / PETRUSHKA | the Cailleach | Michael Keegan - Dolan | - | English National Opera & Sadler's Wells | - | - |
| 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 | Lynne Parker | Laurent Gaudé (translated by Olwen Fouéré) | Project Arts Centre, Dublin | – | 2010 |
| 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 Theatre, 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 | - | - |
Filmography
Film
- This Must Be the Place (2011)[4] directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Role: Mary's mother
- The Other Side of Sleep (2012)[5] directed by Rebecca Daly. Role: Maggie
- The Survivalist (2015) directed by Stephen Fingleton. Role: Kathryn
- Mandy (2018) directed by Panos Cosmatos. Role: Mother Marlene
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) directed by David Yates. Role: Melusine
- Beast (2018) directed by Michael Pearce. Role: Det. Theresa Kelly
- Animals (2019) directed by Sophie Hyde. Role: Maureen[6]
- Zone 414 (2020) directed by Andrew Baird. Role: Royale
- She Will (2021) directed by Charlotte Colbert. Role: Jean
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) directed by David Blue Garcia. Role: Sally Hardesty
- The Northman (2022) directed by Robert Eggers. Role: Ashildur Hofgythja
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
- Nightflyers /Connie / SYFY
- Cursed /Yeva / Netflix
Visual Arts
Olwen Fouéré features in several works by artist James Coleman which continue to be shown internationally. Their first collaboration was the video installation “So Different and Yet” in 1980. She has also worked with artists Amanda Coogan and Andrew Duggan and on three collaborations with artist Aurelien Froment including Camillo’s idea (Venice Biennale 2013) and Apocalypse (Museum Leuven and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2017). Her ongoing collaborations with artist Jesse Jones began with Tremble, Tremble representing Ireland at the Venice Biennale 2017 which has since been installed in numerous venues including the Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao in 2020.
Honours
Olwen Fouéré was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Philosophy - Honoris Causa) from Dublin City University in April 2016
Awards
- The Irish Times Theatre Awards Special Tribute 2013 for outstanding achievement and contribution to theatre in Ireland.
- The Herald Archangel Award 2014 for "riverrun" and her outstanding contribution to the Edinburgh Festivals.
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB theatre awards 2011 for "Sodome, My Love" by Laurent Gaudé produced by Rough Magic in association with TheEmergencyRoom
- 'Samuel Beckett Award' at the Dublin Theatre Festival for her role as Hester Swane in the world premiere of "By the Bog of Cats" by Marina Carr at the Abbey Theatre 1998.
- 'Best Actress' at the Dublin Theatre Festival 1982
Nominations
- IFTA nomination for 'Best Supporting Actress' in 'The Survivalist' by Stephen Fingleton
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2013 for 'riverrun' by TheEmergencyRoom
- 'Best Actress' in the Harvey Awards 1985 for 'The Diamond Body' by Operating Theatre.
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB Theatre awards 1999 for 'By the Bog of Cats' by Marina Carr
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times/ESB Theatre awards 2000 for 'Angel/Babel' by Operating Theatre
- 'Best Actress' in the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2006 for 'Titus Andronicus' directed by Selina Cartmell.
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;[7]
- Women in Irish Drama, edited by Melissa Sihra[8]
- Actors Voices: the people behind the performances, edited by Patrcik O'Kane[9]
- The Theatre of Marina Carr, edited by Cathy Leeney and Anna McMullan[10]
- Theatre Talk, edited by Lilian Chambers, Ger Fitzgibbon and Eamonn Jordan[11]
- Operating Theatre 1980–2008[12]
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.
External links
- Olwen Fouére Official website
References
- "The Irish Times - The Speaking Body".
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "The 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time – in order".
- 2011, Indigo films, Cannes selection in competition for the Palme D'Or 2011
- 2012, Fastnet films, Cannes selection for the Director's Fortnight
- Animals at IMDb
- Ulster Editions and Monographs series, Oxford University Press, September 2009, ISBN 0861404653, ISBN 978-0861404650
- Palgrave Macmillan (17 March 2009). ISBN 0230577911 ISBN 978-0230577916
- Oberon Books, February 2012. ISBN 9781840029567
- Carysfort Press, December 2003. ISBN 0953425770 ISBN 978-0953425778
- Carysfort Press, 2001. ISBN 0-9534-2576-2
- Zero-G, October 2008. ISBN 0956043909 ISBN 978-0956043900