Gerry O’Brien’s career now spans 5 decades having made his professional debut at the Gate theatre in 1970. He has worked on most of the stages in Ireland over the years appearing in productions of Shakespeare, Moliere, Yeats, O’Casey as well as Hugh Leonard, Neil Simon and Tom Murphy.

Ann Russell has worked in the industry for 30+ years as an actor, director and facilitator. She trained with the late Deirdre O’Connell at the Focus Stanislavski Studio and at the Lee Strasberg Institute in NYC. She has an MA in Modern Drama from UCD and a Licentiate Diploma from London College. 

Ann began her career at Focus Theatre in the 1990s and has performed on stages throughout Ireland and the UK. Most recently she performed in The Tide by Tara Maria Lovett and Risk Everything by George F Walker. In 2025 she will perform in Michael Hartnett’s latest play Martyrs to Memory.

Ann has also performed on screen – TV and Film, notably in Roddy Doyle’s Family and Fair City and more recently in Harry Wild.  She is a member of ReActors Co-operative Agency: http://www.reactors.ie/female#/ann-russell/ Ann believes passionately in the value of the arts in society and that access to the arts is a human right, a quality-of-life issue for every citizen and deserves proper funding. The shortage of affordable venues and the cuts that have resulted in the closure of many theatre companies throughout Ireland, causing the reduction in opportunities for members of our community, are of particular concern.  She is also a member of the Performing Arts Forum.

John Cronin has been an actor on stage and screen in Ireland for 30 years, having made his professional debut in The Commitments at the age of 12! Since that time John has built a theatre career that has taken him to the West End, the Edinburgh festival and to America via the Gate and the Abbey. He has worked for Livin’ Dred, Prime Cut, Loose Canon, Anu Productions, Theatre Club, Collapsing Horse, Second Age and Rough Magic and is due to appear in the latter’s Dublin Theatre Festival production of GLUE in October 2021. He also has an extensive career on screen in Ireland and beyond appearing in series for RTE, BBC and Sky as well as feature films with actors such as Jackie Chan and Hugo Weaving. Most recently he is to be found in Carrigstown playing the villainous Will Casey in Fair City. He also has a degree in English and History from UCD and a Diploma in Marketing and Advertising from the Fitzwilliam Institute. John is very pleased to be joining the Equity Executive at such an important time.

While pantomime and comedy are her specialist areas and first love, Dorothy has also performed in a wide variety of other disciplines at home and abroad. Highlights have included playing as Colin in Mother Goose, Hermia & Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Griffon in Alice the Musical and Yvette in ‘Allo, ‘Allo. [Read more…]

John O’Brien has 60 shows to his credit as director and has been an Equity member for many years. Following the economic crash in 2008 he took a Masters Degree in Business and Management and completed a dissertation on the economy of the Irish Culture sector. Part of the research involved a survey of actor income from film and TV (including royalty payments) over a ten-year period.

Colm is a Dublin based actor, he trained at Drama Centre London and Bow Street, Dublin.

Colm believes in, and endeavours to develop, an industry that is fair, open and vibrant. Where artists and arts workers are properly remunerated, respected and treated. Colm firmly believes in increased funding for the arts.

Colm’s credits include: The Rivals (Smock Alley Theatre), The Crown and the Red Cross (Dublin Castle), Deeds of Deceit (Speckintime), The Poor Little Boy With No Arms (One Duck), King Lear (Second Age), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mouth on Fire), Vikings Season 3, The Last Right (Feature Film).

He is a member of Theatre Forum.