Ois O’Donoghue is an interdisciplinary theatremaker, writer, actor and producer from Dublin.
Her practice focuses on the exploration of the bounds of medium and genre, delving into the things that seperate us and bring us together in an increasingly divided world. Her work focuses on themes of isolation, queerness and societal progression and regression, all from an Explicitly Trans perspective.
Most notably, Ois recently created the critically acclaimed play HYPER alongside Jaxbanded Theatre. HYPER premiered at the 2023 Dublin Fringe Festival in Smock Alley Theatre. It ran from the 18th to the 23rd of September, receiving a 5-star review from The Irish Times and sell out performances. It was nominated for the Fishamble New Writing Award and The George Fitzmaurice Award at the Dublin Fringe Awards.
Ois was also selected for Bewley’s Cafe Theatre’s prestigious playwright development scheme Percolate 2024 -2026, a programme through which she is beginnning the development of her next play SUPLEX. Alongside this she is currently writing a new piece for Landmark and Octopus Theatrical’s ‘Theatre For One’ which will debut at Cork Midsummer Festival 2024.
★★★★★
Conveys, in exquisite detail, the realities of the everyday trans existence…Five Stars is Not Enough
– The Irish Times (HYPER)
★★★★
Brave, exhilarating, and refreshingly fearless
– The Arts Review (HATE F%#K)
In 2020, Ois co-founded Jaxbanded Theatre with collaborator Ruairi Nicholl, where she would go on to create works in a variety of mediums, including the short film Camping At The End Of The World, the concept album and gig theatre piece Sentimental: A New Gig Musical, as well as the virtual interactive theatre piece Aion which would go on to be accepted into the 2023 Game Developers World Championship. In 2023 Jaxbanded performed HYPER Dublin Fringe Festival and Sentimental: A New Gig Musical at the Scene & Heard 2023 Festival. Most recently, Jaxbanded created a new play HATE F%#K, written by Jodie Doyle and Directed by Ois O’Donoghue which received it’s premiere in The New Theatre in April 2024.
In a Producing capacity, Ois has worked alongside Lovano, United Fall and Martha Knight on productions such as Night Dances, What We Hold, King Shrine, Gold In The Water and The King Of All Birds. Ois also acted as Co-Director of the 2023 ISDA Festival alongside Daniel Culleton. She is currently the Company Manager of United Fall.
Ois holds an MA in Theatre Practice from University College Dublin.
image:credits
1. HATE F%#K. Leanne Bickerdike in HATE F%#K, Written by Jodie Doyle, Directed by Ois O’Donoghue, Created by Jaxbanded Theatre at The New Theatre. Photo credit: Al Craig
2. HYPER. Ois O’Donoghue, Christopher O’Shaughnessy and Fiona Larmon in HYPER, Written and Directed by Ois O’Donoghue, Created by Jaxbanded Theatre at Dublin Fringe 2023. Photo credit: Simon Lazewski
3. The King of All Birds. Martha Knight in The King of All Birds, Written by Martha Knight and Directed by Joy Nesbitt, Produced by Ois O’Donoguhe at Dublin Fringe 2023. Photo credit: Kilian Harrison
Portfolio of Artists: