Good Vibrations: A Punk Rock Musical

Des' credits as director include Piaf at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, Teenage Kicks at the Millennium Forum Derry, White Star Of The North at Lyric Theatre Belfast / Theatre Clwyd Cymru, How The World Began with Out Of Joint at The Arcola Theatre, God's Country with Tinderbox Theatre Company Belfast, The Prophet Of Monto at The Flea Theatre Off Broadway, Johnny Meister + The Stitch at Mead Theatre Lab Washington D.C, Dying City at Project Arts Centre Dublin and Scenes From The Big Picture at Callan Theatre, Washington D.C. Currently Des is working as the associate director on the international tour of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child. His short film The Girl At The Window for the Splendid Isolation series was produced by Lyric Theatre Belfast/BBC Arts NI in 2020.

Colin is a writer of screenplays and fiction from Belfast. He has written various plays for BBC Radio 4 and is developing a TV series. 

Glenn Patterson is a novelist, journalist and writer for film, television and radio from Northern Ireland who has recently written and presented the factual podcasts The Shankhill Gold Rush and before that The Northern Bank Job for BBC Radio 4. His books include Where Are We Now, Gull, and Backstop Land. 

As a duo, they wrote the film Good Vibrations which was nominated for Outstanding Debut at the 2014 BAFTA Film Awards. They had previously won Best Script at the 2013 Irish Writers Guild Awards, and Best Script at the 2012 Dinard British Film Festival. They were also nominated for Best First Script of 2013 by the Writers Guild of Great Britain. They are currently developing two new musicals.

Theatre includes: The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, Metamorphoses, Henry VI, Richard III (The Globe); Red Riding Hood (Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse); The Wonderful World of Dissocia (TRSE); The Death of Dance (Theatre Royal Bath/ Arcola Theatre); Death of a Salesman (Parco Theatre, Japan); When the Long Trick's Over (High Tide); A Chorus Line, My Beautiful Laundrette, Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual (Curve Theatre); Straight to Video (Civic Theatre); Herding Cats (Soho Theatre); Christmas Concert (Donmar Warehouse); Crocodile Fever (Traverse Theatre); The End of History (Royal Court); One Night in Miami, Shebeen (Nottingham Playhouse); God of Chaos (Theatre Royal, Plymouth); St Joan, Good Vibrations, Here Comes the Night, The Colleen Bawn (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Killer Joe (Trafalgar Studios); Postcards from the Ledge (Landmark Productions/The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin); East is East (Northern Stage); Normal, Blasted (STYX); Shopping & and Fucking (Lyric Hammersmith). Opera includes: Last Days, Susanna (Royal Opera House); and The World’s Wife (Mavron Quartet/Welsh National Opera). Awards include: Linbury Prize for Design 2015 Overall Winner (St Joan).

Ian Vennard has worked at the Lyric Theatre since May 2016 and is currently the senior production technician. His Lyric Theatre credits include: Alice the Musical (2018); Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleetstreet: The Musical (A Lyric Theatre and Northern Ireland Opera co-production – 2019); and Kiss Me, Kate (A Lyric Theatre and Northern Ireland Opera co-production – 2020), Rough Girls (2021), Propaganda: A New Musical (A Lyric Theatre and Belfast Ensemble co-production). Ian also has close ties with the Belfast Ensemble since their conception and credits include: Doppler Effect (2017); Fall of the House of Usher (2018); Young Pornographers (2019); Abomination - a DUP Opera (2019 & 2022 Irish Tour), and Into The Woods (Northern Ireland Opera: 2022 - Production Sound Designer).

Theatre includes Caroline, or Change (West End/Broadway); Private Lives, Committee (Donmar Warehouse); Romeo and Julie (also Sherman Theatre), Top Girls, Barber Shop Chronicles (also World Tour), Beginning (also West End), Cleansed (National Theatre); Best of Enemies, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Windsors: Endgame, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (West End); Patriots, Spring Awakening (nominated for WhatsOnStage Award for Best Lighting Design), Nine Lessons and Carols, The Duchess of Malfi, Three Sisters, Shipwreck, Machinal, They Drink it in the Congo, Boy, Carmen Disruption, Game (Almeida Theatre); Sons of the Prophet (Hampstead Theatre); Antigone (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp, The End of History, Instructions for Correct Assembly, 2071 (Royal Court); Venice Preserved (Royal Shakespeare Company); Anna Karenina, Steel (Sheffield Theatres); Light Falls, The Producers, The Greatest Play in the History of the World (also Traverse/Trafalgar Studios/UK Tour), Death of a Salesman, Happy Days, Parliament Square, Our Town, Twelfth Night, A Streetcar Named Desire, Wit, The Skriker, There Has Possibly Been An Incident (Royal Exchange); Piaf, Wonderland (Nottingham Playhouse); Gin Craze! (Royal and Derngate); Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre, Belfast/New York); Circle Mirror Transformation (Home MCR); Junkyard, Pygmalion (Headlong); Mary Stuart, The Beacon (Staatstheater Stuttgart); 4.48 Psychosis, Reisende auf einem Bein, Happy Days (Schauspielhaus Hamburg); The Forbidden Zone (Salzburg Festival/Schaubühne/Barbican); Phaedra (Enniskillen International Beckett Festival); A Sorrow Beyond Dreams (Vienna Burgtheater); Lungs, Yellow Wallpaper (Schaubühne); Night Train (Schauspiel Köln/Avignon Festival/Theatertreffen). Opera includes The Seven Deadly Sins/Bluebeard’s Castle (Teatro Colón); La bohéme (Gothenburg Opera). Awards include Knight of Illumination Award for Barber Shop Chronicles.

Jennifer Rooney trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. She has worked as a choreographer for over twenty years and is currently the resident movement director on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (London). Choreography credits For TV and film: Derry Girls (series 2 and 3), World on Fire (series 2), Old Friends and Other Days (Northern Ireland Opera). 
Theatre: Into the Woods (West Australian Opera, Perth), Piaf (Gate Dublin), Into the Woods, La Boheme & Kiss Me Kate (Northern Ireland Opera), A Christmas Carol (The MAC),The Elves and the Shoemaker (Cahoots NI, The MAC), Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Turnabout (Maiden Voyage Dance).
Directing credits: The Devil Made Me Do It (NI Opera), Flight (BBC, One Dance Uk), Lark (Northern Ireland Screen).
Associate movement director: Truth (Helen Chadwick Company, UK Tour), Once (The Olympia Theatre, Dublin & Charlotte Theatre, Seoul, South Korea).
Resident movement director: Once (Phoenix Theatre, London).

Katie Richardson is a musician, composer, sound designer and musical director who currently makes her own music under the name Hex Hue. For several years she was a member of Choice nominated ‘Pleasure Beach’ with whom she toured the UK and Ireland. Under several different guises, she has worked and collaborated with musicians such as Foy Vance and Duke Special as well as supporting artists like Van Morrison, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Jesca Hoop, Bell X1, All Saints, and many more. Katie is one of award winning theatre company, Prime Cut’s, Reveal artists which champions and develops emerging theatre makers. She is currently working on a music based commission with them as part of this award. In Summer 2020 Katie curated the Creative Hub for the TedX Stormont online and co-founded Safe in Sound which is a new initiative with the vision to create a safe, strong, connected creative sector founded on equality, diversity and respect. This year she is working on several exciting large scale music commissions, theatre and film projects and her debut album as Hex hue is due for release in the Autumn. Theatre credits include; Rough Girls, Good Vibrations, All Mod Cons, and Beauty and the Beast (Lyric Theatre), The New Electric Ballroom (The Gate Theatre), Father the Father (Prime Cut Productions), Not on Our Watch, Callings, The Shedding of Skin (Kabosh Theatre Company), Brink (Maiden Voyage Dance), The Man Who Fell to Pieces, Huzzies (Tinderbox Theatre Company). Film credits include; Oyster (Farset Films), Let us be seen (Vish Films), The Death of a Projectionist (Out of Orbit), and BIND - a dance film, Eileen McClory and Quotidian.

Cat is from Warrenpoint, Co Down and currently lives in Magheralin, Co. Armagh. She graduated with a drama degree before completing a post-grad intensive performer training course at Queen’s University, Belfast. Theatre credits include The Border Game (Lyric Theatre/Prime Cut); Be My Baby (Lyric Theatre) Cinderella (GBL Productions); The Vagina Monologues (Strut & Bellow); A Fairy Big Adventure, Seashell Stories, Winter Wonderland; Secrets Of The Ravine (Place To Wonder); Bliss, Snoozle & The Lullabugs, TiNY, Babble, The School Underneath (Replay Theatre Company); Where Are We Going?, We Are Not Afraid, How Tom Beat Captain Najork And His Hired Sportsmen (Curious Doings); Huzzies (Tinderbox); War Of The Worlds, A Christmas Present (Wireless Mystery Theatre); Butterfly & Caterpillar (Young At Art); Three Women (C21); Antigone (Prime Cut). Film, TV and radio credits include Brought To Light (BBCNI Radio Drama); Ordinary Love (Out of Orbit); Doting (PJ Hart/NI Screen); The Devil’s Doorway (dir Aislínn Clarke); The Chase (15 Second Film Festival); Brendan Smyth: Betrayal of Trust (Hole In The Wall Gang); One Night (NI Film School). Cat was chosen to create a piece of 'art as a vehicle for change' for the 2022 Imagine Belfast Festival of Politics and Ideas. After What They Might Be premiered at the festival, she was invited to share some this work at TEDx

Connor Burnside is an actor and musician from Belfast who trained at the Institute for Contemporary Music in London. Theatre credits include, Vernon God Little (The Brian Friel theatre, Belfast) The Family Hoffman (The Mac Theatre, Belfast) Good Vibrations (Lyric theatre, Belfast) Miami Showband Story (Opera House, Belfast) and Black Magic Ops R&D (National Theatre Studios, London.) As a musician Connor has toured supporting Sting, Stereophonics, Alanis Morissette, Blondie, Hozier, One Republic, James Bay, Eagles of Death Metal and Sigrid, with artists Alex Francis, Thomas Headon and Joshua Burnside. Most recently Burnside has been working in the studio with Grammy award winning producer Mark Taylor..

Darren Franklin is an actor from Belfast. Darren’s theatre credits, include: The Snow Queen (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Propaganda”(Lyric Theatre, Belfast); The Ferryman (Gielgud Theatre); Abomination: A DUP Opera (Abbey Theatre); Tír na nÓg (Aon Sceal/Mill Theatre, Dundrum); A Christmas Carol; Stitching Time; Herons; Graveyard Shift (The MAC); Teenage Kicks (Millennium Forum); Departure Lounge (Grand Opera House, Belfast); Mass; Pirates of Penzance Concert (The Belfast Ensemble); Kiss Me Kate; The Devil Made Me Do It (N.I. Opera); Macbeth; Mixed Marriage (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); When I Say ‘Tee’, You Say ‘Bo’ (Edinburgh Fringe) Lay Up Your Ends; The Home Place; Shh, We Have a Plan; Stitched Up (N.I. Tour), EGG (U.S.A. Tour). Darren’s film and television credits include Gone (Future Screens); Septet for Four (The Belfast Ensemble); Lord Mountbatten (RTE/History Channel), Dry Your Eyes; Betrayal of Trust; Give My Head Peace (BBC). Darren has an ALCM distinction from the London College of Music. He plays the piano, guitar, drums, Eb (tenor) Horn, Saxophone (Alto), recorder and ukulele.

For over 40 years, Belfast actor Marty Maguire has split his career between Ireland, the UK, and the U.S. His most recent theatre credits include History of the Troubles (Opera House/NI Tour), The Shop at The Top of The Town, It’ll Never Happen Here, The Belfast Blitz Story (W5), Goldilocks & The 3 Bears (Opera House Panto), Angela’s Ashes The Musical (Irish Repertory Theatre), Kidding, The Weir, Mixed Marriage (Lyric Theatre) Bouncers (The Mac) and Dancing Shoes - The George Best Story (Opera House/UK Tour). He received the Los Angeles Critics Best Actor for his performance in Marie Jones’ one man show, A Night In November (London, L.A., New York, Ireland, Boston). He also appeared as Bull McCabe in the New York Irish Rep's production of The Field and as Knacker Woods in the world premiere of Rockdoves in the Irish Arts Centre NYC. Recent film and TV credits include upcoming Netflix feature Faith of our Fathers, Boys from County Hell (Six Mile Hill/Blinder Films), Hope Street, Give My Head Peace, The Fall, Paula (BBC), Vikings (Amazon), BBC sitcom Number 2's (Channel 4), the film Winged Creatures with Dakota Fanning and Forest Whitaker, No Saints for Sinners and The Wild Card. He is an established voice over artist in commercials and radio drama (BBC, RTÉ, The California Radio Artists), recently voicing various roles in BBC Radio Ulster’s Assume Nothing series, and is the voice of The Rifleman and various other characters in The World of Warcraft.

Odhrán trained at the Guildford School of Acting from 2015-2018, and has acquired credits across stage and screen including Eternal Love (Lyric Theatre, 2015), Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre, 2018), Private Peaceful (Pintsized Productions, 2019), Tragik Plastik (Tinderbox Productions, 2021), John Hume: Beyond Belief (Derry Playhouse 2023) and for screen The Butchering (Amazon, 2015), Frank of Ireland (Channel 4, 2020), The Good Christian Women’s Writing Group (RTE, 2018), and I Saw Myself Dead (2022).

Chris Mohan is an actor and musician from Belfast. In 2016 he graduated with BA (Hons) acting from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Theatre credits include Good Vibrations (original Lyric Production), Aladdin (GBL, Waterfront Theatre) Bollixed (Accidental Theatre), Darling, It's Not About You (Tristan Bates Theatre, London), The Miami Showband Story (GBL, Irish Tour), Peter Pan (Courtyard Theatre), Macbeth (C21, Irish and Scottish tours), Tom (Theatre At The Mill), Blackout (Liverpool Everyman), Chelsea's Story (Alter Ego CS, 2 Tours) Little Red Riding Hood (C21, Tour) Herons (Mac Theatre) Operation Blitzed (Big Telly Theatre Company.) Film credits include KNEECAP, The Last Girl and MEYOUUSTHEM. Television credits include Hope Street (BBC), MotherFatherSon (BBC), The Athena (Sky One), PSNI Recruitment commercial, Toxic Masculinity (BBC web Series), Moy Park Chicken commercial (Beattie McGuinness Bungay). Voiceover include regular U105 advertisements and Poems of Passchendaele (BBC) Chris is also a professional wrestler and since commencing training in 2021 has wrestled across Ireland for Titanic Wrestling (NI), Fight Factory Pro Wrestling (Dublin), Pheonix Wrestling (Cork) and NXG Wrestling (NI.)

Christina Nelson is a highly acclaimed actress, director and writer from Belfast, NI. She trained at Rupert Stanley College and has over 35 years experience in the industry. Christina is looking forward to punk’ing it up for Good Vibrations. Christina's recent Lyric Theatre credits include Snow Queen, Pinocchio, Lady Killers, and Sinners. Her recent acting credits include, Cassandra of Ulster (Dublin), McCooeys (Grand Opera House), Betty and Bernies School Reunion (SSE Arena), and Ring of Steel (Kabosh). Her last directing role was the sell out Bernies Big Day Out (SSE Arena), she is also writing and directing a new children’s show, Teddy, Dolly and Me for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, for a summer tour. Christina is working with GBL and Greenshoot productions on a new community engagement project, culminating in a large-scale professional production written by Gary Mitchell and directed by Christina in 2023/2024. Over the last year she has directed and appeared in a series of comedy plays touring throughout Northern Ireland, the latest being her hit one woman show I’ll Tell My Ma, a prequel to the Aisling Award winning Is That Too Hot (Mac Theatre), also staring Christina and written by Patricia Gormley. During 2021/22 Nelson played Bette Midler and Dolly Parton in the successful tours of The Broads and I Got You Dolly, Love Cher (Eastside Arts) written by Maria Connelly. TV/Film Credits: Back in 5 (Armchair and Rocket), History Makers (director Stephen Pierce, BBC), Make the Difference (Director Michael O Neil), and My Mother and Other Strangers (Director Adrian Shergold, BBC).

Jolene is an actor/singer born and bred in Belfast. Theatre credits include: Wiper at Work, Dear Ireland (The Abbey Theatre, Dublin), Polly in Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre, Belfast 2018), Florinda in Into The Woods (NI Opera/Lyric Theatre), Kiss Me Kate (NI Opera/Lyric Theatre), Sweeney Todd (NI Opera/Lyric Theatre), Mirrorball (Replay Theatre Co/Lyric Theatre), Pumpgirl in Pumpgirl (Decadent Theatre Company) and Logainne in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Bruiser Theatre Company). Jolene’s TV credits include: Eat the Rich (RTÉ Storyland), My Mother and Other Strangers (BBC), Marú (RTÉ), Scúp (RTÉ) and Cracking Crime (RTÉ). Jolene is a main vocalist every year for Lush! Classical at The SSE Arena, Belfast with The Ulster Orchestra. She is one half of singing duo ‘O’Hara’ with her sister Philippa. They have performed all over Ireland and the UK. Jolene provided vocals on Van Morrison's Moving On Skiffle album and is part of the live band lineup for his Moving on Skiffle live tour. Jolene can also be heard on the BBC programmes ‘Classical Connections’ with John Toal accompanied by Ruth McGinley on piano and on ‘Belfast Mixtape - Songs from Lockdown’ concert.

Gavin is a multidisciplinary creative from Belfast; working as an actor, AV VR designer, and filmmaker for the past ten years. Gavin has had the opportunity to work across the main performance venues in Northern Ireland, The Republic of Ireland, as well as in Canada and Sweden. Recently Gavin finished a one month artist residency in Northern Sweden, Creative Lab, where he was one of twenty international artists selected to make virtual reality films that would tour across Sweden in a portable gallery. Gavin has just returned from SXSW in Austin, Texas, where he demoed and showcased a piece he developed as the creative director, with Big Telly Theatre Company, adapting the previous site specific theatre experience into an immersive interactive VR experience. Recent acting credits include: The Northman (Focus Features), St Mungos (BBC), Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre), Miami Showband (Irish Tour), The Sparticle Mystery (BBC), Tender Napalm (Lyric Theatre), Demented (Lyric Theatre), Departure Lounge (GOH), Smiley (Lyric Theatre), and Re-energise (Lyric Theatre). Recent AV Design credits include: Mirrorball (Replay), Duck Duck Goose (Fishamble), The House (Big Telly), The Musician (The Belfast Ensemble), Ten Plagues (The Belfast Ensemble), Septep (The Belfast Ensemble), Fall of the House of Usher (The Belfast Ensemble), C*** of Queen Catherine (The Belfast Ensemble), and Something in the Air (Brassneck). Recent filmmaking credits include: The House VR, Two Fingers Up, Heave, Beautiful, Take Him Out, Mr Penny, Handyman's Tool, and One of Life's Little Lessons.

Dylan Reid was born & currently lives in Derry, Northern Ireland. He graduated with a level 3 performing arts from NWRC. Theatre credits include; Cinderella (Millenium Forum), Walled City Passion (Blue Eagle), The White Handkerchief (The Playhouse), Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre), Once the Musical (Landmark Productions, Once the Musical - South Korea (Mark Rubinstein LTD). Film & TV credits include; A Bump Along the Way (Element Pictures & Gallagher Productions,) Walled City Passion (RTE & BBC), Let It Shine (BBC), and The White Handkerchief (BBC).

Glen was most recently seen on stage in the world premiere of Under the Black Rock at The Arcola Theatre, London where he originated the role of Brendan Swords. His most recent screen work was in Season 3 of the ITV/Netflix award winning drama MARCELLA. Other notable TV credits include: BAFTA award winner Jamie Johnson (BBC/Short Form), BAFTA nominated The Secret (ITV/Hat Trick), as well as playing regular characters in Coronation Street (ITV), EastEnders (BBC), River City (BBC) and Malachy Fisher in Hollyoaks (Channel 4), where he was nominated for 'Best Actor', 'Best Dramatic Performance' and 'Best Exit' at The British Soap Awards, TV Quick & Choice Awards, Inside Soap Awards and with The Royal Television Society. Lyric Theatre, Belfast credits include; Dockers, Arms and the Man and The Snow Queen. Other Theatre credits include; Antigone directed by Amir Nizar Zuabi, part of the 'International Directors Lab', and Paddy Campbell's The Blessed directed by Maria Crocker (both National Theatre, London), Stones in his Pockets (New Vic Theatre and International Tour), Whistle Down the Wind (UK Tour), and Murder in Bridgport (World Premiere, Old Red Lion, London).

Jayne Wisner trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. Theatre credits include: Cinderella (The MAC Belfast); Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland (GBL Productions); Kiss Me Kate (Lyric Theatre Belfast); The Threepenny Opera (Northern Ireland Opera); Cinderella (The Orchard Theatre); Cinderella (Grand Opera House); The Bloody Irish! (Helix Theatre/Broadcast on PBS); Aladdin (Grand Opera House); Lizzie Siddal (Arcola Theatre); Notes To Future Self (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); The Secret Garden (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Parade (Donmar Warehouse). Television credits include: Brave New World (Amblin/Dreamworks for NBC Universal); Francis of Assisi: A Life Of Adventure (Dreamlight International Productions); Hayden’s Dream (Paul McKenzie/Foz Allan); Doctors (BBC); London Irish (Channel 4); The Life And Adventures Of Nick Nickleby (BBC); 6 Degrees (BBC NI); Misfits (E4 for Channel 4); Injustice (Travers Productions Ltd); Runaway (Company Television Productions Ltd); Casualty (BBC); Vexed (Greenlit Rights Lts); The Inbetweeners (Bwark Productions); Minder (Talkback Thames/Five). Film credits include: Her Penpal (UFO Films); Unsinkable (PMI Films); The Heiress (Flare Film); Son of Perdition (Matthew Harrison Films); Life Just Is (Ruby Films); Jane Eyre (Focus Features); A Kiss For Jed (Louisiana Film Productions); Boogeyman 3(BM3 Productions); and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (Dreamworks/Warner).