Ann Russell, MA, ALCM, LLCM (TD)

Ann Russell combines a career as an actor and theatre director with her work as a teacher and adjudicator. She trained with the late Deirdre O’Connell at the Focus Stanislavski Studio, has an MA in Modern Drama from UCD and a Licentiate Diploma (Teaching) from the London College of Music and Drama.

A former teacher and senior examiner with the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Ann formed her own school in 2004. Since then she has developed a highly successful programme for Public Speaking and Presentation Skills and has an outstanding record in training teachers of Speech and Drama.

Ann is a member of ReActors Actors’ Agency (www.reactors.ie). In November 2011 she performed in Romeo and Juliet for Devise + Conquer, playing the wonderful part of The Nurse. She also recently played in Elysium Nevada, currently enjoying a revival at the new Viking Theatre in Clontarf. She devised, directed and performed in A Titter of Wit which played at the Irish Writers’ Centre throughout the summer of 2011. Other recent theatre includes Richard 11, Portia Coughan and The Get Together. She toured the UK and Ireland in Marie Jones’ hit play Women on the Verge of HRT and toured Ireland with John B. Keane’s Moll and the hugely successful The Chastitute with the late Mick Lally. As a member of the Focus Theatre she appeared in many productions including The Secret Rapture (David Hare), The Balcony, (Jean Genet) and the great American classics, All My Sons, (Arthur Miller) Precious Sons, (George Furth) and Awake and Sing (Clifford Odets). Other theatre includes Reading Turgenev for Meridian Theatre, Cork, Dancing at Lughnasa (Punchbag in Galway) and Vampirella and the Company of Wolves at the Project Arts’ Centre.

Directing includes the highly successful, The Bother with the Brother which was based on the work of Flann O’Brien and performed at Bewleys Café Theatre in October 2011, A Titter of Wit at the Irish Writers’ Centre, Macbeth for the Rathmines Festival 2009, The Stump and The Shape at Focus Theatre, Greatest Hits, Dublin Fringe at Bewleys, Are you Listenin’ to me Gaybo? by Mary Halpin which toured throughout Ireland.

Ann has appeared in RTE’s Fair City and Roddy Doyle’s Family and Ballykissangel for BBC. Film work includes Frankie Starlight and Snakes and Ladders.