ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Colm! I'm a Belfast-based theatre director & writer with a passion for helping new writers bring their stories to life on stage & screen.

I have been a freelance theatremaker since 2018 and in that time I’ve been fortunate to work with a wide range of artists and companies across NI. I have had the opportunity to write/direct a number of exciting pieces for stage and more recently for short film. In addition to my work as a director and writer, I also have several years of experience as a script consultant; I've had the rewarding experience of working with many new writers to help them fine-tune their scripts for production.

I'm always excited to collaborate with exciting, creative minds and bring unique ideas to the stage and screen.


I am a Belfast based director/writer/theatremaker. I graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a First Class Honours degree in Drama and English. Then I did a Masters in Broadcast Literacy, specialising in the digitalisation of live theatre.

MY STORY


In 2017 I was awarded the James Ellis Bursary in theatre directing, allowing me the opportunity to work and train with Prime Cut Productions, going on to become one of their Reveal Artists in 2018, through which I wrote and directed my first one act piece ‘Who’s Looking At You?

James Ellis Bursary


I went on to direct and contribute writing for Three’s Theatre Company as well as working with Little Willow Productions, Blunt Fringe Productions, Lyric Theatre Belfast, The MAC Belfast, Theatre at The Mill and many more.

WHERE I’VE WORKED

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‘SEE YOU’

In August 2020 my short play ‘See You’ was selected from over 200 submissions to be one of the lockdown plays developed, rehearsed and streamed by No Touching Theatre.

WORKING AT THE LYRIC

In 2022 I directed various short plays written by amazing young playwrights as part of the ‘Fighting Words’ showcase at The Lyric. I directed Michael Cameron’s ‘Carson And The Lady’ on the Lyric’s main stage, before teaming up with Cameron again to direct his Christmas show for Theatre at The Mill ‘The Shop At The Top of The Town’ as well as The Mill’s Christmas show in 2023 ‘O Holly Knight!.’

short film AND NI SCREEN

The first short film that I directed and co-wrote with actor Thomas Finnegan, ‘Almost Better’ about the plight of a young man with panic disorder, is currently doing the festival circuit.
On the strength of this short, in late 2023 I received Director funding from NI Screen to direct a second short film ‘Long Shadows’ by Michael Cameron which was shot in Whiteabbey and Doagh in April 2024 and will have its festival run this year.


I was then engaged as a director for Louise Parker’s new theatre piece ‘Scim’ as part of Tinderbox’s Incubate festival. We presented a 30 minute extract to overwhelmingly positive feedback and extensive interest from producers/venues. We hope to get the complete version onstage very soon.

I also received Arts Council SIAP funding across 23-24 to co-write a new play. This play was submitted to Cathedral Quarter Arts Bursary Award callout and successfully won a theatre bursary, earning the project some production money and a spot in the Cathedral Arts Quarter Festival 2025.

During the summer of 2024 I was engaged in a development process with Donegal based lecturer/writer/director Karen Quinn for her new play ‘The Things I Wish I Knew Before’ that will hopefully reach full production in 2025 - as well as us having other collaborative projects in mind for film and TV. Just keep your fingers crossed!

‘SCIM’ / Work in Development


For the latter half of 2024 I was an Associate Artist with Kabosh Productions; firstly as Associate Producer helping to oversee their U.K. and Irish tour of ‘Callings’, then I was engaged as Associate Project Director/Stage Manager on their latest piece ‘Suspect Device’ as part of the Outburst Festival. It was a fantastic experience to work with such an outstanding theatre company, whose core team are incredible people who work tirelessly to bring the highest quality work to audiences to NI and beyond.

In 2025 as well as directing several projects I developed over the last year or two, I have plans to complete another play, finish a pilot script and begin some exciting new collaborations with several artists who have reached out to me with their ideas/draft scripts -hopefully resulting in more plays, shorts, TV pilots etc to work on, and I can’t wait to see what else the year holds in store for me as an artist!

Kabosh / 2025

Bruiser Graduate Academy (The MAC, Belfast)
Long Shadows (Short film, NI Screen funded)
Scim (Tinderbox Incubate Festival, The MAC, Belfast)
O Holly Knight! (Theatre at The Mill, Newtownabbey)
Almost Better (Short film, funded by Arts Council of Northern Ireland) The Shop At The Top Of The Town (Theatre at The Mill, Newtownabbey)
Rehearsed Readings Three’s Theatre Company (The MAC, Belfast)
Carson And The Lady by Michael Cameron August 2022 (Lyric Theatre, Belfast)
Fighting Words Young Playwrights Spring 2022 (Lyric Theatre, Belfast)
A Simple Journey (Eastside Arts Festival)
Through The Window (The MAC, Belfast)
A Complete History of Parties in NI 1921-2021
by Emily Dedakis and A History in Numbers by Emma Campbell for NINOW100 (The MAC, Belfast)
Ruby! (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast and NI tour)
Now For The North (The Lyric Theatre and The MAC, Belfast)
Who’s Looking At You? (The MAC, Belfast)
Date Show: After Dark (Bullitt Hotel, Belfast)
The Vagina Monologues (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast)
Date Show (The MAC Belfast)
Home-Work/Long Gone (The Black Box, Belfast)
Take it Easy, Catching Up and Little Pieces Of After (Accidental Theatre Company, Belfast)

Directing credits include:

Writing credits include:

‘Almost Better’ (Co-written short funded by ACNI)
‘Anika’s Underwater Adventure’ (Education Authority NI)
‘Through The Window’ (The MAC, Belfast)
‘See You’ (No Touching Theatre, Belfast)
‘Dinosaur’ for These Streets (The MAC, Belfast)
‘A Brief Interruption’, ’50 years’ and ‘Hers’ for Now For The North (Lyric Theatre, Belfast)
Who’s Looking At You? (The MAC, Belfast)
Connection for 3 Stories (The MAC, Belfast)
Wrong Distance and Room 118 for Date Show: After Dark (The MAC, Belfast)
Love in 2Taps and Last Date for Date Show (The MAC, Belfast)

TESTIMONIALS

  • 'Colm is a joy to work with. He is an extremely generous and kind Director who’s wonderfully positive presence puts everyone at ease. He is supportive and skilled in the rehearsal room thus creating an environment that is fun as well as being a caring and safe place to create and explore. He is excellent at adapting his style of directing and is generous with his time, knowing when to give guidance and when to encourage an actor to develop their own interpretation of a character. Working with Colm, I really enjoyed the collaboration aspect that he brings to a production. He is able to be flexible and creatively inclusive of the cast and creative team thus enabling an atmosphere of energy, passion and confidence, allowing everyone to work together and bring their best to the Production.'

    Sarah Jane Johnston (Movement Director/Choreographer)

  • 'It took me a second to count how many ways I’ve worked with Colm over our theatre years: first as a performer in Accidental Theatre’s 24-hour theatre project Fast & Loose, as guest director with the Young Playwrights project at Fighting Words NI, as the director for an audio play I created during lockdown with the MAC… No matter how alternative or challenging the project, Colm is totally invested and valuable. He’s a wonderful communicator, a sensitive, intelligent creator out to make memorable theatre every time. It helps that he’s a bloody delight also.'

    Emily DeDakis (writer, dramaturg & producer)

  • 'I have worked with Colm over the last 18 months on two short film projects, one which is currently in post production and one in development.  Colm is hard working, focused and determined to learn about film making bringing a collaborative, respectful and involved approach to each project from script development to post production.  He brings his considerable transferable knowledge and skills from his years of working in theatre to the process, understanding the importance of the director’s role in the creative process to create the best piece possible.'

    Anna Callan (Producer)

  • “I have worked with Colm as a director, writer, writing coach and a storyteller. We have worked together since the beginning of Three’s Theatre Company, and over the years have developed a language between us which has made collaborating easy. I have always thought Colm can easily work with others and handle giving feedback with grace and kindness. We often work under tight time pressures and Colm always goes above and beyond making sure not to forget the tiny details. As a writer Colm has written for Three’s in different capacities, from small stories in a larger piece, to experimental pieces and even taking peoples stories and bringing them together in a joint narrative. These stories have been the perfect mix of emotion and humour and I don’t know how he does it.”

    Anna Leckey, Artistic Director of Three’s Theatre Company

  • “I have had the pleasure of working with Colm on a wide variety of projects in different technical capacities; perhaps most consistently in my role as sound designer. As a director, Colm has always been extremely clear and concise with his requirements for a production, while also providing me with the space to experiment and reflect. His notes are detailed and thought-provoking, ensuring a continuity of vision throughout the technical components of a show. He has always been invested in utilising technology in new ways theatrically, pushing the boundaries and creating an environment of play and discovery.”

    Conal Clapper, sound designer.

  • “Colm G Doran is a rare talent. I have had the pleasure to work with him as a director and writer; not only would I trust him implicitly with my own personal writing, but I can also attest to the quality of his own creative work. He has a unique writing voice and an innate ability to create a deep connection between the audience and the story he is telling. He also has impeccable interpersonal skills that makes him a delight to work with. I will always want Colm on my team as I know that any production he is working on, be it as a director or a writer, would be presented in a quality fit for the West End stage. He’s a shining star that directs with all his heart and writes with honesty, maturity and empathy; a real diamond of the creative world.”

    Karen Quinn (Writer and lecturer in Creative Writing)

  • 'One of Colm’s many talents is his ability to make actors feel immediately at ease throughout the entire rehearsal period. I have witnessed this myself as actors begin to realise the freedom he gives them, suddenly they are relaxed, involved and feel nothing is impossible. As a writer, I’ve gained so much from Colm’s interpretation of my drafts and equally in the rehearsal room he is very generous at taking any suggestions I might offer.'

    Michael Cameron, (Writer, frequent collaborator)