Alice Coghlan

Director and Writer in Rush, Co Dublin, Ireland

Hello to you, I'm a script and screenplay Mentor. I'm also Artistic Director of Wonderland Productions and an emerging radio maker.

From Tuesday April 21st I will be a hosting my new Writers Room The Quest online 19-2100 GMT online. Emerging and established writers are encouraged to develop one main play or screenplay idea to develop over this three-month course. By the climax of the course, you will have a strong body of development material - including a synopsis, treatment, beat sheet and selected scene samples and will be ready to write that play! I will also teaching writers to develop their performance and interview skills, at From Page to Podium at the Irish Writers Centre over 4 Saturdays from May 23rd.

I trained as a Literary Reader for The Abbey Theatre, Ireland's National Theatrefor 12 years. My role at the Abbey, was to read and report in depth on up to 6 new plays a month, attend Literary Department script meetings and to report on the Irish theatre scene. My detailed reporting took each new play I read, through a process of analysis, diagnosis and prognosis, under headings such as structure, character, theatricality and style.

Now using my work with the Abbey Theatre as my model, I can read and annotate your new play, write a report based on the Abbey's own templates, and then meet with you online or in Rush to plan it's onward journey in depth.

If you're thinking of hiring me as your Dramaturg or Mentor, it may interest you to know that I hold a First Class Honours in Drama & English from Trinity College Dublin, with a scholarship year at The University of California at Berkeley and a MA in Theatre Directing. I have since directed over 70 shows and I am a qualified Drama teacher. I am currently studying film, TV and radio making part time at IADT.

I know all about the challenges of original writing as I have written and professionally produced 4 of my own plays, 3 translations and 3 adaptations, many of which I include in the video highlights.

I accomplished this by founding and running my own theatre company Wonderland Productions in 2003, through which I have written, directed, produced and designed my own work.

Aside from writing, I am a Staff/Assistant Director for opera. I have worked for The Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera and Opera Ireland specialising in the Italian repetoire to date.

I speak Czech, Italian and English at home and also have translated from French. As I have a Czech husband we spend lots of time in South Bohemia. I love cooking, hiking and travel.

For google!New Play help, Play development service, writing for theatre, New Play workshop, New Play Dramaturgy, Staged reading, translation

  • Work
    • Wonderland Productions Ltd
  • Education
    • Trinity College Dublin
    • University of California at Berkeley
    • GITIS Moscow
    • Middlesex University
    • National Film School at IADT
Recommendations
Every week at the Wonderland Theatre Book Club you tunnel into a new play, pausing here and there to marvel at what the playwright has achieved perhaps purely through a character’s entrance (or exit) or the use of the offstage world or dramatic irony... conflict, tension, theatricality ... and more.These may well be concepts you are already aware of but you are in Wonderland now so just watch them come alive and shine like diamonds in Alice’s torchlight.Is it easy? No. It is a challenge I need.
Shane Anderson Writer in Wales
I have had the most rewarding playwrighting journey with Alice. Alice, with pin point accuracy, is able to identify and coach a writer through their challenges. I revisit her reports again and again, picking up gems on each occasion. Thanks to her I have one play finished – which won an International Audio Award, and am happily at work on the 3rd draft of my 2nd. I cannot stress enough how helpful and charming Alice is.I am working, and will work with Alice as my Script Mentor again and again.
Eamonn Dolan, Writer in Waterford
The Wonderland Theatre Book Club has regularly been a highlight of my week. We read a wide range of plays, and I've loved the close analysis of the texts we do as a group. Alice's practical reading of texts has been invaluable to my craft, deepening my understanding of playwriting and theatre making.The exercises which Alice sets really challenge my writing skills and have spurred on whole new projects for me. Our group is both supportive and creatively exciting; I couldn't recommend it enough!
Laura Morgan Writer in Belfast