OUR TEAM
PETER HUSSEY
Artistic Director and Founder
Peter is a theatre-maker, lecturer and trainer of actors and directors. He works for Crooked House and in universities in Ireland, UK, the EU and Turkey in acting, directing, theatre-making and performance reserarch. He has published on the impact of theatre-making on neurological and social development in young people. Email Peter
OĞUZHAN ŞAHİN
Assistant Director
Oğuzhan is an actor who trained in Suleyman Demirel University in Turkey, and a director (Maynooth University). He runs our school and community youth programmes, directs shows with teenagers, and is a theatre-maker with our older company. He is the Supervisor for international volunteers.
CANSU GENÇ
Administrator and Creative Assistant
Cansu trained in Law in Turkey. She took part in youth theatre in Ankara and student drama in university. She came to us on an ESC project. Cansu looks after the administration of the company and logistical support for volunteers.
CIAN Ó Náraigh
Drama Facilitator
Cian joined Kildare Youth Theatre when he was 16. After his BA degree he gained a place on a playwriting programme facilitated by Dylan Coburn Grey. He then trained as a Drama Facilitator with Youth Theatre Ireland. He co-facilitaed the weekly Caliban workshop, and creative writing projects. Email Cian
CHARLIE HUGHES-FARRELL
Digital Media Manager
Charlie joined Kildare Youth Theatre when he was 12 acting in several plays that travelled Europe and one that was staged in the National Theatre in London.
He trained in Film, Digital Media and French in NUI Galway. He manages our website and assists with our European projects.
ÖZER GÖKMEN
Creative Assistant
Özer is an actor who trained in Anadolu University in Eskişehir, Turkey, Prior to that he gained a degree in International Relations Bilkent University, Turkey.
He came to Crooked House as an ESC volunteer in 2022.
Now he runs our INTER/ACT online international project.
Sinéad MOONEY
Creative Assistant
Sinéad was a member of KYT for many years before graduating with a degree in Communications from Dublin City University. She took part in Youth Theatre Ireland's playwrighting project 'Articulate' and in their Young Critics project. Sinéad directs with Crooked House, leading on the DeisÓige (Communicating Europe) project.
NAROD SHAHINIAN
Mentor (for Volunteers)
Narod is a Greek-Armenian graduate of the Dilos Drama School in Athens. She was an ESC volunteer with us in 2022.
She is currently an artistic residency coordinator for a project in the Balkans.
Narod will be supporting volunteers with one-to-one online mentoring. Email Narod
ANNA GALLIGAN
Theatre-maker and Trainer
Anna worked for years with Youth Theatre Ireland training drama facilitators. She now facilitates and directs Kilkenny Youth Theatre and teaches performing Arts at Carlow Institute of Further Educational and Training. Anna trains our ESC volunteers in Drama Facilitation, and directs work with our Kildare Youth Theatre
ANN-MARIE MCLNTYRE
Language Teacher / Reflective Practice
Annmarie has a BA in French, Spanish and English from UCD. She was awarded a scholarship by UCD to do a Masters Degree in French. She has also taught at second level from 1995-2018 and has taught English as a Second Language since the late ‘80s.
Annmarie teaches English, and Reflective Practice sessions, with our volunteers.
JUAN ESCALONA CORRAL
Project Manager (DDW)
Juan trained in acting in Spain, and then joined On&Off, a theatre company in Logrono. He came to us as an ESC volunteer in 2019 - 2020, before returning to Spain to set up his own company FOCO Europa in A Guarda. Juan manages our Erasmus+ project called Digital Drama Workshops (www.digitaldramaworkshops.eu)
DARIA KOZLOVA
Mentor (for volunteers)
Daria first got a degree in Economics and later studied as a pupetteer at the Russian State University of Performing Arts in St Petersburg. She has also worked as a tutor for young people (12-18 years), as a team leader in camps for teens. She volunteered on our ESC project in 2022. Daria is a mentor for some of our ESC volunteers.
JERRY LWU
Acting Coach (Dréimire)
Jerry is an actor who trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. he was in Kildare Yout Theatre for many years. Jerry has appeared in Sex Education and Sister Boniface Mysteries. He helps younger, aspiring perforers to audition with one-to-one monologue work on our Dréimire programme.
TAHA ENES KARCIOĞLU
Website Design and Maintenance
Enes (pronounced Ennis) is a 23 year old student from Istanbul, Turkey. He studied radio, television, and cinema and he works on short movies and commercials. Currently he is studying visual communication design at Yeditepe University. Enes works from Istanbual to help design and update our websites.
OUR VOLUNTEERS
Contact volunteers on
volunteers@crookedhouse.ie or crookedhousetheatrecompany@gmail.com
POLINA KOZLOVA
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Polina was born in a small Russian town, where she fell in love with acting and music. She studied Politics in St Petersburg and became a member of her university student theatre. She was a performer and the director of the theatre and the head of that studio. There she worked with young people aged 18-22, who were interested in theatre.
CARMEN ORTIZ VICTORINO
Erasmus+ Student Trainee
Carmen is from Seville, Spain. She joined a youth theatre and later studied acting at the E.S.A.D. Seville. She directed and wrote plays, and studied screen acting at the Laboratorio de Interpretación de Sebastián Haro. Simultaneously, Carmen made several short films and a medium-length film for the E.U.S.A.
ESPERANZA BERROCAL
WELSH
Erasmus+ Student Trainee
Esperanza is from Seville, Spain.
She graduated from the School of Dramatic Art in Sevilla (E.S.A.D) and has done acting workshops both in Sevilla and in Madrid. She has taught in many fields (drama, English, tennis coach). She has also done a few dancing workshops since it's one of her hobbies.
STAVRIANI GKIZORI
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Stavriani, from Greece, trained Peiraikos Syndesmos Drama School, Athens, graduating in 2020. She believes that art is about social change and her dream is to be involved with people of different cultures and backgrounds to hers, so that she can extend her expertise, build a reservoir of skills and improve herself on an international level.
MOHAMMAD FARAJALLA
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Mohammed is a filmmaker from Jordan. He worked for NGOs, and used his film portfolio to get two scholarships in filmmaking. He always tries to shed the light on social conflicts through the art of filmmaking. He worked as a trainer on filmmaking and he also has social media platforms where he makes tutorials on video and audio production.
SANCAR ÇALIŞKAN
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Sancar is from Istanbul, he is 27 years old. He has studied film, and has since worked in the camera department for commercial films. He aslo takes part in documentary projects. He wants to share his cinematography skills (and improve them) with Irish young people and other volunteers.
SHAMS ASGARZADE
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Şəms (pronounced ‘Shams’) is a graphic designer, illustrator and animator from Azerbaijan. She studied visual arts at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts. She has worked as a designer in different, local and international companies since 2017. She likes to combine our reality with her illustrations and make colourful visuals.
ABDELMONEM NASSEF
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Abdelmonem studied Law before becoming a theatre director in Cairo. He has worked in tour guiding, and in entertainment and Escape Room companies, and has directed large scale shows in Egypt and in Saudi Arabia.
He is also an actor and a playwright.
PAVEL MIKHAILOV
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Pavel (pronounced Paul and written in Cyrillic as Павел Михайлов) has graduated with a Masters in Linguistics in Moscow. He took part in theatre and directing workshops since childhood and in university (supported by the Voznesensky Center in Moscow. Pavel was a stage assistant in projects in Austria and a volunteer in South Korea.
OLA AL MAMLOUK
European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Ola is a filmmaker from Syria. She ahs worked with many projects involving all ages, especially with children and youth, as project manager and facilitator. She has several short course trainings in acting, script writing, film editing, interactive theatre workshops, and Theatre of the Oppressed. She makes participatory films about social justice and equality issues.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS (trustees)
Contact trustees on info@crookedhouse.ie
KIERAN BEHAN
Chairperson (appointed in 2019)
Kieran has been teaching art since the 1980’s. He studied in NCAD and the Glasgow School of Art, specialising in ceramic sculpting, photography, digital art and large murals. He has had solo and group exhibitions, and commissions, in Ireland and Europe. He has since been working in the Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge since 2000.
MARY LINEHAN
Safeguarding Advisor (appointed in 2017)
Mary was the Arts Officer for Kildare County Council until 2001, when she became Home School & Community Liaison Officer for Scoil Mhuire here in Newbridge. Mary trained as an actor with Deirdre O’ Connell in the Focus Studio in Dublin. She has written plays for young audiences and directed for Kildare Youth Theatre.
MARY DOYLE
Appointed in 2017
Mary retired from the financial sector and now works in the area of services for people with additional needs. She has performed locally in amateur drama, and in early Crooked House shows in the 1990s, as well as helped organise local arts festivals. She is a proud supporter of our young people and our work, promoting the organisation locally.
EVONNE BOLAND
Secretary (appointed in 2019)
Evonne retired from the International Private Banking and Hedge Funds sector to raise her family in Newbridge. Evonne is chairperson of Newbridge Tidy Towns Association and Newbridge Community Development. She co-founded the Cottage Market in Newbridge and is a member of the Kidlare. Environmental Network.
JERRY LWU
Appointed in 2022
Jerry is originally from Nigeria and grew up in Newbridge. He is an actor who trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. he was in Kildare Youth Theatre for many years. Jerry has appeared in TV and film since graduating, including Netflix's Sex Education and the BBC's Sister Boniface Mysteries.