Paul O’Mahony is artistic director of Out of Chaos theatre company with whom he created UNMYTHABLE, which won the Three Weeks Editors’ Award in Edinburgh 2012. UNMYTHABLE toured to more than 80 theatres across the UK, Europe, and New Zealand. Paul's residency with the APGRD (23-28 Oct. 2017) will research and develop Out of Chaos’ next show, Crossing the Sea, which will be based on the Aeneid.
Crossing the Sea will eventually include stories relating to the refugee crisis in Europe today, sharing the stories of those who have made similar journeys (and sacrifices) to Aeneas. However, this initial phase will concentrate solely on Virgil’s epic. The show will also be supported by The Playground Theatre in London and the Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies.
A lecture-performance on the initial development of Crossing the Sea will be delivered on Friday 27 October at 5pm in the Ioannou Centre Lecture Theatre, 66 St Giles, Oxford.
In 2011, Paul adapted three Greek tragedies to create The House of Atreus, which was produced at the Barbican in London. With Rob Castell, he recently completed his first full-length musical, Olympia based (once again!) on Greek mythology. In 2015, he directed Much Ado About Nothing in his role as Eminent Artist-in-residence at the University of Wyoming. Paul studied Classics at Oxford University where he twice won the Cawkwell Prize for Classics and was awarded an ancient history scholarship. He is Director of Outreach at Kallos Gallery in London.
Paul’s work as an actor has included stints with companies such as The Orange Tree Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, and English Touring Opera, among many others. He has toured extensively in the United States with leading roles in Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is an Associate Director of Actors From The London Stage and was associate producer at Jermyn Street Theatre where his credits included All That Fall (starring Michael Gambon and Eileen Atkins), St John’s Night and Mother Adam.
