Presenters' Resumes
John Sheehan
Mr. Sheehan has directed plays, musicals and operas throughout the U.S., as well as television and special events, including the American premiere of Joe Orton’s Funeral Games on Theatre Row in New York and the Viva, Victoria! Opening Night Gala in Dayton, Ohio, which was broadcast live on PBS. He was Artistic Director of Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland. He created five new productions and brought the company to Washington, D.C. where they played at Ford’s Theatre as part of the Irish Arts Festival 2000. At the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, he served as Executive Producer and launched significant initiatives in education, outreach and touring. His acclaimed production of Gary Mitchell’s As The Beast Sleeps transferred to London, where it was named one of the Five Best Plays in 2001. He co-founded The Opera Ensemble of New York and served as its Executive/Artistic Director for eleven years, staging over thirty-three full productions. He has also written plays, short stories, book reviews and magazine articles. At Marymount Manhattan College in New York City he teaches classes in creative and business writing, arts administration, opera/musical theatre, and American and Irish literature.
