My guest today is the innovative and creative mind that is Tom Creed. He is an opera and theatre director with a unique and infectious energy. Based in Dublin, Tom has seen his work travel to many spots all over the world; the U.K., France, America, Australia, right here in Dublin and of course, down to his roots in Cork.

I first got to work with Tom in 2017 in a production of Acis and Galatea with Irish National Opera. I still hold that production as one of the favourites of my career. And that was largely down to Tom. Never did I think I would be line dancing to an uptempo Handel chorus. After our first encounter, I started to see Tom’s work popping up all over the country on different platforms. Having seen an array of his work, from plays to one man/woman shows, and being fortunate enough once to have sat on the other side of the table with him for an hour or so as he directed the wonderful Clare Dunne in Sure Look it, Fuck it, he is truly a diverse and imaginative director.

He has also taken on other roles such as Festival Director for Cork Midsummer Festival and many programming and curating roles. Not only an important artist for Ireland, he is a Steering Committee Member for The National Campaign for the Arts, which not so long ago put together a 13 point plan to #SaveTheArts.

A man with a plan, whenever I’ve been in the rehearsal room with him, he has captained a smooth sailing ship and has never needed to steer off course. Calm, cool, collected, and always passionate and invested. Everytime I get to be in the room with him it is a joy. Except once, when he decided in a production of Tales of Hoffmann, that my character Spalanzani did not need to enter stage right in a massive yellow Big Bird like coat. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for that. However, I am delighted that he has agreed to talk to me today. You are in for a treat.