Our Team

ANDREW FLYNN

Artistic Director

Andrew is the director of Theatre at Galway Arts Centre and the Artistic Director of Decadent Theatre Company. He also works as a freelance theatre director. Most recently Andrew directed ‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’ and The Lieutenant of Inismore by Martin McDonagh for Gaiety productions in 2019/2020.

As the head of theatre at Galway Arts Centre Andrew has directed over 70 productions for Galway Youth Theatre. Some highlights include: ‘Frank Pig Says Hello’ and ‘The Adventures of Shay Mouse’ by Pat McCabe, ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller, ‘Portia Coughlan’ by Marina Carr, ‘Lovely Betty’ by Mark O’Halloran, ‘Our Country’s Good’ by Timberlake Vertenbaker, the Irish premieres of ‘Midsummer’, ’Monster In the Hall’ and ‘Yellowmoon’ by David Greig, ‘Autobahn’ by Neil La Bute, ‘Talking To Terrorists’ by Robin Soans, ’Tejas Verdes’ by Fermin Cabal, ‘Country Music’ by Simon Stephens, ’Consensual by Nina Raine and the world premiere of ‘Teacher’ by Christian O’Reilly

Recent directing credits for Decadent Theatre include: The World premieres of ‘A Thing About December’ by Donal Ryan and  ‘A Love Like That’ by Billy Roche. ‘Eden’ by Eugene O’Brien, ‘The Mai‘ by Marina Carr, ‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me’ by Frank McGuinness, ‘Pumpgirl‘ by Abbie Spallen, ‘The Weir’ by Conor McPherson, ‘The Pillowman’ by Martin McDonagh,  ‘The Dead School’ by Pat McCabe, ‘Vernon God Little’ by Tanya Rhonder, ‘Defender Of The Faith’ by Stuart Carolan, ‘A Skull In Connemara’ by Martin McDonagh (3 Irish Times Nominations), ‘Port Authority’ by Conor McPhearson (for which he was nominated as Best Director at the Irish Times Theatre Awards), ‘Doubt’ by John Patrick Shanley (2 Irish Times Nominations), ‘Faith Healer’ by Brian Friel (Decadent /Townhall Galway), ‘The Seafarer’ by Conor McPhearson, ‘The Cavalcaders’ by Billy Roche (Decadent/ Nomad Theatre Network), the world premieres of ‘Here We Are Again Still’ by Christian O’Reilly and ‘Character’ by Mark Dillon, Country Music by Simon Stephens, Blackbird by David Harrower.

Directing credits for Lyric Theatre Belfast include: Philadelphia Here I Come by Brian Friel, Dockers by Martin Lynch, PumpGirl by Abbie Spallen’ The Pillowman’ By Martin McDonagh and ‘The Weir’by Conor McPherson

Other credits include: Juno And The Paycock by Sean O’Casey (A.R.T Northern Ireland/Cork Opera House), Translation by Brian Friels (Ouroborous Theatre Company), Via Dolorosa by David Hare, (Cuirt Literature Festival), The Lieutenant Of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh (Irish Premiere, Cork Opera House/Millenium Theatre Derry/Townhall Theatre Galway), Translations (Townhall Galway).

GERRY BARNES

Executive Producer

Gerry Barnes is the Executive Producer of Decadent Theatre Company. Gerry was Executive Director of Cork Opera House from 1989 to 2010 during a major expansion of its artistic programme. He oversaw the development of the The Half Moon Theatre as well as a refurbished Opera House during the unfolding of the capital expenditure programme from 1993 to 2009. During his tenure Gerry worked with his Board of Directors to upgrade the artistic quality and range of a programme which included touring co-productions with Town Hall Theatre Galway directed by Andrew Flynn (The Lieutenant of Innismore, The Lonesome West, Juno and the Paycock). He has to date produced the Decadent Theatre national tours of  A Skull in Connemara, The Pillowman, Vernon God Little, The Dead School, The Weir, Eden, The Thing About December and A Love Like That. Gerry has programmed and produced plays for the Cork Theatre Company, Storytellers Theatre Company, the Belltable Arts Centre, and Cork Midsummer Festival.

CIARAN BAGNALL

Lighting Design

Ciaran trained at the Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff. Recent Theatre includes: Set & Lighting Design Oliver Twist (Hull Truck); And Did those Feet (Macron Stadium, Bolton); Double Cross (Lyric Theatre Belfast & Abbey Theatre, Dublin); The Mai (Irish Tour/Dublin Theatre Festival ); Lovers ( Lyric Theatre, Belfast); The Man Who Fell To Pieces, Hard to be Soft (The MAC, Belfast); The Great Gatsby (Gate Theatre, Dublin – Winner Best Design Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards ); RED (Lyric Theatre, Belfast – Winner Best Design Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards); The Train, Observe the Sons of Ulster marching towards the Somme (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); Ashes, Educating Rita, Two, Two 2, A view from the Bridge, Love Story, Twelfth Night, Piaf, Of Mice and Men, Tull, The Glass Menagerie, Habeas Corpus, Secret Thoughts, Oleanna ( Octagon Theatre, Bolton ); A Christmas Treasure Island, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (Hull Truck); Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe, London); Singin’ in the Rain (UK Tour); Othello (RSC, Stratford upon Avon); Lally the Scut, The God of Carnage, Villa, Discurso, Tejas Verdes (MAC, Belfast); Conquest of Happiness (Olympic Stadium, Sarajevo); Shoot the Crow (Opera House, Belfast); Snookered (Bush Theatre, London); The Killing of Sister George ( Arts Theatre, London); A Slight Ache and Landscape (Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre London).

CARL KENNEDY

Composer & Sound Design

Carl was a founding member of Decadent and  trained at Academy of Sound in Dublin. He has worked on over one hundred theatre productions, with venues and companies including The Abbey, The Gaiety, ANU Productions, The Lyric Theatre Belfast, Rough Magic, HOME Manchester, Fishamble, Prime Cut, Theatre Lovett, HotForTheatre, Guna Nua, Loose Canon, Peer to Peer, Siren, Broken Crow, Randolf SD and Theatre Makers. He has been nominated three times for the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Sound Design. He also composes music and sound design for TV and video games. Game titles include Curious George, Curious about Shapes and Colors, Jelly Jumble, Too Many Teddies, Dino Dog and Leonardo and His Cat. TV credits include sound design for 16 letters (Independent Pictures/RTE) and SFX editing and foley recording for Centenary (RTE).

SARA BEN-ABDALLAH

Costume Designer

Sara is a Tunisian-American designer who holds a degree in film, with a concentration on Costume & Production Design from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA. After working in Japan for 5 years with the Tokyo International Theatre Company costuming multiple shows such Rocky Horror Picture Show, A Flea in Her Ear, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Night Must Fall, Macbeth, and The Diary of Anne Frank, she moved to Ireland in 2017.

To date, Sara has over 25 credits to her name in Irish film, TV, advertising and theatre. As well as working on feature films (Here Are The Young Men, There You’ll Find Me) and television shows (Rig 45) she has also worked with several award-winning short films, including Coco Dreams In Blue (FilmBase), and The Secret Box (KTC). In theatre, most recently she designed A Love Like That (Decadent) and She Kills Monsters and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (No Drama Theatre).

GER SWEENEY

Scenic Artist

Ger has worked with Decadent Productions for over 15 years as a scenic artist. He also creates sets and visual artworks for many diverse theatre and film productions in Ireland and internationally.

He is an established visual artist, exhibiting regularly, with paintings in numerous public and private Collections in Ireland, Europe and U.S.A. Recent art project credits include: Still Point solo exhibition, Green Fuze Gallery, Westport, Mayo; Stations of the Cross commission, Knock Basilica, Mayo; G.I.A.F / Enda Walsh, Rooms project, Galway & New York; European Capital of Culture/Liverpool Lantern Co; Spectacle, Aarhus, Denmark; R.H.A. Annual Exhibition, Dublin, paintings.
www.gersweeney.com

BRIAN MORONEY

Set Design

Brian has worked on building sets with Decadent Theatre for ten years. In that time he has also being the tour carpenter on over 15 national tours.

Set builds include: The Cavalcaders (Decadent/Nomad Network), Doubt (Decadent), Faith Healer (Decadent /Townhall Galway), The Seafarer (Irish Tour Decadent/ Nomad Network), Here We Are Again Still (World Premiere & Irish Tour), Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Irish Tour), Tejas Verde, Lovers, At the Black Pigs Dyke, Decadent productions of The Dead School, Vernon God Little, Defender of the Faith and Lonesome West and Philadelphia, Here I Come! for Lyric Theatre, Belfast.

Recent builds include: A Love LIke That by Billy Roche, A Skull in Connemara and The Pillowman by Martin MacDonagh and The Weir by Conor MacPherson (Decadent/ Pavilion/ Everyman/ Galway Townhall).

BRENDAN FOREMAN

Graphic Design

Brendan Foreman has many years experience designing print and digital for leading Irish agencies and the cultural sector. He was resident graphic designer with the Abbey Theatre for 8 years and a director of Graphiconies – a design studio specialising in the cultural and social sectors – for 10 years. Brendan is also involved with music promotion and production, having programmed the Guinness Temple Bar Blues Festival and managed music tours in Ireland and the UK. He designs and publishes an occasional music fanzine – Blue Navigator – and releases albums on its off-shoot record label. In 2021 he produced ‘Snockument’, a limited edition vinyl LP tribute to American folk artist Michael Hurley, featuring Yo La Tengo, Calexico, Cat Power and others.  www.brendanforeman.com