Meet our 2024 Judges
We're delighted to welcome our 2024 Dublin Fringe Festival awards judges to this year's proceedings!
Every year, Dublin Fringe Festival selects a panel of experts from Irish cultural life to become Fringe Award Judges. They are tasked with choosing nominees and recipients for the prestigious awards. Dublin Fringe Awards recognise, reward and celebrate the talent on display at our festival each year.
Judges Chair – Rachel Bergin is Creative Producer of Dublin based theatre companies Brokentalkers and Chaos Factory. Rachel holds a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin.
Rachel’s recent producing credits include: Bellow (Brokentalkers, Project Arts Centre, The Everyman, Droichead Arts Centre), Manifest (Brokentalkers, Project Arts Centre), The Boy Who Never Was (Brokentalkers, Dublin Theatre Festival), Hotel Happiness (Chaos Factory, Dublin Fringe Festival), The Examination (Brokentalkers, National & International Tour 2022, 2023 & 2024), RISING (Brokentalkers, Algorithm & Dublin Theatre Festival 2021), MASTERCLASS (Brokentalkers & Adrienne Truscott, Dublin Fringe Festival 2021, International Touring 2022, 2023 & 2024), The Spider’s House (Project Arts Centre and Arts & Disability Ireland Co-Production), Gym Swim Party (A Co-Production with O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin Fringe Festival 2019), A Different Wolf (Associate Producer, Junk Ensemble), MorphMe (BITE SIZE // SCRATCH, Live Collision 2019), WOMB (First Fortnight 2019), Son of a Preacher Man (Theatre Machine 2019), Kiss Kiss Slap Slap (Dublin Fringe 2018), LUNA (Galway Theatre Festival 2018), Fierce Notions (Dublin Fringe 2017, Winner: DFF Judges Choice Award).
Rachel has produced international tours of multiple works in Australia, Belgium, England, France, Norway, Portugal, Scotland and Turkey, presenting works at leading venues and festivals including Sydney Opera House, The Malthouse, Théâtre de la Ville and many more.
Ahmed Karim Tamu (known professionally as Ahmed, With Love.) is a 24-year-old Irish-born Sierra Leonean musician, actor, and trainee professional wrestler with a multidisciplinary background in live performing arts including writing, directing, producing, and event organization.
Although his media and sources of inspiration vary, a constant thread running through Ahmed's artistry is the beauty in the absurd and the belief that creativity need not take itself seriously to explore serious subjects or be seriously appreciated.
Their current focuses are completing their debut EP and further developing experimental performance projects, including a follow-up to the award-winning Fringe Festival show "Clash At The Quays!", which molded live music with the spectacle of professional wrestling.
Ally Ryan is a writer, filmmaker and stand up comedian from Dublin. Having studied English Literature in Trinity College Dublin and subsequently Screen Acting and performance in Bow Street Academy she currently teaches screen acting in Bow Street, as well as co-running the alternative comedy collective Hysteria Comedy Ireland. In 2024 she was the co-writer and lead actor of the RTE Lab produced Office Girl, a series of short sketches released exclusively with RTE. Ally was a 2023 recipient of the Dublin City Arts Council Artist in Residence, and a play she co-wrote and directed has been chosen for this year's Spotlight Stage to Screen Development Scheme to be adapted.
In 2021 she was shortlisted for the BBC Writers Room. In 2023 and 2024 she was selected to play at Paddy Power Comedy Festival at Iveagh Gardens.
Andrea Horan is the founder of Dublin nail mecca Tropical Popical and previously has founded projects like The Hunreal Issues & No More Hotels. She has an interest in throwing glitter on issues without minimising them which led her to co-present podcasts Don't Stop Repealin' and United Ireland with Una Mullally. She worked in strategic communications for 15 years and gave a Tedx talk on 'Escaping the Economy of More' that informs her own mindset daily. The project she’s most proud of is the exhibition 'ReNAILssance' she produced with and in the National Gallery of Ireland. She was awarded the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year 2019 in the Influence category. She is obsessed with Dublin and an avid theatre goer.
Brendan Mac Evilly is editor and director of Holy Show journal and production house. He is coordinator of the Irish Writers Centre's National Mentoring Programme. He is also this years' Kilkenny Arts Office selection for the 'Curator Development Programme – Public Arts'. He is the author of At Swim: A Book About the Sea, and his debut novel, Deep Burn, is forthcoming with Marrowbone Books in 2025.
Chloe Commins is a Dublin based aerial and performance artist. She has taught, trained and performed internationally and across the country. Having produced, curated and performed in circus cabaret shows for ISL festival Athy, Beyond the Pale and Wild roots music festival 2022, 2023 along with facilitating circus workshops in ISL for the Deaf community. In theatre, she has worked on various projects with island connect Sardinia, Dead Centre, The Ark theatre, and performing in ‘Possession’ at the Project Arts Centre. In 2023 She presented 'RESONANCE'. An aerial theatre piece, derived from her experience growing up CODA (child of Deaf Adults). This was shown at the Scene & Heard festival Dublin, Festival of Fools Belfast and as a full-length solo show at Dublin Fringe Festival.
Dafe Pessu Orugbo is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist with a dynamic artistic practice coupled with years of industry experience. He has toured both nationally and internationally, featured in global television projects and works extensively in arts education around the country. He is particularly interested in art that centres on the audience's experience.
Freya Gillespie is a creative producer and designer for theatre and film with a vision for bold, experiential design. She is a co-founder of the production company Greener Grass. Whether working in established theatres, or transforming the bathroom of a rented apartment into an immersive set; she sees design as an opportunity for collaborative storytelling and world building.
Recent theatre credits include set and costume design for Suzy Storck, Smock Alley, and three productions in the Dublin Fringe Festival 2023: Endings, Project Arts Centre, Persona Metropolitana, Smock Alley Theatre (Best Design Ensemble nominee), and You’re Needy (Sounds Frustrating), offsite (Best Production nominee). She is currently the interim producer for the Irish Society of Performance Designers (ISPD).
Jessie Thompson is a Dublin based Dance artist with a practice in Experimental Contemporary and Hip Hop freestyle dance. Jessie is a newly appointed Resident Artist in Project Arts Centre Dublin and is hot off a successful run of her work CRAWLER at Ed Fringe, Jessie has also presented her work to date at Dublin Dance Festival, Top 8 Street Dance Festival, Dance2Connect Festival and has created several short site specific solo works. Recently Jessie choreographed and perfomed in “This Solution” as part of Dublin Theatre Festival, ‘Night Dances’ by United Fall and ‘Palimpsest’ Cois Ceim Dance Theatre.
Lórcan Strain is an Actor, Drag Artist and Writer from Co. Donegal. They just finished touring the UK with Marie Jones "STONES IN HIS POCKETS" directed by Jake Smith. After a sold out run of their first solo show "SONGS OF THEYS" in Dublin Castle, directed by Tracy Ryan, Lórcan toured Ireland with the hit show "OLIVER CROMWELL IS REALLY VERY SORRY". Before this, they played Jim in The Everyman Theatre's "THE GLASS MENAGERIE" directed by Emma Jordan amd made a cameo in "PREGNANT WITH A DRAG QUEEN" with Taller Stories. They received two nominations for best performer at the Dublin Fringe for "THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE WIND" and "OLIVER CROMWELL IS REALLY VERY SORRY" (best ensemble award)."
Maeve O'Mahony is a theatre-maker, performer, and a founding member of MALAPROP, an award winning theatre company based in Dublin. She is a THISISPOPBABY Associate Artist, 2024. Stage credits include Cracked Lips, Club Salty (THISISPOPBABY), HOTHOUSE (Winner Best Production at Dublin Fringe Awards 2023), Where Sat the Lovers, Before You Say Anything, LOVE+, Everything Not Saved, Jericho (MALAPROP), An Octoroon (Abbey Theatre; nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Irish Times Theatre Awards), The Boy Who Never Was (Brokentalkers), White Rabbit Red Rabbit (Dublin Theatre Festival), All Honey (Project Arts Centre), Outlying Islands, Ethica (Sugarglass), Sounds of Wood on Muscle, The Aeneid, Conor: at the end of the Universe (Collapsing Horse), Boys & Girls (59E59, New York), All Talk (New Theatre).
Osaro Azams - A noir femme during summer time and a dark masc in the winter season, Osaro delves into the literal Black arts of lonesome prayers, sensual poetry and guttural vocal chorals which she infuses in her live performances during the spring and hermit seasons
Osaro is the Founder of the Fried Plantains Collective which celebrates the melodious voices of African+ & Irish artists through her award winning event 'Black Jam' which took place at Abbey Theatre, The Complex, Bello Bar and at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in France.
Pamela McQueen is program manager for the diversity playwriting project The Baptiste Project with Black Irish theatre makers in Smock Alley Theatre. As Associate Dramaturg at DLR Mill Theatre, she is project manager for The Mavens & The Mavens Lab playwright development programs for 35yrs+ female theatre makers. In 2024 Pamela is curating a new ISSD & I.T.I mentorship platform for designers and playwrights, Explore Design. She is also a mentor and workshop facilitator with Minding Creative Minds.
Most recent production dramaturgy includes a trilingual international coproduction by Fishamble Theatre Company/BaraCaws/Theatre GuLeor of the site responsive play Taigh/Ty/Teach 2024; Prickly by Caoimhe O’Malley produced at DLR Mill Theatre 2024, Clonmel Junction Festival ART:23 production From Out The Land 2023 and The Whispering Chair by Tara Lovett produced by LivinDred Theatre Company, 2022.
Other productions include Jimmy’s Hall with The Abbey Theatre, Scotties by Frances Poet & Muireann Kelly, National Theatre Scotland & Theatre GuLeor and the Olivier award winning play Roadkill by Stef Smith & Cora Bisset.
She was selected for the Dublin Theatre Festival 2020 research residency Unacknowledged Loss with Barbara Raes. Her work has been supported by several Arts Council of Ireland awards and a DCC Arts bursary.
Pamela was New Play Dramaturg at The New Theatre, Temple Bar 2017-2020. Previously Pamela McQueen was Associate Dramaturg of the Tron Theatre, Glasgow from 2008-2011. She has an M.Litt in Dramaturgy & Playwriting from the University of Glasgow.
Shauna Carrick is a Dublin-based Irish composer and musical director. Shauna’s passion for musical theatre and telling authentic Irish stories has led her to creating her own works in Dublin and overseas in the UK and USA.
Shauna is currently working as a Composer/Lyricist on All Growed Up, a new musical commissioned by BYMT taking place at the Lyric Belfast in August 2024. Her most recent production, Shauna Carrick Wants A Dog, written alongside Conor O'Rourke, was presented at Dublin Fringe Festival 2023 in Smock Alley, produced by Aon Scéal Theatre and directed by Mollie Molumbie. The production was nominated for both Best Production and the First Fortnight award. Her previous work, Tír na nÓg was showcased at Scene + Heard 2019, at The Other Palace in London's West End in January 2020, and workshopped at dlr Mill Theatre in July 2021, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and dlr coco. This was followed by a full production directed by Katie O'Halloran at dlr Mill Theatre in June 2022, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media and the album is now available to stream on all major streaming platforms.
Shauna was selected to be part of the Axis Assemble cohort of artists for 2024/2025 to work on her new musical for teenagers set in the Irish Gaeltacht. In November 2022, Shauna was selected to take part in a masterclass with writer Claude-Michel Schönberg (Les Mis, Miss Saigon, The Pirate Queen) and presented a selection of songs from Tír na nÓg for feedback and development. Shauna was also awarded a Pavilion Studio Residency at the Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire in October 2022, and selected as a Mercury Writer's Barn participant by Mercury Musical Developments in April 2023.
Tino Wekare is a cultural producer, writer and curator, with experience in community engagement at grassroots level. They are a co-founder of the Black Queer Book Club (currently on hiatus), a grassroots self organised space where Black queer people and their POC allies can come to read, learn and be in community with one another. BQBC has successfully hosted community events in collaboration with IMMA and has secured funding from organisations such as TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland) and Dublin Pride.
They are also Haus Father to the Haus of Schiaparelli, a collective working towards black and brown led and centered Ballroom culture in Ireland. In 2023, the collective successfully hosted the First Ball of the Season: Royalty, with the support of Dublin Pride and Outhouse. The second ball, the Olympic Village, was hosted in 2024 in aid of Care for Gaza. The Haus of Schiaparelli is the first of its kind....