Lisa Dwan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lisa Dwan
Dwan at the British Library in 2022
Born	(1977-11-25) 25 November 1977 (age 47) Coosan, Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1997–present

Lisa Dwan is an actress from Ireland. She is famous for her work in theatre, especially for performing plays by Samuel Beckett. She started acting in the TV series Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog (1998–1999). More recently, she was in the Netflix show Top Boy (2019–2023). She also appeared in the Irish TV show Fair City (2006–2007) and the British drama Rock Rivals (2008).

Early Life and Training

Lisa Dwan was born in Coosan, Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland. She first trained to be a ballet dancer. When she was 12, she danced with the famous ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev in a show called "Coppélia" in Dublin.

She left school at 14 after winning a scholarship. This allowed her to attend the Dorothy Stevens School of Ballet in Leeds. She also danced with the London Lewis Ballet Company. Lisa Dwan started acting professionally when she was a teenager.

Acting Career Highlights

Lisa Dwan's first movie role was playing Agnes in a film version of Oliver Twist. She acted alongside stars like Elijah Wood and Richard Dreyfuss in this movie.

Early TV Roles

Her first regular role on a TV series was as Princess Deirdre. She played this character in the show Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. Later, she played Orla in "The Big Bow Wow" in 2004. From 2006 to 2007, she was Zoe Burke in the Irish TV show Fair City. She also played Angel Islington in the show Rock Rivals. In 2009, she acted with Martin Sheen in the movie Bhopal: Prayer for Rain.

Performing Samuel Beckett's Plays

Lisa Dwan is very well known for her performances of plays by Samuel Beckett. He was a famous Irish writer. Many people, including writer Kate Kellaway, call her a top performer of Beckett's work.

She performed in Beckett's play Not I in London in 2005. She was also interviewed with Billie Whitelaw, another actress Beckett admired. Billie Whitelaw helped Dwan with her Beckett performances starting in 2006.

Dwan performed Not I again in London in 2009. She also performed it at the International Beckett Festival in 2012. In 2013, Dwan toured with "The Beckett Trilogy." This show included Not I, Footfalls, and Rockaby. She performed these plays in many places, including London and New York. A reviewer, Ben Brantley, said Dwan was like an "instrument of Beckett."

In 2016, Dwan adapted and performed No's Knife. This was a one-woman show based on Beckett's Stories and Texts for Nothing. She was the first woman to perform this work.

Other Theatre and TV Work

In 2017, Dwan starred in two plays by Harold Pinter in Washington, D.C. She won an award for her acting in these plays. She also acted in Anna Karenina for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2016. Other theatre roles included Shining City in New York and Illusions in London.

In 2021, Dwan played Dr. Tori Matthews in the BBC drama Bloodlands. She acted alongside James Nesbitt in this four-part series.

Writing and Teaching

Lisa Dwan often writes, gives talks, and teaches about theatre. She also discusses topics like gender and Beckett's work. She has spoken on BBC radio and television. Dwan writes articles about Beckett and the arts, including for The Guardian newspaper.

She has given lectures at universities like the École Normale Supérieure and the University of Oxford. She also taught a class at Princeton University. From 2017 to 2018, Dwan was an artist in residence at Columbia University. There, she worked with writer Colm Tóibín on a play called Pale Sister. She was also a resident fellow at New York University from 2017 to 2018. From 2018 to 2021, Dwan was an artist in residence at MIT.

Film and Television Appearances

Lisa Dwan has appeared in many films and TV shows.

Film Roles

Television Roles