Sarah McGuinness facts for kids

Sarah McGuinness is a talented Irish artist. She is known as a singer, music maker, film director, and writer. Her birth name was Sarah Townsend, but she uses Sarah McGuinness professionally.

She was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. Sarah grew up singing with her mother and sisters in County Donegal. As a child, she even sang Christmas carols with Peter Cunnah, who later became famous with the band D Ream.

When she was 18, Sarah moved to London. There, she studied English and Drama. She started her career working in theatre shows. Later, she moved into making music and then into creating films.

In 2010, Sarah was nominated for an Emmy Award. This was for her work on the film Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. She wrote and performed all the music for this film.

She also directed a documentary called Noma: Forgiving Apartheid in 2015. This film was about Noma Dumezweni and was even considered for a BAFTA award.

In November 2017, Sarah McGuinness released her first music album, called Unbroken. She divides her time between Great Britain, Ireland, and the United States.

Early Career and Theatre Work

Sarah McGuinness began her career by running a theatre company called Oxmad. She worked backstage on big shows in London's West End to earn money. Later, she moved to Edinburgh, Scotland.

In Edinburgh, she created a special place called GreyFriars Kirk House. It used to be a soup kitchen, but Sarah turned it into a venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is a huge arts festival.

During the festival, Sarah put on many shows. She worked with 20 theatre groups from all over the world. She helped new comedians get started, like Ardal O'Hanlon from the TV show Father Ted.

Sarah also helped Eddie Izzard with his first solo comedy show. She even received a special award nomination for her work with him. For a short time, she helped promote Eddie Izzard and another comedian, Jenny Eclair.

Sarah used the money she earned to produce her own plays. She took these plays on tour across the UK and Ireland. One of her plays was a punk version of a story by Bulgakov. On the set of this play, she met actress Noma Dumezweni. Noma later became the subject of Sarah's 2015 documentary, Noma (Forgiving Apartheid).

In the early 1990s, Sarah also organized the World Street Fest in Covent Garden, London. This event brought together street performers from many different countries.

As she became more involved in comedy, Sarah opened her own comedy clubs. She ran The Swan in south London and Raging Bull in Soho. Famous comedians like Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, and Jo Brand performed at Raging Bull.

After Raging Bull, Sarah opened the Halyon Club in Soho in the early 2000s. This club became a place for music, art, and film. Many new and established artists performed there, with help from jazz musicians like Guy Barker. Sarah later closed the club to focus on other projects.

Sarah's Music Journey

In the 1990s, Sarah McGuinness performed with a band called Wasp Factory. Their first two songs, "Mandy Says" and "Just Because," were shown on MTV in 1993. The band also appeared on UK television shows.

In 2002, Sarah acted in a short film called Whacked. She played a character named Niamh Ryan. She also wrote the main song for the film, "Miss You."

She wrote music for another short film called Secrets in 2004. Sarah also created the exciting opening music for many of Eddie Izzard's comedy shows. These include Definite Article, Glorious, Dress To Kill, Circle, and Force Majeure. She even designed the poster for Force Majeure.

In 2009, Sarah composed all the music for the documentary Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. The song "Mama Can You See Me Now" from the soundtrack was later remixed by famous producer William Orbit.

In 2011, Sarah performed her songs at the Sydney Opera House. She opened for Eddie Izzard's show there. In 2015, she also wrote the music for her documentary Noma (Forgiving Apartheid).

Her first album, Unbroken, was released on November 17, 2017.

Filmmaking Work

To use her theatre skills in film, Sarah McGuinness started by producing and directing special features for DVDs. These included a "Comedy Masterclass." She then produced several short films with well-known producers.

Some of these short films include Secrets, Angel, and Whacked. The film Whacked was shown on Sky Movies. It also won awards at film festivals in New York and the US.

Sarah first met Eddie Izzard in 1989. He asked her to book a show at her venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. After making DVD extras for Eddie, he asked her in 2003 to film one of his shows. After thinking about it, she decided instead to direct a documentary about him.

Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story

Sarah McGuinness wrote, produced, and directed the documentary film Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. It was released in 2009. The film shows a deep look into the life of comedian Eddie Izzard. It uses home videos, interviews, and clips from his performances.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper called it a "heartfelt documentary." The film was released in cinemas in the UK and the US in October 2009. It then came out on DVD in March 2010.

In 2010, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story was nominated for an Emmy award. This was a big honor for the film.

Selected Works

Here are some of the films and music projects Sarah McGuinness has worked on:

Film and TV Production

As a Producer

• Whacked (2002)
• Secrets (2004)
• Diva 51 (2006)
• Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley (2009)
• Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story (2009)
• Believe: Live at Madison Square Garden (2011)
• Marathons For Mandela (2013)
• Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure Live (2013)

As a Director

• Comedy Masterclass (2001)
• Diva 51 (2006)
• Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley (2009)
• Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story (2009)
• Marathons For Mandela (2013)
• Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure Live (2013)
• Noma (Forgiving Apartheid) (2015)
• Luisa Omielan: Am I Right Ladies (2015)

As a Writer

• Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story (2009)
• NOMA (Forgiving Apartheid) (2015)

Music Projects

As a Composer

• Eddie Izzard: Definite Article (1996)
• Eddie Izzard: Glorious (1997)
• Eddie Izzard: Circle (2000)
• Marathons For Mandela (2013)
• Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure Live (2013)
• NOMA (Forgiving Apartheid) (2015)