Donal is co-founder and co-director of Asylum. Past work includes: First Light (Carlow Arts Festival) The Local (Kilkenny Arts Festival); The Big Chapel X   (Kilkenny Arts Festival & the Abbey Theatre - nominated for 4 Irish Theatre awards); The Chronicles of Oggle (“**** ...pure gold...” Sunday Business Post);  Pondlife Angels and Bedbound (“...completely brilliant...” The Irish Times), both by Enda Walsh.

 Freelance Inclusive theatre work; What I (Don't) Know About Autism for the Abbey – the first 'relaxed performance' in the history of the national theatre (“...**** a riveting celebration of difference...” Irish Times)

International directing work includes: The Miracle for T.J.G, Dresden, and the world premier of Chatroom by Enda Walsh at the National Theatre, London (“the best possible advertisement for theatre…” The Guardian)

Cindy Cummings is a dance artist (choreographer/performer/tutor) whose practice integrates dance, theatre and live art. Since 1986 she has created collaborative works with dance, theatre, visual, sound, literary and media artists around the world for live performance, installation and film. Cindy is based in Co Kilkenny where she worked on The Local, The Big Chapel X and Everything Must Go with Asylum Productions. She was movement director with Equinox Theatre Company and is a facilitator on the Inclusive Dance Cork course at Dance Cork Firkin Crane. Since 2007 Cindy has been a member of Aosdána.

Medb Lambert is Co-Artistic Director of Asylum Productions, creating original, immersive, and inclusive theatre. Recent work includes The Alice Project (Kilkenny Arts Festival 2025–26), First Light (Carlow Arts Festival 2024), and The Local (Kilkenny Arts Festival 2023). She co-adapted and designed The Big Chapel X (nominated for four Irish Times Theatre Awards). Other Asylum projects include Everything Must Go!, exploring an abandoned supermarket with Clonmel Junction Festival, Daughter of God with Cork Opera House, and The Callan Energy Store, an interactive installation. Medb’s work with Asylum centres collaboration, site-responsiveness, and community engagement in bold, contemporary Irish theatre.

Joe is a seasoned professional in the arts and entertainment industry who brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the arts world.

As the Festival Coordinator for the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin from August to November 2023, Joe played a pivotal role in the seamless execution of all festival events.

Prior to his festival role, Joe served as a Senior Agent at Voicebank - The Voiceover Agency in Dublin and London from January 2019 to December 2022!

Joe has made significant contributions to the world of film and theatre production. Notably, he served as the Lead Casting Director for "Never Kill a Fem Boy on the First Date" directed by Oonagh Kearney in 2023. Furthermore, Joe has an impressive list of producer credits for various productions spanning over a decade, including "Frigid" at Dublin and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals (2022, 2023) and other acclaimed works at venues such as the Civic Theatre, Bewley's Theatre, and Project Arts.

Other Dublin Fringe Festival credits include, Saharcasm (2017), Down The Drain (2018) and Weekend Warrior (2019).

Clare Monnelly is an actor and a writer. She has worked with Druid, the Gate, the Abbey and Decadent amongst others, and was nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Actress in her self-penned Charlie’s a Clepto and Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mary in Livin Dred’s production of Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire. On screen she has worked with RTÉ, Sky One, Deadpan Pictures, Element and many more. She plays Anita Fallon in The Gone for Keeper Pictures. She plays the lead in the Cine4 feature Fréwaka for DoubleBand Films, Wildcard and TG4.

Clare’s first play Charlie’s a Clepto was nominated for two Irish Times Theatre Awards (Best New Play, Best Actress) and the Stewart Parker New Playwright Bursary. Her second play minefield premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2019 and was nominated for three Fringe Awards (Best Design, Fishamble New Writing Award, First Fortnight Award). In 2023 she premiered three new plays - The Hare with Once Off Productions and Cairde Arts Festival, The Local with Asylum Productions and Kilkenny Arts Festival and SuperBogger with Livin’ Dred Theatre Company.

In 2022 she wrote her first short film, Departure, as part of Bow Street and Screen Ireland’s Actor as Creator scheme, which was produced by Take Ten productions and premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh. In 2023 she was mentored by Lauren Mackenzie as part of Screen Ireland’s mentorship scheme. Her second short, Cat & Mouse was produced as part of Screen Ireland’s Focus Shorts scheme, premiered at Galway Film Fleadh, is currently on the festival circuit and most recently screened at DIFF. Clare is a DIFF Discovery Award Winner 2025. She is a participant in Screen Ireland’s Perspectives scheme 2025 for which she is writing her debut feature Grace with support from Rye Films. This year she will make her directing debut with short film Babysitter by Aisling O’Mara as part of the NTA’s First Credit Scheme.

John Grubb, Managing Director of Big Bear Design, brings over 25 years of international experience in event and production management. His extensive career spans large-scale theatrical, musical, and site-specific events, combining technical expertise with strong operational leadership to ensure events run safely, efficiently, and to the highest standard.

John’s professional background includes working on world-renowned productions such as Cirque Du Soleil, The X Factor Australia, and Riverdance. John was Red Kettle theatre companies stage manager for 10 years along with being Corcadorca’s stage manager for 5 years. He also spent nearly a decade as Technical Manager at the Theatre Royal Waterford, where he oversaw technical and production operations, ensuring seamless delivery for hundreds of incoming productions.

John is a highly skilled Stage Manager, Production Manager, Project Manager, and qualified Rigger. He has extensive experience developing and implementing all essential production documentation, including Event Licence Applications, Health and Safety Plans, Site-Specific Risk Assessments, Traffic Management Plans, Event Medical Plans, and Waste Management Plans. His expertise ensures that every market and event under his guidance is safe, operationally robust, and professionally executed.

Fern Kealy is a writer and performer based in Kilkenny. After achieving First Class Honours in both UCC’s BA (Theatre) and University of Galway’s MA (Writing), Fern participated in Fighting Words’ Young Writers Programme 2024, a series of workshops culminating in the performance of an original monologue on the Gate stage. Fern's play "Is the World Still My Oyster?" was produced by Cult Collective for Culture Night 2024 at the Barnstorm Studio.

Fern completed Rough Magic's Page to Stage training (2025) and will be working on a new play titled "VISCERA" for a month-long residency in A Little Room, with a sharing in early September.

 Fern also performed in Asylum Productions' The Local (2023) and facilitates weekly workshops in Barnstorm Youth Theatre and Dreamstuff Youth Theatre.

John is a writer, actor and director. 

 Stage productions include Denouement (Lyric Theatre), Taboo (White Label), War Of Attrition, Scratcher, Smitten, Heart Shaped Vinyl (Devious Theatre) as well as the Irish historical plays The Roaring Banshees and The Hellfire Squad, co-written with Peter McGann. He also wrote the adaptation of Thomas Kilroy’s novel The Big Chapel (Asylum/Abbey Theatre/Kilkenny Arts Festival) which was nominated for Best Production at the Irish Theatre Awards. Other work includes the community theatre projects Home Theatre Ireland (Dublin Theatre Festival) and Bridge Street Will Be (Equinox/Asylum). 

 Screen work includes the TV series Dead Still for which he won an Edgar Award and was nominated for an IFTA. Short films include Seanie & Flo (Deadpan Pictures), Kathleen (Paradox Pictures), Two Cats, Smitten, Daffney Molloy and Other Catastrophes(Mycrofilms). 

 Work for radio includes Tenterhooks (Near FM), The First Puck (CRKC FM/GAA McNamee Award Winner), the IMRO award winning radio plays 100 Everyday Menaces (RTÉ Drama On One) and The War Of The Worlds (co-adapted with Kevin Mooney) as well as the detective serial Vultures (KCLR96FM). 

 John is a founding member of the theatre collectives Devious Theatre (Kilkenny) and White Label (Dublin). 

Muireann Ryan was born and bred and buttered in Kilkenny. Her first big stage production was “The Fiddler on the Roof” aged 10. Muireann has trained in Dublin, London, and LA. She has worked with Asylum in previous productions, “The Big Chapel” and “Bridge Street”. Her TV and film roles include Harry Wilde, Jack Taylor, Valhalla and a music video for the latest Christy Moore album. She is the director of St Canice’s Choir and musician & singer on other artistic projects. Muireann is co-director of The Core Story  helping leaders to empower their authentic voice.

Sarah Joan K is a multi-disciplinary artist and theatre director from Kilkenny. A first-class honours graduate of Drama and Sociology at Trinity College Dublin, she has performed at leading Irish venues including the Peacock Theatre, Project Arts Centre, IMMA, and Visual Carlow. She is director of the emerging collective Hello Operator, with whom she co-created and directed Trout at The Butler Gallery (2025). Her directing work has also featured at Smock Alley, The Samuel Beckett Theatre, and Kilkenny Arts Festival, alongside workshops delivered at DCU, The Lir Academy, and Visual Carlow.

In 2023, Sarah was selected for the year-long Lasta Young Curators programme. She subsequently received support from Kilkenny Arts Office for the Breaking the Patterns Visual Arts residency in Lisbon, culminating in a group exhibition at NowHere, Lisboa (2025).Her visual practice spans photography, text, and performance, always grounded in storytelling and dramaturgical principles. She recently exhibited photographic work at Gallery X, Dublin, as part of Íova Collective’s The Four Seasons (February 2026), and is a current resident artist at the Teahouses, Kilkenny.

Sarah first engaged with Asylum as a community cast-member in Bridge Street Will Be (2015). Following this she completed an assistant directing internship on The Local (2023), and is looking forward to working further with the company as Assistant Director on The Alice Project. 

Janice de Bróithe is the Artistic Director of Barnstorm Theatre and has been an inmate (collaborator) with Asylum Productions since 2018, working on Big Chapel X (as Assistant Director), The Local and First Light (as Co-Director). Directing credits with Barnstorm include Hare & Tortoise, Home and Ghosts in the Gardens. She has worked across Ireland and the UK with a particular focus on inclusive practice and engagement. She currently sits on the board of Carlow Arts Festival.