Shane O'Connor
Clare Monnelly is a writer and actor.
Her first play Charlie’s a Clepto was nominated for two Irish Times Theatre Awards and the Stewart Parker New Playwright Bursary.
minefield premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2019 and was nominated for three Fringe Awards. The Hare (co-written with Bob Kelly) premiered as part of Cairde Sligo Arts Festival 2023 and has just concluded a 10 venue national tour.
The Local (co-written with Medb Lambert and Emma O’Grady) produced by Asylum Productions and Once Off Productions premiered as part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival 2023.
Livin’ Dred premiered Super-Bogger, a one man show for actor Aaron Monaghan in November 2023.
Clare is an alumnus of Irish Theatre Institute’s Six in the Attic program.
In 2022 Clare’s first short film, Departure was produced by Take Ten Productions as part of Bow Street and Screen Ireland’s Actor as Creator scheme and premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh.
In 2023 she was mentored by Lauren Mackenzie as part of Screen Ireland’s mentorship scheme and her second short, Cat & Mouse which is in receipt of Screen Ireland Focus Short funding is in post-production.
She has two comedy drama series in development with Deadpan Pictures.
See praise for Clare’s writing below.
Charlie’s a Clepto
‘As writer, Monnelly’s own lifts are so subtle, with glancing references to films from Finding Nemo to Forrest Gump, that you barely notice how well she has raided the eternal vaults of good storytelling… Charlie’s odyssey is immediate and gripping, helped along by writing that is deftly comic and evocative.’ The Irish Times ****
‘Charlie's a Clepto is utterly absorbing, the underlying pathos pulling at your heart strings as you will the determined little protagonist on to win out… Clare Monnelly delivers her own play with heartfelt sincerity and a huge load of talent.’ The Independent
‘Monnelly’s writing style is gripping and the world she creates is like her lead character – feisty and charming, despite its disadvantages. There are plenty of belly laughs here too, with punch lines coming from the caricatures she creates, as well as her keen descriptive ability…. a play that has a lightness of touch and a big heart.’ No More Workhorse
‘The dialogue is crisp and tight, crammed with pop culture references, and with an evident love of language.’ The Reviews Hub
‘…a welcome new voice.’ The Sunday Times
minefield
‘a dark satire on politics, performance and bad influencers, a Network for the Instagram age’ The Irish Times ****
‘Monnelly attacks its darkest side head on with a viciously cynical perspective… a clever, ugly piece.’ The Independent
‘In this seriously edgy and stylish chiller-thriller… the bite and intelligence of the writing ignites from the start… electrifyingly descriptive of today’s political ugliness.’ The Sunday Times *****
‘If you’re up for risking being disturbed and unsettled, this thought provoking and superbly performed production might challenge you on several levels. It might even blow you away.' The Arts Review ****
The Hare
‘…the play is profoundly disturbing, almost viciously violent and absolutely terrifying… a wild extravaganza of bitter imagination… a lamentation for the lost beauty of innocence’ The Sunday Independent
‘A fine achievement... Ní Bhriain at all times delivers the words as if they were part of her inner being... a challenging piece of theatre which Ní Bhrian delivers with assurance... an ambitious piece which is exacting for both the performers and the audience.’ No More Workhorse
‘There is a hint of Lewis Carroll to Clare Monnelly and Bob Kelly’s intriguing playscript for this Once Off production, which, in its earthy and unsentimental version of coastal Ireland, is set in no wonderland... [what seems like] a foot- stomping quest from playwright-actors whose past, nimbly physical performances have recently settled into a subtler weave of voices... instead becomes a tour of bruising collisions.’ The Irish Times
Super-Bogger
‘It was seamless. Super-bogger brings you into many places. While Monaghan transfixes you with his various talents, the text allows your imagination to travel freely… Super-bogger will have a comparatively short run… These locations are privileged… It is the celebration of stagecraft and the very essence of theatre.’ No More Workhorse
‘Monnelly’s tightly written short play… Monaghan is commanding as Barry, his agile physicality bringing moments of comic slapdash to a role that never descends into sentimentality.’ The Arts Review ****
The Local
‘The Local is at its best in its heightened, stylised moments… in these moments they are connected beyond words and sharing something primal: the embodied promise of the future.’ The Irish Times