Mary-Lou McCarthy is a writer and actor working across multiple disciplines including theatre, film, TV and radio. In 2022, she was awarded a Next Generation Award by the Arts Council. She is passionate about creating innovative work with and for young audiences and is a committee member of Theatre for Young Audiences Ireland.
Her new play The Dead Letter Office will premiere in October 2022 and explores themes of migration and belonging for ages 9+. In 2020, Mary-Lou received an ‘Arts for Young Audiences’ residency at the Linenhall Arts Centre and created a new audio project for the classroom entitled Squawker. In 2021, Mary-Lou was a National Youth Council of Ireland artist in residence with Graffiti’s Activate Junior Youth Theatre and has been an artist in residence at Le Centre Culturel Irlandais and as part of PUSH, a Creative Europe-funded lab supported by 5 European partners with the aim of advancing ideas within theatre and dance for young audiences.
Mary-Lou is a fluent Irish speaker and her work across theatre, film and television spans both Irish and English languages. Mary-Lou is from Cork and a graduate of Drama and Theatre Studies and English from UCC and is currently based in Co. Mayo. Past work with The Everyman includes research and development on productions and performances in Lovers, Factory Girls and the Fighting Words Young Playwrights programme.