Bridget O'Donnell - Writer
Writing
Bridget's non fiction book, Inspector Minahan Makes a Stand, was first published by Picador in September 2012. Her play, Lie Back in Anger, was produced by the Union Theatre in London in 2006, where it had a successful three week run. She has also written features for The Guardian, Daily Mail and various magazines.
“A wonderful piece; a great story, brilliantly told.” Kath Viner, Deputy Editor, The Guardian
“A very good piece and very well written.” John Mulholland, Editor, The Observer
“A very good writer.” James Brown, Author and Editor
Producing and Directing
Bridget O’Donnell trained as a producer and director at the BBC where she worked across Documentaries and Drama in both television and radio for over ten years. During her time at the BBC, she developed a new cookery format for BBC2, a BBC1 series on domestic violence, a documentary about punks in 1970s Belfast and the launch film for new channel BBC4, a comedy drama, The Scandalous Success of Salvador Dali, starring Ewen Bremner, Stephen Fry, Vic Reeves and the Mighty Boosch.
Plays
Exploding onto the cultural scene fifty years ago, Jimmy Porter opened the floodgates to the voice of disenchanted youth and introduced the world to the Angry Young Man, but what about the women? And if the Look Back in Anger generation failed to break Establishment strictures or change the world, must their daughters still Lie Back in Anger? Fearless, funny and sad, Lie Back in Anger is the violent tale of a young woman failing to marry the idealism of her roots to the reality of modern life.
The play had a successful three-week run in May 2006 at the Union Theatre in Southwark, London: a theatre famous for new writing.
“It is a bold move to follow up John Osborne’s angry young man with an angry young ladette. But Bridget O’Donnell’s first play stands up to the comparison. Written in the snatched moments of her maternity leave, O’Donnell’s screaming child of a creation speaks of its age, has flashes of brilliance and is never dull.” Barbara Lewis, The Stage
“To say anything about the plot would spoil some fabulous twists that build ultimately to make this play deeply provoking, poignant and very much of its time.” Sarah Monaghan, Theatre World