Emmet Kirwan is an actor, playwright and theatre maker from Tallaght in Dublin. He studied at the Samuel Beckett Centre Trinity College Dublin. For over 20 years Emmet has worked in Irish and British Theatre, performing on many stages including Project Arts, The Abbey, The Gate, Donmar warehouse, The National Theatre and The Soho, as well as working with leading Irish theatre companies such as Landmark, Rough Magic, Fishamble, This is Pop Baby, Guna Nua, Pan Pan, Corn Exchange and Barabas.
His most recent work as a writer and performer is ‘Accents’. A spoken word verse play in a musical collaboration with Eoin French (Who performs as Talos) and directed by Claire O’Reilly of Malaprop theatre company.
And the video shop set, hit comedy play Straight to Video for Landmark productions. Emmet's play ‘Dublin Oldschool’ directed by Phillip McMahon won the Stewart Parker award for playwriting it has toured internationally and transferred to The Dorfman in The National Theatre for a sell out run. It was adapted into a feature film with Element pictures and opened in Irish and British cinemas in 2018 and international festivals including the London BFI.
Emmet also wrote the poetry sections and performed in This is Pop Baby’s RIOT, which has played Vicar Street in Dublin and toured internationally to The Sydney theatre festival and Skirball New York. His poem ‘Heartbreak’ is taken from this show and was adapted in to a short film that won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Short Film. He was commissioned by The Gate Theatre Dublin for their Late at The Gate initiative to respond to John Osborne’s ‘Look Back In Anger’. For this he wrote and performed two new spoken word poems ‘I love you woman’ & ‘Mam and Dad are worried’. The piece was directed by Oonagh Murphy.
Other writing includes radio drama ‘Wild West’ (2018) for BBC 4, (Nominated for best radio drama award 2019 from the writers guild of Ireland.) ‘Straight to video’ (2021) and ‘Queen of The Pyramids’ (2019.) for Landmarks Productions.
He was also funded by the Arts Council to develop his play ‘The Last Partholonian’ a play based on the first cycle of Irish Mythology and the youth gang culture. It received a performed reading directed by Oonagh Murphy.
He is also known for writing and starring in the RTE 2 comedy series Sarah and Steve for Accomplice television.
