Co Armagh playwright has plays featuring in Edinburgh Fringe and National Theatre as well as at special symposium in Belfast

A former arts and entertainment journalist turned writer for stage and screen, Amanda grew up in Lurgan and one of her earlier works was the immensely successful ‘Lurgan Champagne and other tales’.

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She is one of many people taking part in a special symposium ‘Front and Centre’ aiming to put Northern Irish Women’s Writing centre stage.

As part of the event her play (turned film) ‘Distortion’ is getting a showing at the prestigious Brian Friel Theatre inside Queen’s Film Theatre next week (May 24th). And tickets are a mere £5.

‘Distortion’ about political hypocrisy and PR spin was written for stage but adapted and professionally filmed during lockdown with a top cast including Michael Condron from Coronation Street and Game of Thrones, and Valene Kane from The Fall, and Rogue One: Star Wars and Mary Moulds (Line of Duty, Bloody Sunday, Blue Lights).

Amanda has been much in demand and her play for teenagers, ‘Normalised’, was commissioned by the National Theatre for their 2025 Connections season.

"It's about allyship and challenging the normalisation of homophobic bigotry and language,” Amanda explained.

It's one of ten plays produced by The National and has been performed by various groups in England and by Brassneck Youth Theatre at The Lyric in Belfast last month. It will be performed on London's prestigious Dorfman Theatre stage at The National next month.

Not only that but this Lurgan girl is set for the Edinburgh Fringe this year.

In an exciting new venture, her play ‘This Sh*t Happens All The Time’, which has played to audiences and huge critical acclaim at The Lyric’s Naughton stage and The Grand Opera House, is to show at the internationally renowned Edinburgh Fringe.

"This is a huge achievement and I am over the moon,” said Amanda. “The play stars Catriona McFeely and we'll be at the prestigious Assembly Rooms in George Square, right in the heart of the festival for the entire run from 30th July to 25th August this summer.

"We're being supported by Culture Ireland, which is amazing and also means our travel and accommodation (eye-wateringly expensive btw!) is funded,” said Amanda adding that sadly there is still a shortfall in the budget and they are open to donations and sponsorship offers.

‘This Sh*t Happens All The Time’ is a sexy, darkly funny and striking one-woman show that exposes homophobia. It is set in 1990s Belfast where, at Queen’s University, two young women fall in love.

The intrigue starts when the girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend responds with murderous intent? What starts as a love story soon becomes a much more sinister tale and exposes misogyny and coercive control to challenge the inequalities faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

For more information on the symposium at the Brian Friel Theatre please click here. The 3-day symposium is a call to action. Focusing on playwriting as both craft and career, it aims to open up vital conversations, explore constructive strategies, and showcase fresh talent.