THE COMPANY
McKillop and Brother Butler
Toby Ciara
Nancy Nugent
Butler & On-Stage Musician
Writers Director
Sound Designer
Set Designer
Lighting Designer
Costume Designer
Musical Director
Choreographer
Conor Grimes
Alan McKee
Nicky Harley
Ali White
Frankie McIlvanna
Conor Grimes &
Alan McKee
Frankie McCafferty
Ian Vennard
Stuart Marshall
Mary Tumelty
Niamh Mockford
Frankie McIlvanna
Sandy Cuthbert
Executive Producer
Senior Producer
Casting Director
Production Co-ordinator
Head of Production
Production Manager
Assistant Production Manager
Company Stage Manager
Stage Manager On Book
Assistant Stage Managers
Stage Management Placement
Student
Technical Manager
Senior Production Technician
Chief LX and Programmer
Technicians
Set Construction
Lead Scenic Carpenter
Scenic Artist
Scenic Carpenters
Scenic Construction Apprentice
Workshop Assistants
Costume Supervisor
Costume Assistants
Laundry & Maintenance
Hair & Make-up
With thanks - (Mummer Head Maker)
Photography / Videography
Graphic Designer
Public Relations / Press
(Lir)
CONOR GRIMES MCKILLOP AND BROTHER BUTLER
Conor is an actor and writer based in Belfast who has formed a prolific double act with Alan McKee over the past fifteen years or so. They have performed their thumping comedy shows in every theatre going and produced TV shows like The Tractor Show for BBC NI.
They wrote and starred in a string of Christmas shows including The Nativity...What The Donkey Saw, Santa Claus...What The Reindeer Saw and Bah Humbug! at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, and It’s A Wonderful Life So it Is at the Grand Opera House. They wrote The Duke Of Hope for Tinderbox Theatre Company, Che Guevara’s Night Off for Brassneck and perhaps their biggest success was co-writing The History Of The Troubles...accordin’ to my da, with Martin Lynch. This show (Conor plays Fireball) has won countless awards and is the biggest selling show of all time in the Grand Opera House Belfast. The History Of The Peace…Accordin’ To My Ma is the sequel and has just played at the Grand Opera House and a regional tour.
Conor has worked all over Ireland as an actor and most recently upped his kudos with his kids by playing Mr McGonigal in CBBC’s Danni’s Castle.Theatre credits include everything from Beckett to Shakespeare, from Brian Friel to Marie Jones yet he’s still mainly recognised for being the “filing cabinet” man from the Donegal Catch ad. Conor has just appeared in Late License for the BBC alongside the comedian Kevin McAleer and teamed up with Kevin again to write and perform in SPUD! at the Lyric.
Film and television credits include: Messiah, As the Beast Sleeps and Puddy Cat (BBC), MickyBo and Me and Cupcake. He has appeared in The Secret (ITV), My Mother And Other Strangers (BBC) and Mrs Wilson (BBC), and is recording a new series of Soft Border Patrol (BBC)
Conors latest show, New Ireland, has just completed a run in the Lyric Theatre and is set to go on tour next year.
ALAN MCKEE TOBY
Alan is from Coleraine and is a father of four and grandfather of two.
Previous Lyric Theatre appearances include: Rough Beginnings, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Merchant of Venice, A Life, Paradise, The Civilisation Game, Saint Joan, The Nativity, Bah Humbug, Driving Home for Christmas
Other theatre includes: Can’t Pay Won’t Pay, Stags and Hens, Language Roulette, Convictions, Caught Red Handed, Metamorphosis, The History of the Troubles (accordin’ to My Da), Saint Mungos, The Umpire Strikes Back, St. Mungos – the Ladies
TV and film includes; Eureka Street, As the Beast Sleeps, Divorcing Jack, The Craic, St. Mungos, The Secret, Game of Thrones.
In the new year he will be back on the road with long time collaborator Conor Grimes in Grimes & McKee’s New Ireland
ALI WHITE NANCY NUGENT
Ali was born in Belfast, and lives and works between Belfast and Dublin. She has been working as an actress - and sometimes writersince the early 90s. She has worked with many of the leading Irish theatre companies, and in UK theatres from The Old Vic and The Royal Court, to Leeds Playhouse and Glasgow’s Tron.
Most recently she appeared in Joyce’s Women by Edna O’Brien, and Christine by Jennifer Johnson, both at The Abbey Theatre. In the last few years she has also performed in theatres from New York to Darwin, Serajevo to Stockholm, touring with DeadCentre Theatre company in their award winning shows Chekhov’s First Play, and LIPPY. She won Best Supporting Actress at the Irish Times Theatre Awards in 2017 for her performances in Rough Magic’s production of Stuart Parker’s Northern Star.
Recent film and television appearances include Kath in Lie of the Land produced by Shepherd Films - Best Irish First Feature winner at the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh; The Windermere Children (BBC); The Secret (ITV); Three Families (BBC) and The Last Rifleman with Pierce Brosnan (Wee Buns Films).
She is delighted to be back at the Lyric, where she last appeared in Driving Home for Christmas with Grimes, and also McKee.
NICKY HARLEY CIARA
Nicky returns to The Lyric Theatre main stage following a successful run earlier in the year playing Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a co- production between Lyric Theatre and Prime Cut Productions, which won a UK Theatre award for Best Play Revival 2023.
Theatre credits include: Rhino (Tinderbox Theatre Company); Project Children (Brassneck Theatre Company); The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Lyric Theatre/ Prime Cut); Something Different (Tinderbox Theatre Company); Frankenstein’s Monster Is Drunk and The Sheep Have All Jumped The Fences (Big Telly Theatre); Scenes From An Inquiry (Sole Purpose); Department Story (Big Telly Theatre); Rough Girls (The Lyric Theatre); Still Here (Civic Theatre); Macbeth (Big Telly Theatre); A Bellaghy Tale (Kabosh Theatre Company); Big Kid, Little Kid (Civic Theatre); Lullabub (Theatre Hullabaloo); The Worst Cafe In The World (BIAF).
Television Credits include: Rough Girls (BBC / Lyric Belfast); Bloodlands (Hat Trick / JM Productions); Game of Thrones (HBO); Shirt Factory Horn (BBC / Imagine).
Radio credits include: Dead Hand (BBC Radio 4); On The Street Where We Live (The MAC); Denouement (Traverse Theatre); The Dogs In The Street (BBC Radio 4).
CONOR GRIMESWRITER
Conor is an actor and writer based in Belfast who has formed a prolific double act with Alan McKee over the past fifteen years or so. They have performed their thumping comedy shows in every theatre going and produced TV shows like The Tractor Show for BBC NI.
They wrote and starred in a string of Christmas shows including The Nativity...What The Donkey Saw, Santa Claus...What The Reindeer Saw and Bah Humbug! at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, and It’s A Wonderful Life So it Is at the Grand Opera House. They wrote The Duke Of Hope for Tinderbox Theatre Company, Che Guevara’s Night Off for Brassneck and perhaps their biggest success was co-writing The History Of The Troubles...accordin’ to my da, with Martin Lynch. This show (Conor plays Fireball) has won countless awards and is the biggest selling show of all time in the Grand Opera House Belfast. The History Of The Peace…Accordin’ To My Ma is the sequel and has just played at the Grand Opera House and a regional tour.
Conor has worked all over Ireland as an actor and most recently upped his kudos with his kids by playing Mr McGonigal in CBBC’s Danni’s Castle.Theatre credits include everything from Beckett to Shakespeare, from Brian Friel to Marie Jones yet he’s still mainly recognised for being the “filing cabinet” man from the Donegal Catch ad. Conor has just appeared in Late License for the BBC alongside the comedian Kevin McAleer and teamed up with Kevin again to write and perform in SPUD! at the Lyric.
Film and television credits include: Messiah, As the Beast Sleeps and Puddy Cat (BBC), MickyBo and Me and Cupcake. He has appeared in The Secret (ITV), My Mother And Other Strangers (BBC) and Mrs Wilson (BBC), and is recording a new series of Soft Border Patrol (BBC)
Conors latest show, New Ireland, has just completed a run in the Lyric Theatre and is set to go on tour next year.
ALAN MCKEEWRITER
Alan is from Coleraine and is a father of four and grandfather of two.
Previous Lyric Theatre appearances include: Rough Beginnings, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Merchant of Venice, A Life, Paradise, The Civilisation Game, Saint Joan, The
Nativity, Bah Humbug, Driving Home for Christmas
Other theatre includes: Can’t Pay Won’t Pay, Stags and Hens, Language Roulette, Convictions, Caught Red Handed, Metamorphosis, The History of the Troubles (accordin’ to My Da), Saint Mungos, The Umpire Strikes Back, St. Mungos – the Ladies
TV and film includes; Eureka Street, As the Beast Sleeps, Divorcing Jack, The Craic, St. Mungos, The Secret, Game of Thrones
In the new year he will be back on the road with long time collaborator Conor Grimes in Grimes & McKee’s New Ireland
FRANKIE MCCAFFERTYDIRECTOR
Frankie McCafferty is a Director, Actor and Writer. He has directed many of Grimes & McKee’s Christmas shows including The Nativity, What the Donkey Saw; Santa Claus, What the Reindeer Saw; Bah, Humbug! and Driving Home for Christmas.
As an actor he has played many roles on stage and screen, most recently in Derry Girls and Blue Lights, and including Ballykissangel, Vikings, Philomena, Angela’s Ashes, In the Name of the Father, Ripper Street and Any Time Now (written by cast member Ali White). He has won best actor awards from the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish Times for his stage work. He wrote and performed the one-man play Tintype, and has written a history play Godscursed which received a public reading as part of Prime Cut’s Verge series.
He directed the short films Brood (RTE), Flush (RTE), Filleann an Feall, starring a young Cillian Murphy (TG4), and The Devil, written by and starring the late James Ellis (BBC). He is from Donegal and trained at the Conservatoire National Superieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris on a scholarship awarded by the French Ministry of Culture and funded by the European Union.
STUART MARSHALLSET DESIGNER
Stuart’s previous Christmas designs at the Lyric include The Snowman, Season’s Greetings, Alice the Musical, Christmas Eve Can Kill You, Pinocchio, Howl!, Red Riding Hood, The Star Catcher, The Nativity: What the Donkey Saw, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Bah Humbug!, Charlotte’s Web, Mistletoe and Crime, New Years Eve Can Kill You, Peter Pan, Driving Home for Christmas, Sleeping Beauty and The Snow Queen
Seasonal designs elsewhere include Aladdin, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella (Waterfront Belfast); All Through the House (Tinderbox, Crescent Arts Centre); Christmas Eve Can Kill You (Belfast Civic Arts Theatre, Theatre at the Mill, Newtownabbey); and other versions of Hansel and Gretel at the Marketplace Theatre Armagh, Pavilion Theatre Dun Daoghaire and at the MAC Belfast.
NIAMH MOCKFORDCOSTUME DESIGNER
Niamh graduated with BA Hons in Textile Art, Design and Fashion at Ulster University, and completed her placement year at the Lyric Theatre, working on Alice: The Musical, Bah!, Humbug, Sweeney Todd (NI Opera), The 39 Steps, Dark of the Moon, and A Streetcar Named Desire. During that year she also worked at Springhill House National Trust as Costume Assistant, and Art Department Trainee on the movie Hope (EWTN). Shortly after graduating, Niamh’s dissertation, The Fantastical in Shakespeare, was published in the Textile Society’s annual journal, TEXT 2021.
Since 2021, Niamh has worked on Silverpoint (CBBC) as Costume Trainee and Principal Standby, Into The Woods (Northern Ireland Opera), Pinocchio: The Greatest Wonder of the Ages, The Gap Year, The Snow Queen, Romeo and Juliet (Lyric Theatre), Good Vibrations (Lyric Theatre, Grand Opera House), and Tosca (NI Opera, Grand Opera House) as Dresser and Costume Assistant.
Niamh has been the Costume Designer on The Ring of Steel and Belfast Entries: Explore the Labyrinth (Kabosh Theatre), The Trumpet and The King (Terra Nova Productions), Anne Boleyn (Drama Studio, Lyric Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Bardic Theatre), and Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas (Grimes & McKee, Lyric Theatre).
MARY TUMELTYLIGHTING DESIGNER
Mary Tumelty, born and lives in Belfast, graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2004 with a BA in Drama Studies. She trained at the Grand Opera House, Belfast in Lighting, Sound and Stage Management for two years. In 2006 she moved to a full- time permanent position within the Brian Friel Theatre at Queen’s University as a theatre instructor.
Recent Lighting design credits include; Abomination (Lyric Theatre - The Belfast Ensemble & Outburst Festival), which received an Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Opera 2020; Kindermusik (Belfast Children’s Festival); The Saviour (The Everyman Theatre, Cork - Landmark Productions); Body Politics (MAC, Belfast, Brian Friel Theatre - MACHA Productions); A Night in November (MAC, Belfast - Soda Bread Theatre Company); Pinocchio (Lyric Theatre); How to Bury a Dead Mule (Naughton Studio); Blue Stockings (Lyric Studio); Abomination (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); Birds of Passage in the Half Light (Gilded Balloon Edinburgh - Tinderbox); Propaganda (Lyric Theatre - Lyric Theatre & Belfast Ensemble); The Snow Queen (Lyric Theatre); Silent Trade (Naughton Studio - Kabosh Theatre Company); Agreement (Lyric Theatre); The Hen Do (Grand Opera House BelfastGBL); Burnt Out (Lyric Theatre); Rhino (Naughton Studio - Tinderbox); The Headless Soldier (Lyric Theatre); and Hansel & Gretel (Lyric Theatre).
Relights: The Dead An Opera (The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin); Backwards up a rainbow, Landmark Productions (Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire).
Film Credits: Ten Plagues (The Belfast Ensemble); Democracy Dances (Orchestra and Electronics collaboration); Ulster Orchestra and The Belfast Ensemble (Waterfront Hall); The Musician (Lyric TheatreThe Belfast Ensemble); Conversations with Friends (Lyric Theatre - CWF Productions, Element Pictures, BBC Three, Hulu)
Mary is delighted to be working on the production Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas for the Lyric’s Christmas show.
IAN VENNARDSOUND DESIGNER
Ian Vennard has worked at the Lyric Theatre since May 2016 and is currently the Senior Production Technician.
His Lyric Theatre credits include: Alice the Musical (2018); Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleetstreet: The Musical (A Lyric Theatre and Northern Ireland Opera co-production - 2019); and Kiss Me, Kate (A Lyric Theatre and Northern Ireland Opera co-production - 2020); Rough Girls (2021), Propaganda: A New Musical (A Lyric Theatre and Belfast Ensemble co-production 2022); Good Vibrations (Grand Opera House -Belfast and Irish Arts Centre - New York 2023)
Ian also has close ties with the Belfast Ensemble since their conception and credits include: Doppler Effect (2017); Fall of the House of Usher (2018); Young Pornographers (2019); Abomination – a DUP Opera (2019 & 2022 Irish Tour); Headless Soldier: An Opera Triptych (2023)
Into The Woods - Northern Ireland Opera: 2022 - Production Sound Designer
FRANKIE
MCILVANNAMUSICAL DIRECTOR AND ON STAGE MUSICIAN
Frankie McIlvanna, a session musician and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Collegelands, Armagh, graduated from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in 2015 with a BA in Contemporary Music Performance. Since then, Frankie has solidified a reputation as a versatile musician within the live music circuit, gracing stages across the UK and abroad, including prestigious venues like Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, London’s JW Marriott Grosvenor House, and the Nuremberg Concert Hall.
Often found performing with various pit bands, Frankie showcases mastery across a spectrum of musical genres and instruments—spanning from guitar, piano, and bass to mandolin, ukulele, drums, and saxophone. His embrace of music technology enables the creation of immersive soundscapes, heightening the enchantment of theatrical performances. With a background in musical band direction, Frankie brings a wealth of experience to provide valuable assistance.
Beyond performances, Frankie is a passionate advocate for music education, actively instructing at The Musicians Academy (Lisburn), Enact Music School (Belfast), and several schools in Northern Ireland.
Frankie’s innate musicality and unwavering dedication have propelled him toward an exciting pinnacle—the opportunity to grace the stage at the Lyric Theatre. This chance is deeply cherished and regarded as an honour to embrace.
SANDY CUTHBERTCHOREOGRAPHER
Sandy is a freelance dance and somatic artist and practitioner with a background in contemporary dance and movement improvisation. Qualifications include a BA (Hons) Creative Arts, PGCE, Post-graduate Certificate in Contemporary Dance & Choreography-London Contemporary
Dance School and a MA in Dance and Somatic Well-Being.
As a professional dancer she has worked as a commercial dancer, a circus performer and as a contemporary dancer, companies include: Diversions-The National Dance Company of Wales, In Transit, Maiden Voyage Dance, Off The Rails. Sandy recently returned to performing in ‘Epilogue’ premiered at the Belfast International Arts Festival 2021. She has over 20 years FE & HE dance lecturing experience. She continues to work as a Choreographer and Movement Director for Theatre Companies including The Lyric, Tinderbox, Kabosh and The Belfast Ensemble.
Sandy is a professional member of ISMETA-Registered Somatic Movement Educator. She currently works as ‘Engagement Coordinator’ for Maiden Voyage Dance, since retiring from the Company Manager post; facilitating Seasonal Somatic sessions in the natural world and Belfast Movement Choir. She has a BAFTA in Costume Design (film), is a qualified Garden Designer and has recently rekindled a passion as a textile artist.
