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Debbie Hannan was an IAS Creative Fellow in 2021-22 and a Visiting Research Fellow in 2022-23.
Debbie Hannan is a theatre director, dramaturg and maker, as well as a writer and director for film and TV. Debbie's work often focuses on narratives centring disabled, working class, queer, gender non-conforming characters and work that is formally innovative and structurally playful. Their work borrows from pop culture, visual art, queer theory, music videos and contemporary dance. She primarily works on new writing with playwrights, developing plays and directing productions. Her work has been on at the Royal Court, the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Young Vic, Soho Theatre, the Traverse Theatre, the Tron Theatre, Compañía Nacional de Teatro (Mexico) and more. They were Associate Director at the The Bunker Theatre as well as Incoming Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre, and are represented by Independent Talent. They trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and as Trainee Director at the Royal Court.
She is currently Associate Artist for the National Theatre of Scotland and Stockroom Theatre, and is directing a short for Film 4. She frequently facilitates workshops in directing, playwriting, improving disabled access in theatre and cultivating creativity.
As part of her work with Stockroom, Debbie has helped to develop the running of the first writers room for theatre. Working with the company's six salaried writers, Debbie has delved deep into collaborative writing methods, with a focus on interrogating class and amplifying working class stories.
