STAFF / LUCHd-obrach
Seona McClintock
Creative Director (full-time)
Seona is a creative producer from Glasgow. She has had a varied and enjoyable career working across arts and media, both in Gaelic and English. She previously worked for Theatre Gu Leòr as Company Co-ordinator, during which time she produced touring show, Cèilidh, and has returned to the company in the role of Creative Director and CEO.
Seona began her career working in the BBC’s Gaelic department as a researcher for children’s and arts TV programmes. After studying English and Drama in London, and a spell working in Italy, she returned to the industry in Scotland. She has held producing and artist development roles at a range of organisations such as National Theatre of Scotland and Magnetic North, as well as managing a freelance portfolio of work with independent artists.
More recently, Seona worked as Producer at Eden Court in Inverness, with responsibility for Gaelic and Traditional Arts. She produced and programmed their flagship summer music festival, Under Canvas, which was nominated for Event of the Year at the Trad Awards. She also commissioned new installation, music and theatre works, and created the organisation’s first Gaelic strategy. Seona joins Theatre Gu Leòr from the post of Artistic Producer at Tron Theatre.
Outside of work Seona is an avid film fan, sock knitter and reader. She volunteers with Glasgow City Football Club’s media team and is attempting to travel the world one stadium at a time.
Rhona Dougall
Company Manager (part-time)
Rhona is from Oban. She started working full-time in arts and community development when she after graduating from the University of Glasgow in 2005.
With director Aileen Ritchie, she was involved in establishing a youth drama project with young refugees called Knightswood Youth Theatre, which continues today as Ignite Arts, and with which Rhona is still involved as a board member. In 2013 she started a new online magazine in Gaelic, Dàna, with other young speakers.
From 2016 to 2020 she was arts co-ordinator at The Rockfield Centre, Oban. She is currently chair of the Touring Network board of directors, which supports live performance events in the Highlands and Islands.
In 2022 she completed an MA Art & Social Practice at University of the Highlands and Islands, looking at community arts and contemporary Gaelic identities. Away from work, she plays the fiddle badly and sings in the band Album Club.
Claire Frances MacNeil
Production Assistant (part-time)
Claire Frances was brought up in Barra and Fort William with Gàidhlig as her home language. Growing up, she was involved in music and acting and after high school she moved to Stornoway to work with MG ABLA before moving to the city to do a degree in Gaelic at the University of Glasgow where she was president of the Ossianic Society (2021-22).
Claire Frances started presenting on Cbeebies ALBA in 2018 before achieving an acting role in the children’s program “Plòigh Project” (2022) and progressing onto adult drama with the comedy sketch show “OMC !” (2022 & 2023) and monolog “Marloch and Metagame” (2023). She also does voice-overs for cartoons from time to time. With experience of stage drama, Claire Frances has worked with: Fèisean nan Gàidheal with Pantomime (2022) and Meanbh-Culiag (2024); An Lòchran on comedy plays (2023); and with Theater Gu Leòr as a consultant on accent for “Stornoway Quebec” (2023).
When Claire Frances is not working with Theater Gu Leòr, she is at university studying a postgraduate MMus Gaelic Song at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; at the University of Glasgow where she teaches Gaelic classes; or to be found in different corners of the country visiting friends. If she had any choice of what to do with her free time, she would be outside in a vegetable garden – but unfortunately her flat in Glasgow is a bit too small for that.
Tanya MacDonald
Strabang! Director – National Gaelic Youth Theatre (part-time)
Originally from the Isle of Skye, Tanya went through Gaelic medium education before moving to Edinburgh to study Acting and Performance at the Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS). Whilst completing her studies Tanya found that her passion lay in directing and leading drama workshops.
After studying she worked with Feisean nan Gaidheal as a tutor with their Feisgoil programme using drama and songs to teach Gaelic in schools where Gaelic is taught as an additional language (L1+2), assisting at Sgoil Shamraidh Dràma in 2019 and running a Gaelic Drama Club at Bun Sgoil Gháidhlig Phort Rìgh in 2021. Most recently she has been working as a freelance artist with Eden Court Theatre running Gaelic Drama workshops for pupils in P5-S3.
In 2019 she founded Higgledy Piggledy Productions, which specialises in local Scottish stories, female-led theatre and the Gaelic Language. In 2022 Tanya produced and directed an original children’s theatre performance ‘The Flag, the Flood and a Fairy Called Flo,’ written by Skye playwright Lana Pheutan and produced in collaboration with Dunvegan Castle. The show was performed in the Dunvegan Castle Gardens as part of a community “Fairies and Chief’s Day,” celebrating local folklore. More recently she directed ‘PALS” written by Scottish playwright Mirren Wilson which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 with Gilded Balloon.
Outside the world of theatre Tanya loves travelling and exploring new places, having spent time in Australia and New Zealand and interrailing around Europe.
Our Board / Ar Bòrd
Michelle MacLeod
Chairperson
Michelle, originally from Lewis, is Professor of Gaelic at the University of Aberdeen. She has been interested in Gaelic drama since she participated in the Gaelic youth drama school when she was a student. She has written a number of essays about Gaelic drama and the book she edited A Century of Gaelic Drama won the Donald Meek prize in 2021.
Before she worked in Aberdeen University, Michelle was previously the Language Planning Manager at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the first Director at The Columba Centre, Islay and a lecturer in Galway University, Ireland. Some of her other current commitments include being the Chair of the Catherine McCaig Trust, which supports Gaelic education initiatives, being a member of the UK’s Strategic Committee for Languages in Higher Education, and being a board member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
Michael John O’Neill
Treasurer
Michael is a playwright and freelance producer. He previously worked at the Tron Theatre as Creative Producer and in this role, Michael expanded the theatre’s artistic development strategy into a core activity termed Tron Theatre CREATIVE, he managed a network of residencies, awards and provided platform opportunities that supported artists to make the best use of the venue to signal boost their work and practice. Michael’s other responsibilities at the Tron included working with the Artistic Director on the in-house and visiting programme, exploring and negotiating new creative partnerships, and line-producing select Tron Theatre Company productions. As a Glasgow-based producer, Michael has also worked with companies including National Theatre of Scotland, Tramway, The Arches, Blood of the Young, Little King, Bijli and SUPERFAN.
Mairi Taylor
Mairi began her arts and equalities career after her masters degree in 2003. Since then she has worked across Scotland, the UK and internationally. Mairi has experience as a producer, project manager, consultant, trainer and artist. From 2010 – 2016 she was director of flip – Disability Equality in the Arts with Robert Gale.
She is currently Executive Producer at Birds of Paradise Theatre Company. Mairi believes that building relationships – whether with audiences, partners or collaborators – brings about real change through increased confidence and understanding and is interested in the parallels between the disabled and the Gaelic arts sectors. Mairi has a BFA MA Hons Oxon from the Ruskin (1999) and an MFA from Duncan of Jordanstone (2003).
She is learning Gaelic (slowly!).
Rosemary Ward
Rosemary was brought up on the Hebridean island of South Uist where she began her lifelong involvement with the Gaelic language. She started to learn Gaelic when she attended Garrynamonie Primary and she completed her school education, gaining formal qualifications in Gaelic, in the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway.
She trained as a primary teacher and was the first Gaelic Medium immersion teacher appointed to the Sir John Maxwell Gaelic Unit in Glasgow. She went on have a long association with the development of Gaelic education in Argyll and Bute Council before becoming the Education Director for Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
In 2010, she became the Director of the Gaelic Books Council and steered the organisation to the position it now enjoys as the lead organisation for Gaelic literature. She is currently the Director of Programme at Scottish Book Trust and maintains her links with Gaelic through her voluntary work as Secretary of Urras Brosnachaidh na Gàidhlig (The Gaelic Language Promotion Trust). She has two children, Sean and Eilidh, and lives in Dumbarton with her husband Gerard.
Gàidhlig