Meet The Team

The Creatives

Bill Whelan

Composer

As a composer, Bill Whelan has written extensively for theatre, dance, film and the concert stage. His film work includes “Dancing at Lughnasa” starring Meryl Streep, “Some Mother’s Son” featuring Helen Mirren and “Lamb” with Liam Neeson. Music for television includes The Seven Ages, Sean Ó Mordha’s history of the Irish State. He was appointed composer to the W.B. Yeats International Theatre Festival at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 1989, writing original music for 15 Yeats plays. His adaptation of HMS Pinafore received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination.
The Seville Suite was commissioned for Ireland’s National Day at Expo ’92 and was performed at the Maestranza in Seville. It has since received performances around the world including La Coruna, Shanghai, Caracas and New York. The Spirit Of Mayo followed in 1993 and was performed by an 85-piece orchestra and chorus in Dublin’s National Concert Hall. He was honoured with the 1997 Grammy Award for ‘Best Musical Show Album’ for the lyrics and music of Riverdance. The album is a certified Platinum record in the US, Ireland and Australia. The Connemara Suite, a trilogy of pieces written for chamber orchestra, premiered in Carnegie Hall in March 2005.
Bill Whelan’s Symphonic Suite from Riverdance has received its first performance in 2013. Linen & Lace, a flute concerto for Sir James Galway, was commissioned by Lyric FM to mark the Limerick City of Culture in 2014. A new musical, The Train, with lyrics by Arthur Riordan and music by Bill Whelan was performed in Limerick and Dublin in October 2015.
Bill’s production and arranging credits include U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, Richard Harris, Planxty, The Dubliners and many traditional world musicians and performers.

Moya Doherty

Producer

Moya Doherty’s career encompasses the creative industries, theatre, radio and television production and presentation, both in Ireland and internationally. She fronted a number of Arts, Features and documentary programmes for RTÉ. As Executive Producer, Moya produced a number of charity Telethons, the Eurovision Song Contest and the televising of the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics held in Ireland in 2003. Moya developed the original concept for Riverdance and was the Commissioning Producer for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1994. Moya has sat on a number of arts-related Boards including seven years as Chair of the Dublin International Theatre Festival, The Abbey Theatre, The Ark Children’s Theatre in Dublin, Business to Arts and Walnut Hill Arts School in Massachusetts. Moya has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ulster, University College Dublin & from the National University of Ireland in recognition of her ongoing commitment to the world of the arts in Ireland. Since 2014 she has been Chair of the RTE Public Service Media Board.

John McColgan

Director

John McColgan’s career as a multi-award-winning producer and director began in the mid-seventies at RTÉ Television where he went on to become Head of Entertainment. While in RTÉ he produced and directed a wide range of programming from light entertainment to drama to documentary. He was awarded a Jacob’s Television Award in 1980 for ‘the consistently high quality of his entertainment programming’. He was also Head of Weekend Entertainment at TVAM – ITV’s breakfast television service.

He played a key role in the evolution of Riverdance from the original seven minute dance number and went on to direct the full stage-show spectacular.

John has been closely involved with the Abbey Theatre – he was on the Board of the theatre for five years, served as Chairman of the Abbey Centenary Committee and directed a critically-acclaimed production of Dion Boucicault’s 19th century melodrama The Shaughraun. In May 2011 he produced a major theatrical event marking the historic State visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland. John is the director of the new music and dance stage spectacular Heartbeat of Home which had its world premiere in Dublin in October 2013 and has toured extensively to universal acclaim in North America and China.

John has received many awards during his career, including an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the National University of Ireland, in recognition of his services to the arts and entertainment industry.

He is also an accomplished photographer and is Ambassador for Trócaire, one of Ireland’s largest development agencies . The documentary This Is Palestine follows John on his journey through Gaza and the West Bank. His recent book of photographs Looking at the Same Moon, in aid of Trocaire documents the lives of people in Palestine and Guatemala.

Creative Team

Julian Erskine

Senior Executive Producer

Julian has worked in the entertainment industry for nearly 40 years. He started his career in stage management and after several years as a lighting designer and production manager he set up and managed Ireland’s first professional scenery supply company.

In 1989 he returned to the world of theatre as a free-lance producer and, in 1994, he joined the fledgling Riverdance team on a consultancy basis. A year later he was appointed Executive Producer and since then he has been responsible for all the Riverdance companies and productions worldwide.

From 2005 to 2010 he was a director of Long Road Productions, an independent entertainment production and management company and has recently formed his own company, Tumblehome Productions.

Joan Bergin

Costume Designer

Joan is one of Ireland’s best-known film costume designers. Film credits include My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father and Dancing at Lughnasa. She began her career in Theatre and Architectural Design, winning awards in both areas. She designed Brian Friel’s Translations on Broadway, and returned to New York’s Lincoln Center in 1999 for their Friel season.

More recently her work was seen on television in David Copperfield and on film in Veronica Guerin, directed by Joel Schumacher. Recent projects include The Prestige, shot in LA, and The Tudors, for which she has won three Emmys. She has also won two IFTAs for The Tudors.

Her most recent theatre work includes two Sam Shepard plays commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Kicking a Dead Horse and Ages of the Moon directed by the actor/playwright, and Henrik Ibsen’s John Gabriel Borkman starring Alan Rickman and at the Abbey. Joan is currently involved in a new adaptation of The Dead.

Michael O'Gorman

Sound Designer

Michael was born in London and completed his education at Trinity College, Dublin. On returning to England he founded his own sound company with Don McLean as his first client.

He was next approached by The Chieftains management to provide sound for their British tour. This relationship formed the basis for the development of his interest in sound design.

He has provided sound design for diverse artistic requirements, including Bill Whelan’s The Seville Suite and The Spirit of Mayo, Eurovision ’93, ’94, ’95, The Shaughraun (The Abbey), The Wiremen, Aïda, Handel’s Messiah (250th anniversary at The Point), Sweeney Todd (The Gate), Mother Goose, Beauty and The Beast and Cinderella (The Gaiety).

Padraic Moyles

Associate Director and Brand Manager

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Padraic emigrated to New York when he was nine. Aged twelve, he starred as the principal in the off Broadway production of Grandchild of Kings, directed by Harold Prince. Dancing under the tutelage of Donny Golden, he joined Riverdance in 1997, and
became Dance Captain and Principal Dance. In 2006 he joined The Pirate Queen on Broadway, before returning to Riverdance in 2008. He has performed for heads of state from around the world, and he has performed on and choreographed for a number of high profile television shows such as Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. Padraic is proud of his continued involvement in Riverdance as Associate Director and Brand Manager and gives special thanks to the team who deliver the show every night and to his wife Niamh, daughter Juliette May, son Harrison Rhys, his father, brothers, and sister for their support. He dedicates all his work to his late mother Christine Moyles.

For High Res

PETER CANNING

Lead Designer for High Res

A graduate of Ravensbourne University London, Peter Canning is Head Designer and Technical
Creative Director at High Res Lighting, Dublin. He was part of the team for the London Olympic Games, and Associate Lighting Designer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sochi Winter Games; this team won an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lighting Design for a Variety Special’. His work includes the GAA 125 Celebrations and Skyfest for the St. Patrick’s Festival. TV credits include Dancing With the Stars, The Voice of Ireland, Blind Date, Deal or No Deal, RTÉ’s show Centenary and the televised Croke Park leg of Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland. Co-founder of WHATSIT and as a pioneer of projection mapping and architectural lighting in Ireland, he has lit some of Ireland’s most iconic buildings and spectacular festivals.

ALAN FARQUHARSON

Set Designer

Alan Farquharson studied at NCAD in Dublin and subsequently joined RTÉ, Ireland’s national television service . His work there ranged from drama to features and many of the station’s prime entertainment shows, notably the Eurovision Song Contest in both 1993 and 1995. During this time he also regularly worked in theatre and since leaving RTÉ his theatre work has continued with a host of acclaimed productions on the Irish stage and abroad, in particular for the Abbey Theatre and Rough Magic. He has been production designer on several Irish feature films and numerous television productions including the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, The Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony and The World Festival Of Families. He lectures part-time on the BA (Hons) Design for Stage and Screen course at Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) in Dublin.

ANDREW VOLLER

Lighting Designer

Andrew is an experienced lighting designer and has worked as a moving light programmer for many theatrical productions as well as large scale television events and productions. Andrew studied on a theatre electrics YTS (Youth Training Scheme) at Westminster College (formally Paddington College). Andrew worked for Vari-Lite Europe Limited (later to become VLPS) first as a Service Technician, then as the Training Manager and finally as a moving light programmer. Whilst programming for several of the UK's top lighting designers (Rick Fisher, Howard Harrison, Hugh Vanstone), he covered the role of the associate lighting designer. Andrew's first big break in lighting design was to light a production of 'Hair' in Vienna in 2001 which led on him lighting many productions in Continental Europe. Andrew is also the creator and developer of Moving Light Assistant
Awards: All Shook Up - Love Me Tender was nominated for Best Lighting Design, John Kraaijkamp Musical Awards 2010.

COSMO AV

Motion Graphics

The Cosmo team concieve, stage & direct giant video projections for live entertainement, big events, shows & corporate. Cosmo is specialist in image creation & image set designing for large format projection. Our agency works all around the world.