David Hennessy has been involved in musical theatre for over 30 years, directing and choreographing award-winning productions across Waterford and Ireland. He trained in Theatre Studies at Waterford College of Further Education and has gone on to direct an extensive range of shows, including Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar, Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Bonnie & Clyde, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, many of which have received national recognition.

His 2012 production of Les Misérables swept the boards at the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, taking eight awards including Best Director and Best Overall Show. Most recently, David directed Up Down Boy, which won four Green Room Awards — including Best Director and Best Male Performance for Sean Upton — and was featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide. The production raised €5,000 for Down Syndrome Waterford/South Kilkenny Branch, underlining David’s commitment to advocacy and inclusion in the arts.

In addition to his directing career, David founded his own stage school in 2006, providing children and young adults of all abilities with opportunities to build confidence, make friends, and perform in full-scale productions each year. His work consistently champions inclusion, individuality, and the power of theatre to transform lives.

David brings over three decades of professional experience, a deep commitment to inclusive arts practice, and a proven track record of supporting artists with intellectual disabilities to create meaningful, high-quality work that resonates with audiences.

Seán Upton is an actor, dancer and artist with Down Syndrome based in Waterford. He is passionate about advocacy for others with intellectual disabilities, and sees his multidisciplinary arts practice as a means of fostering connection and community, through humour, sensitivity, and contagious joy.

Previous credits include the role of Jack O’Leary in David Hennessy’s production of Up Down Boy at St. Patrick’s Gateway Waterford in October 2024, for which he received a Green Room Award for Best Male Performance in an Amateur Drama. Seán is also a member of the Traces dance Ensemble at the Garter Lane Arts Centre in Waterford, and was a performer in the Glór Dance Project in association with Creative Ireland’s Creative Youth Nurture Fund in 2025 at the National Concert Hall., as well as in many public performances with the Traces Dance Ensemble from 2017-present.

Sean is a member of the Arts Connect creative programme at the Brothers of Charity (Pathfinders) Day Services, and has featured in several Brothers of Charity Services productions including; Here We Go Again (cast member 2025), Lets get Real (Big Boss 2024) and Strictly Spooky (Dancer 2024), and has also exhibited with Arts Connect at GOMA and the Waterford Central Library in 2024.

Seán is currently collaborating with Director David Hennessy on script and character development for the Scene and Heard Production of Up the Déise, which will be staged at the Theatre Royal in Waterford in October 2026. Seán’s parents, John & Maura, are Trustees of Scene and Heard Productions.

Brenda Giles started her stage career at an early age when her dad Denny Corcoran put her in a sketch at 5 years old. She was involved in many Tops shows in the 80s and 90s including Nokia, The Glass, and Rayban.

She joined the Waterford Panto Society in 1985, and has performed in every production since then until the present day. She has performed in many musicals with local societies including Little Shop of Horrors, and David Hennessy’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She has appeared in plays including Stags & Hens, Calendar Girls, Hot Flush, and Steel Magnolias.

She is a founding member of local comedy group Bilberry Goats, a trustee of Scene and Heard Productions, and appeared in a starring role in Up Down Boy in 2024. Brenda is also a lead actor and workshop facilitator for the forthcoming Scene and Heard production of Up the Déise.

Jim Nolan is a playwright and theatre director, a founder member and Artistic Director of Red Kettle Theatre Company, a former Writer in Association at the Abbey Theatre and Arts Council supported Theatre Artist in Residence at Garter Lane. His plays have been presented throughout Ireland, in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada and he has worked as a writer and director with some of Ireland’s leading theatre companies.

Jim has won several awards for his work, including Sunday Independent Play of the Year for The Salvage Shop and Irish Times Theatre Awards Best New Play nominations for The Salvage Shop and Dreamland. In 2025, Jim was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Waterford News & Star Green Room Awards. Jim’s latest play, Castel Gandolfo, opened at Garter Lane Theatre, Waterford, in October, 2024.