FESTIVAL STAFF

Laurie Uprichard
Director

Laurie Uprichard has served a long and successful career dedicated to the development of contemporary dance and
arts. A former dancer, she performed with Kei Takei’s Moving Earth for five years, as well as with Irene Feigenheimer, Barbara Roan and Wendy Woodson. In 1984 Laurie became involved in Dance Theater Workshop, with which she remained affiliated until 1991, serving as Managing Director and Co-Producer in her final three years with the organisation. Following that experience, Laurie became Managing Director of Urban Bush Women until 1992 and remained on as Producing Director until 1996. She was appointed Executive Director of Danspace Project in New York in 1992 and remained there for a 15 year tenure before leaving to join the Dublin Dance Festival in 2007. During her time at Danspace she was credited with increasing the budget, expanding services to artists, developing outreach opportunities and building audiences.

Caroline Williams
Programme Manager

Caroline Williams has worked in arts management in various capacities over the last couple of decades. In the 1990s, she was a founding member and producer with the independent theatre company, Glasshouse Productions. She co-edited (with Anna McMullan) the Contemporary Drama section of ‘The Field Day Anthology of Irish Literature, Volume V’ (Cork University Press, 2002). She was Research Director with Irish Theatre Institute (2002-2008) and managed their Irish Playography and Irish Theatre Artists online projects. She served as a board member of ENICPA (European Network of Information Centres for the Performing Arts). She was Publications Editor/Special Events Coordinator for the 2008 Dublin Theatre Festival. Her novel ‘Pretending’ was published by Penguin Ireland in 2006, and reprinted in 2007.

Eleanor Creighton
Marketing & Press Officer

Eleanor joined DDF in January 2009. Having trained full-time at The College of Dance, Monkstown for one year she went on to receive a BA in Dance Studies with Psychology from Roehampton University in London. On her return to Dublin, Eleanor worked for Traidlinks, a Development NGO, and on a freelance basis for Croi Glan Integrated Dance Company.

Tiina Ylönen
Finance & Admin Officer

Tiina Ylõnen joined the DDF team in January 2010. After receiving a BA with Honours in Tourism & Finance in Mikkeli University Of Applied Sciences, she came to live and work in Ireland in 2000. Having worked in Tourism, Finance & Procurement she moved on to become an Administrator with the (Absolut) Dublin Fringe Festival for 2.5 years and gained further festival experience with the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival in 2009.