Kathryn O'Reilly

Kathryn O'Reilly is a British actress and playwright.

Early life and education

O'Reilly began acting in local youth theatre in Surrey before going to the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.

O'Reilly attended the BRIT Performing Arts School. Whilst there, she also attended Anna Scher and Ken Campbell classes.

In 2008, O'Reilly trained from a Bachelor of Arts at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). There, she won the original poetry writing competition two years consecutively; in 2007 with her poem Him and Me and in 2008 with Klink Klank Echoes that she performed with fellow classmate Gary Carr.

In her first year of training at LAMDA, she landed the role of Penny Collins in The Bill. In the second year, she started filming on the award-winning feature film Zebra Crossing directed by Sam Holland. She also acted in many productions at LAMDA, including: Breaking Barriers In Burnley, Twelfth Night, Blue Remembered Hills, After The Accident (directed by Edwina Casey), Peter Pan and Desdemona.

Career

Theatre O'Reilly's theatre work includes work with touring theatre company Out Of Joint. She gave over 318 performances playing Liz Morden in Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good. She received positive reviews: Michael Billington of The Guardian said she was "hugely impressive as the flinty thief who ultimately saves her neck by discovering her voice" ; Charles Spencer of The Telegraph said she gave "a brilliantly sparky and furious performance as one of the most disaffected prisoners" ; TC Daily Planet Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis described her performance as "prize-worthy" Time Out said that "the emotional blossoming of Kathryn O’Reilly’s hard-nosed Liz Morden is poignant and painful." ; and The Standard said that she "is memorably intense as the sour Liz Morden, who rigidly resists authority."

Playwriting O'Reilly's debut play was Screwed, which premiered at Theatre503 from June to July 2016. It was published by Nick Hern Books. It was directed by Sarah Meadows, who was nominated for an Offie for Best Director. The play was described by Tom Wicker of Time Out as “A witty look at female friendship in a broken society...An assured debut, at times sharply observed and bruisingly funny”. It also received a positive review from London Theatre, who called it a “very unpleasant and yet strangely compelling play”

O'Reilly's second play Poisoned Polluted premiered at Old Red Lion Theatre in 2019. It was published by Nick Hern Books. She starred in the play alongside Anna Doolan. Both actresses were nominated for the Offie for Best Female Performance on a Play.

Performance history

Theatre

Filmography

Television

Film