Shane Dempsey is a working-class Irish director working in London and beyond. He trained at The National Theatre Studio and E15 Acting School. He is currently being mentored by Imogen Knight under Stage Directors UK Mentoring Scheme.
He was Staff Director to Ian Rickson on his production of Translations by Brian Friel, National Theatre. In 2021, he worked as an assistant to Nadia Fall on Shining City Stratford East.
His recent work includes the critically acclaimed Continuity by Gerry Moynihan Finborough Theatre. About Last Night, a verbatim response to The General Election 2017 Arcola Theatre, 13 by Mike Bartlett Clifftown Theatre, The Non-Stop Connolly Show Finborough Theatre, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov in a new version by Hannah Burke The Bussey Building and Te Pooka Edinburgh, Seven Jewish Children by Caryl Churchill Arcola Theatre, LOL by Lee Mattinson Clifftown Theatre, Southend-on-Sea, The Bay by Hannah Burke Theatre503, The Space and Te Pooka, Edinburgh and The Girl In The Box by Alex Jones Clifftown Theatre, Southend-on-Sea, and RADA Studios.
He is currently working as Movement Director on Hamlet National Theatre. Recent projects include: Migrante, by Pepa Duarte, Eating Myself by Pepa Duarte for CASA Festival at The Arcola. Which was then produced at The Kings Head ,Theatre Peckham and Wardrope Ensemble in 2022. His recent work includes Stagecraft’s 20 Year anniversary production of The Fight funded by Arts Council of Ireland, Young Ensemble Scheme. He led the movement practise on the R&D phase of Motherlode's production of The Good Earth by Rachael Boulton at Wales Millennium Centre. For Fragments, he developed a practice that was inspired by Meyerhold’s work on Bio-mechanics and Grotowski. Internationally, he's led workshops in movement and ensemble practise in New York and devised movement projects with young people in China.
Assistant Direction includes assisting Nicolas Kent Called to Account Tricycle Theatre, Jamie Lloyd on The Caretaker Tricycle Theatre, Suzanne Gorman on Moonwalking In Chinatown Soho Theatre.
He ran Stagecraft from 1998 to 2016 – one of Ireland's leading youth theatres programming work from Moira Buffini, Simon Stephens, Lee Mattinson, Enda Walsh, Hannah Burke and Jack Thorne. He is also the founding member of Fragments, a dynamic physical ensemble in London.
Shane was funded by The Arts Council of Ireland to train as a director . He went on to be invited to observe Lev Dodin of the Maly Theatre of St Petersburg in Paris and has also observed actor training in Moscow at the Vakhtangov Theatre. He has also led workshops in New York, Shanghai, Bangkok, Chengdu, Moscow and Beijing.
His work also includes a landmark digital film archive, Mothers Of Modern Ireland – A People's History.