Cora Bissett

Cora Bissett
Born Fife, Scotland
Alma mater RSAMD
Occupation actor, director and musician

Cora Bissett is a Scottish actor, director and musician. As a director she has created Amada, Roadkill, Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story, Glasgow Girls and Room. As an actor she has had regular appearances in the television programmes Rab C. Nesbitt and High Times. She is an associate director at the National Theatre of Scotland.

Early life

Bissett was born in Fife, Scotland. In 1993 she went to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) to studied theatre, graduated with a BA in Dramatic Studies in 1997.[1][2]

Directing career

Amada

In 2007, she created Amada with three actors. It was an adaptation of an Isabel Allende story about a woman whose personality changes as a result of an accident.[3] Bissett was the joint winner of the 2007 Arches Award for new directors for Amada.[4][5]

Roadkill

Roadkill, was a 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show about sex trafficking.[6] The performance at the Theatre Royal Stratford East won an Olivier Award in 2012.[7]

Glasgow Girls

In 2011 she wrote the musical Glasgow Girls about a group of activists that took up an ethical fight against the deportation of asylum seekers who had settled in Scotland.[8] In 2013 the show was shortlisted for best musical production at the UK Theatre Awards.[9]

Janis Joplin

In 2013 she produced Peter Arnott's 45 minute play about Janis Joplin.[10]

Grit

Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story was created by as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games cultural programme.[11] After being conceived by Bissett, it was written by Kieran Hurley.[12] Bisset directed the show, having worked in close collaboration with his friends and family to create the show.[12] It premiered at the Tramway in Glasgow in May 2014, then was performed in Mull.[13] It was named event of the year at the 2014 Scots Trad Music Awards.[14]

Room

She wrote the music for a stage version of Emma Donoghue's book Room, along with Kathryn Joseph.[15] which was produced by Theatre Royal Stratford East and Dublin's Abbey Theatre, in association with National Theatre of Scotland and Covent Garden Productions.[16][17]

National Theatre of Scotland

In 2014 she became a part-time associate director at the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS).[18]

Acting career

In 2009 Bissett won the Best Actress at Stage Awards for Acting Excellence.

Bissett appeared regularly in the comedy series Rab C. Nesbitt, as a barmaid.[19] She appeared in High Times. She also appeared in 2006 film Red Road.[6]

Musical career

In 2012 she collaborated with David Greig, Swimmer One and other artists to put on Whatever gets you through the night at The Arches.[20][21]

References

  1. ↑ McMillan, Joyce (5 January 2017). "Ones to watch in 2017 - director Cora Bissett". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Alumni > Drama > Cora Bissett". Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Taking the stage". The Scotsman. 31 March 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "New voices, new directions and no resting on their laurels". The Herald. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "My Cultural Life: Cora Bissett". Scotland on Sunday. 8 April 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 "'I woke up one morning with bondage straps on either side of the bed. I've really got to start dividing life and art'". The Guardian. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "Full list: Olivier award winners 2012". The Guardian. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Asylum fight to move centre stage". The Scotsman. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (26 September 2013). "Cora Bissett's Glasgow Girls up for theatre award". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  10. ↑ McMillan, Joyce (14 November 2013). "Theatre review: Janis Joplin: Full Tilt, Glasgow". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  11. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (20 May 2014). "Martyn Bennett story should tour world – director". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  12. 1 2 Miller, Phil (3 May 2014). "Inside Track: Celebrating a musician whose short life was lived to the full". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  13. ↑ McMillan, Joyce (7 June 2014). "Theatre review: Grit - The Martyn Bennett Story". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  14. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (13 December 2014). "Trad Music Awards: Martyn Bennett Story victorious". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  15. ↑ Eaton-Lewis, Andrew (2 May 2017). "Interview: Director Cora Bissett on bringing hit novel Room to the stage". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  16. ↑ Billington, Michael (11 May 2017). "Room review – Emma Donoghue's story of survival is ingeniously staged". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  17. ↑ Didcock, Barry (23 April 2017). "Scottish theatre director Cora Bissett on what attracted her to Room, and how she persuaded its author, Emma Donoghue, to let her". The Herald. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  18. ↑ McMillan, Joyce (3 January 2015). "NTS director Laurie Sansom plots 2015 strategy". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  19. ↑ "Interview: Rab C Nesbitt actors Iain Robertson and Cora Bissett". Scotland on Sunday. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  20. ↑ Eaton-Lewis, Andrew (13 June 2012). "A little help from my friends". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  21. ↑ Fisher, Mar (29 June 2012). "Whatever Gets You Through the Night – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
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