Janet Behan

Playwright & Actor

Janet, niece of the celebrated playwright Brendan Behan, has theatre in her blood; her antecedents include theatre managers, poets, songsmiths (Janet’s great-uncle, Peadar Kearney composed the lyrics of the Irish National Anthem) and dramatists. She trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama and has worked in the theatre in one capacity or another – acting, singing, writing, producing and directing – ever since.

She is the writer of “Brendan at the Chelsea”, which started life at the National Theatre Studio and was one of the first productions in the opening season at the newly rebuilt Lyric Theatre, Belfast. The Lyric production toured to New York, Belfast, Dublin and Derry in 2013.