Kareen Pennefather is the artistic director of Monkeyshine Theatre. She is also a writer, director, performer and arts facilitator.

After graduating with a degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Ulster in 1999, Kareen founded Monkeyshine with a group of fellow students. She took sole charge of the company in 2003 and has been creating theatre for young audiences since that time. Her work is based on a love of stories, a passion for making things, and a desire to work collaboratively with artists from a variety of art forms.
Kareen began writing for theatre in 2004, when her first play Meg’s Head was produced by Replay productions. She is currently Writer-in-residence on the Write Now project with Replay were she is working on a new play called 'The School Underneath'

Paul Meade is a writer, director, actor and Artistic Director of Gúna Nua theatre. Paul trained at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College, and later received an M.A. in modern drama from U.C.D.

Work as a writer includes Meltdown, Trousers, Mushroom and Scenes from a Water Cooler with David Parnell (winner Best Production 2001 Dublin Fringe Festival), Skin Deep (for which he received the Stewart Parker Award) and Thesis with Gerry Dukes and David Parnell as well as Begotten Not Made for the Irish Council for Bioethics. Work for young people includes Light Signals for Team Educational theatre company in Dublin.