Ocras theatre group was formed in January 1995 (as The Irish Theatre Company), with the express intention of bringing the best of Irish Theatre to Cambridge audiences. We want our productions "to entertain, to have audiences enjoy themselves, to move them emotionally, to make them laugh, and cry, and gasp, and hold their breath, sit on the edge of their seats" and to "participate in lavish and luxurious goings on" (Friel quoting Guthrie).

Our primary commitment is to Irish Theatre but it is our intention to broaden our horizons. This is reflected in new writing, such as The Archway and Beautiful Dreamer by Patrick Corbett. The former deals with those Irish regiments that were disbanded in 1922 and which have largely been ignored. The latter has for its central character a person with intellectual disability and how she has brought people into community. Both plays were developed by the company by workshopping them prior to full production.

Colette Nicholls, the company's artistic director, joined in 2002, when she directed a new play "Fragments". In 2003 she has directed " Orpheus in the Underworld" as St Ives and "Romeo and Juliet" for One-Off productions. Collette has a BA in drama and Education from the University of Cambridge, where she specialised in directing. It was through her studies that she discovered a love of Irish Theatre. Since graduating, she was invited to join the drama department at Homerton college where she taught practice and craft.

She has run workshops on Irish Theatre for Cambridgeshire Community Education, 'Approaches to Staging a Production' for University of Cambridge Sixth Form Conference as well as running performance labs for a life-long learning community group. She has written a paper for a Lincolnshire Company, 'One 4 All', on theatre in the community and directed Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa for Cam Fest 2001. She has also directed for Menagerie Theatre based in Cambridge for its New Theatre Writing Festival Hotbed, and is also taking part in the company's innovative skill-share lab. She has been commissioned to work with a large community group of actors and singers on a production in the spring. In addition she works as a journalist and feature writer and is the arts correspondent for Cambridgeshire Life Magazine.

We are very grateful to our sponsors for their support. Our logo Muiredach's Cross in Monasterboice Co. Louth is used with the permission of the Irish Tourist Board 'Bord Failte'.