Gemma Whelan is an Irish-born theatre director and educator. She is founding artistic director of corrib theatre in Portland, Oregon, and Wilde Irish Productions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gemma has directed more than seventy-five stage productions and is also an award-winning screenwriter, film director, and published novelist. She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, and has graduate degrees from UC Berkeley in Theatre and San Francisco State in Cinema. Gemma lives in Portland, Oregon. Member SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

“extraordinary artistry as a theatre practitioner...a director of talent and distinction” John Fisher; Executive Director, Theatre Rhinoceros “Gemma is a tireless director, with a demanding sense of perfectionism and the highest of theatrical standards.” Gary Graves; Company Co-director, Central Works
“Artistically versatile, perceptive, and highly desciplined, Gemma Whelan is a gifted director.” Sue Daly; Theater Designer, Sunsaura “She is an outstanding, greatly respected director. She earns praise from performers, critics, and actors across the spectrum from classical drama to cutting edge productions.” Nina Hersch Gableko; Director, Academically Talented Development Program, UC Berkeley “Gemma’s directing is always extraordinarily intelligent and perceptive.” Clive Chafer; Founding Artistic Director, TheatreFirst
“I regard my work with Gemma as among the very best theatre experiences of my career.” Kathleen Turco-Lyon; Actor and playwright, New York City “Gemma is, as her name indicates, a true gem of the theatre.” Carolyn Cox; Actor and producer