Francesca Goodridge

Francesca is a Welsh, working class theatre director from Swansea and is newly appointed Artistic Director of Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.  Previously, she was Associate Artistic Director at Theatr Clwyd and the first recipient of the Carne Traineeship for Directors in Wales. She is part of the inaugural cohort of female directors selected for Warner Bros. Access programme in partnership with Waterloo Road and the BBC and has recently been a shadow director on series 17.

Francesca trained with the National Theatre Directors’ Course, the RSC’s Directing Shakespeare Course and at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where she was awarded the Ensemble Prize for performance.

Predominantly working with new writing and reimagined classics, Francesca creates multi discipline, non-naturalistic theatre that champions unheard voices through dynamic storytelling. Incorporating music and movement to challenge the way that stories are told, she is interested in extraordinary real-life stories from everyday people, giving audiences a truly unexpected, theatrical experience.

Selected theatre credits include Nye (National Theatre / Wales Millennium Centre, Revival Co-Director); Snake in the Grass (Theatr Clwyd / Bolton Octagon); Rope, Sleeping Beauty: A Rock ’n’ Roll Panto (Nominated for Best Production at Panto Awards 2024); A Pretty Sh*tty Love, Truth or Dare, Once Upon a Christmas (Theatr Clwyd); Faustus: That Damned Woman (Storyhouse Theatre); The True Adventures of Marian and Robin Hood, The Brothers Grimm Presents 'Cinderella' (Barn Theatre); Rapunzel: A Rock ’n’ Roll Panto (Liverpool Everyman, Nominated for Best Production at Panto Awards 2025); Sorter (Swansea Grand Theatre); The Crocodile (Cornerstone Theatre); Adam and Eve and Steve (King’s Head Theatre); Shout! The Mod Musical (Royal Court Liverpool); Let The Right One In (Leeds City Varieties); Constellations (RWCMD); Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, Philistines, Posh (LIPA); The Future (National Youth Theatre of Wales); Carousel (Mountview).