Cora Bissett (born 1974) is a Scottish theatre director, playwright, actor and musician. As a director she has created ''Amada'', ''Roadkill'', ''Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story'', ''Glasgow Girls'' and ''Room''. As an actor she had regular appearances in the television programmes '' Rab C. Nesbitt'' and ''

High Times ''High Times'' was an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade. The magazine had its own book publishing d ...

''. She is an associate director at the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

Early life

Bissett was born in

Glenrothes Glenrothes ( ; ; , ) is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it the third largest settlement in Fife and the 18th most populous locality in Scotland. Glenroth ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, Scotland. She was the lead singer in the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band ''Darlingheart'' who released one album in 1993 before splitting up. The band received favourable write-ups with the Scottish music press making Bissett a cover star. Her time in the band was the inspiration for her autobiographical play, ''What Girls Are Made Of'', which debuted at the 2018

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. In 1995 she was the singer in the band, ''Swelling Meg'', a three-piece "comprising acoustic guitar, bowed double-bass and Bissett's athletic voice". They performed at that year's

T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...

festival. Between 1993 and 1997 she attended the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama () is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and film in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Founde ...

(RSAMD) where she studied theatre, graduating with a BA in Dramatic Studies.

Directing career

''Amada''

In 2007, she devised ''Amada'' with three actors. It was an adaptation of an

Isabel Allende Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (; born 2 August 1942) is a Chilean-American writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the magical realism genre, is known for novels such as '' The House of the Spirits'' (''La casa de los espír ...

short story about a woman whose personality changes as a result of an accident. Bissett was the joint winner of the 2007 Arches Award for new directors for ''Amada''.

''Roadkill''

''Roadkill'', was a 2010

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

show devised by Bissett and Stef Smith about sex trafficking. The performance at the

Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford East (formerly known as Theatre Royal Stratford East) is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with di ...

won an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

in 2012.

''Glasgow Girls''

In 2011 she conceived the musical ''Glasgow Girls'' with book by David Greig about a group of activists who took up an ethical fight against the deportation of asylum seekers who had settled in Scotland. In 2013 the show was shortlisted for best musical production at the UK Theatre Awards.

''Whatever Gets You Through The Night''

In 2012 she collaborated with David Greig, Swimmer One and other artists to create ''Whatever gets you through the night'' at The Arches.

''Janis Joplin: Full Tilt''

In 2013 she directed Peter Arnott's short play about ''

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

''.

''Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story''

''Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story'' was created by as part of the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

cultural programme. After being conceived by Bissett, it was written by playwright Kieran Hurley. Bissett directed the show, having worked in close collaboration with Bennett's friends and family to create the show. It premiered at the Tramway in Glasgow in May 2014, then was performed in Mull. It was named event of the year at the 2014

Scots Trad Music Awards The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media an ...

''Room''

In addition to directing, Bissett co-wrote the music for a stage version of

Emma Donoghue Emma Donoghue (born October 1969) is an Irish Canadians, Irish Canadian novelist, screenwriter, playwright and literary historian. Her 2010 novel ''Room (novel), Room'' was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donog ...

's book ''Room'', with Kathryn Joseph. which was produced by

and Dublin's

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

, in association with

and Covent Garden Productions.

National Theatre of Scotland

In 2014 she became a part-time associate director at the

(NTS). In 2022, she directed ''Orphans,'' a stage adaptation of the 1998 cult film of the same name.

''Gagarin Way''

Bissett directed Gregory Burke's ''Gagarin Way'' for Dundee Rep in 2018.

Acting career

In 2009 Bissett won the Best Actress at

Stage Awards for Acting Excellence The ''Stage'' Awards for Acting Excellence are a set of Scottish theatre awards which were established in 1995 to recognise outstanding theatre performances by individuals and companies on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Organised by the theatric ...

. Bissett appeared regularly in the comedy series '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', as a barmaid. She appeared in ''

''. She also appeared in the 2006 film '' Red Road''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bissett, Cora Living people 20th-century Scottish women singers Scottish women singer-songwriters Scottish singer-songwriters Scottish stage actresses Scottish television actresses 21st-century Scottish actresses Scottish theatre directors British women theatre directors Scottish women theatre directors Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 1974 births