Kate O'Donnell in Oh, Mary! | West End Theatre

Kate O’Donnell is a Manchester-based performer, writer, and director known for her autobiographical solo shows Big Girl’s Blouse and You’ve Changed.

About Kate O’Donnell

Kate O’Donnell is a Manchester-based multidisciplinary artist working as a performer, writer, director, and curator, known for autobiographical work exploring trans identity and experience. Since 2018, she has curated and hosted Manchester’s Trans Vegas Arts Festival and Manchester Pride’s HIV Vigil, and in 2021 she founded the cabaret collective Trans Filth and Joy with Milk Presents, which supported Christine and the Queens as part of the Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall.

Theatre Credits

O’Donnell has built her stage career around Manchester’s leading venues and her own autobiographical work, alongside her broader career as a curator and cabaret artist. She began her performance career in Manchester’s 1990s alternative cabaret and drag scene, including work for Queer Up North. Since 2018 Kate has curated and hosted Trans Vegas Arts Festival and Manchester Pride’s HIV Vigil. In 2021 she created Trans Filth and Joy a cabaret collective with Milk Presents which supported Christine and the Queens as part of the Meltdown festival at Royal Festival Hall. Over the course of her career, she has also:

Created and performed the autobiographical solo shows Big Girl’s Blouse, made with Olivier Award-winning director Mark Whitelaw, and You’ve Changed at The Lowry
Played Feste in Twelfth Night and Electra in Gypsy at the Royal Exchange, Manchester
Appeared in Russell T Davies’s Christmas Star at the Royal Exchange Theatre
Performed in Sunset Boulevard at the Royal Albert Hall and Divine Comedy at HOME, Manchester
Directed Transpose at the Barbican for two consecutive years, and Not Dying, also at the Barbican
Founded Trans Creative in 2016 and launched Trans Vegas, now the largest trans arts festival in the UK, platforming several hundred trans artists
Founded the cabaret collective Trans Filth and Joy with Milk Presents, supporting Christine and the Queens at the Meltdown Festival, Royal Festival Hall
Nominated for the Gay Times Arts and Culture Award
Starred as Mary’s Chaperone in Oh, Mary! in the West End