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Shannon Starr is the director and founding member of Compulsion. She graduated from the University of Ulster, Coleraine, with an honours degree in Theatre Studies. Despite coming from a family with no dramatic or artistic background, she fell in love with acting at a very young age. She further developed her interest at secondary school, appearing in several school productions and even running the drama club. In Compulsion she has realised her life long ambition to run her own theatre company.

FROM: Belfast, Northern Ireland (originally born in Philadelphia, USA)

DOB: 16th February, 1977.

EXPERIENCE: Appeared in school productions of "The Sound of Music", "Calamity Jane" and "Scrooge". Came second in the Belfast Festival senior Shakespeare competition in 1994 with her portrayal of Lady Macbeth, and followed this up with winning first place the following year playing Hermione from "The Winter's Tale". Her directing experience goes back to 1994, when she directed a production for the Castlereagh Drama Festival that year and in 1995. She also directed and starred in a production of Zoe Seaton's "Onions" in May, 1997. She joined the Kick-Off Theatre Company in October of 1997 and appeared in "The Hidden Temperament" and played Bernadette in a production of Willy Russell's "Stags and Hens". With Compulsion, she has directed two of her own plays - 'Beneath the Surface' and 'Poster Girl', as well as co-writing/co-directing 'Revelations' with Josh Campbell and directing a production of 'Agnes of God'.

FUTURE: At present, she's in London directing "Beautiful Bodies" by Laura Cunningham for The Confederate Theatre Company. The play goes up in The Courtyard Theatre, Kings Cross, London, on Tuesday 18th of April and runs until Sunday 30th of April (plug plug). After that, she hopes to go home to Belfast for a while, then return to university to study for a Masters degree. After that, the crystal ball gets a little hazy, but whatever she does, you can be sure it'll be something to do with the Theatre!

OTHER THAN THEATRE: Shannon's other hobbies include reading, especially crime novels (in particular the works of Patricia Cornwell) and true crime stories. Recently (since leaving uni) she's become an obsessive fan of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and, more importantly, 'Angel' it's new spin-off series. She's also a huge Xena fan. She also loves listening to music, especially soft rock and classical, and is an avid movie buff. She likes any movies that are crime/thriller based, as well a romantic comedies. Her heros include Michael Keaton (pic below), James Cagney, Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon and Xena:Warrior Princess (yes, she does have quite a few heros). Given half the chance she'd love to work with Keaton, Jimmy Stewart (if he were still around) and David Boreanaz of 'Angel', the latter being for both artist and lustful purposes. :o)