Helen Goalen

Helen is a Director/Dramaturg, an award-winning theatre maker and a founding member of RashDash theatre with Abbi Greenland. After meeting at Hull University, Helen and Abbi began creating and performing in shows that combine live music, song, physicality and story; about sex, power, gender, friendship and most recently, motherhood.

RashDash has a 15-year, multi-award-winning history and extensive body of work which has been called everything from feminist, “profound and extraordinary” (The Guardian), “sly, and smart. And Loud” (The Independent), “provocative… punk rock energy” (TimeOut) and “a form of creative vandalism” (The Guardian)! But at the very heart of the company are the founders and creative powerhouses that are Helen Goalen and Abbi Greenland. Whilst they continue to make work for the stage as RashDash, Helen and Abbi are now taking their collaboration to the screen as well as exploring solo projects. Helen and Abbi bring from their experimental theatre work a radical honesty, an interest in bodies, physicality and intimacy and a desire to explore women being powerful, being weird, being lonely and behaving badly. 

For screen, Helen and Abbi are working on their first series of short and feature length films. Alongside this, Helen is focussing on new theatrical collaborations as a director, dramaturg and movement director.

Selected RashDash credits include: OH MOTHER (Soho Theatre, HOME, Tobacco Factory Theatres), THREE SISTERS (Royal Exchange Theatre, The Yard, Tobacco Factory Theatres: Winner of UK Theatre Award for Best Touring Production), THE DARKEST CORNERS (Transform Festival), TWO MAN SHOW (Northern Stage, Soho Theatre, UK tour: Edinburgh Fringe First winner 2016, Stage Award for Acting Excellence), WE WANT YOU TO WATCH (by RashDash and Alice Birch, National Theatre and UK Tour), OH, I CAN’T BE BOTHERED (Soho Theatre), THE UGLY SISTERS (Edinburgh Festival and UK tour), SCARY GORGEOUS (Fringe First winner 2011) and ANOTHER SOMEONE (Fringe First winner 2010).

Directing credits include: LOOK AT ME DON’T LOOK AT ME (RashDash with Paines Plough, HOME, Theatre Clwyd, Staatstheater Mainz), FUTURE BODIES (RashDash co-production with Unlimited Theatre and HOME), HOLE (by Ellie Kendrick, Royal Court).