Rachel Thornton is a writer and director from Co. Kildare.

She started writing at a very young age and won several national writing and film awards in her youth. As a teenager, she was a member of the Kildare Youth Theatre, and her love for theatre was encouraged and facilitated at Fighting words in Dublin.

Rachel’s work has been showcased on the main and the Peacock stages of The Abbey Theatre, The Gate Theatre, The Moat Theatre and The Everyman, Cork. Her writing has been featured in The Irish Times, on RTÉ2, and she has presented as a roving reporter for 'Colm & Lucy In The Morning' on Classic Hits FM.

In 2019, Rachel became the first person to receive a UCD Ad Astra Scholarship for Performing Arts as a playwright/director. Upon graduating with a BA in Drama & Film Studies, Rachel was awarded a scholarship under which she studied MA Theatre Practice with UCD and the Gaiety School of Acting.  

She was an active member of DramSoc in UCD, writing and directing her own work and acting in several other productions. In three consecutive years, 2022-2024, she won the Best Original Script at the Irish Student Drama Awards with “The Last Wolf in Ireland”, “Magical Girls” and “The Zombie Monologues”. Each of these productions won multiple other awards, including Best Overall Production in 2024.

“The Last Wolf in Ireland” had a very successful run in the Smock Alley Theatre in March 2025, and its sequel, “The Zombie Monologues”, was performed in Dunamaise Arts Centre in October, as part of LASTA Festival. Both received widespread positive reviews.  

In January, a staged reading of “Magical Girls” was performed to a sold-out audience in The New Theatre, as part of the theatre’s New Writing Week.

“Linda Martin is NOT a Vampire”, a collaboration with Constance Henry (Play Not Funny) and Rachel, was staged as part of SCENE + HEARD: The Festival of New Work 2026.

Rachel’s original play, “Mermaids Have No Tears”, came into dock at the Smock Alley Theatre on the 26th February 2026, also as part of SCENE + HEARD.