Donellan, Declan (1953- )

English theatre director. He was co-founder of the Cheek by Jowl theatre company in 1981, and associate director of the National Theatre 1989-97. His irreverent and audacious productions include many classics, such as Racine's Andromaque (1985), Corneille's Le Cid (1987), Ibsen's Peer Gynt (1990), and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Twelfth Night (all 2004).

With stage designer Nick Omerod, Donnellan founded Cheek by Jowl in 1981, now widely regarded as one of the world's most innovative and influential theatre companies, and has directed the majority of their productions. Donnellan worked in Russia from 1997 as a teacher and a director. His work in Russian included The Winter's Tale for the Maly Dramatic Theatre of St Petersburg and Boris Godunov for the Russian Theatre Confederation in 2001.

Donnellan was the first director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Academy in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He has won many awards internationally, including the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in 1991. His book The Actor and the Target was published in Russian in 2001 and in English in 2002.