Francesca is a Welsh, working class theatre director and is the Associate Director of Theatr Clwyd.
She trained at The National Theatre Directors Course and The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. She was the first recipient of the Carne Traineeship for Directors in Wales and was the former Trainee Director of The Other Room Theatre in Cardiff.
She is currently Associate Director on Rufus Norris' production of Nye by Tim Price at the National Theatre.
Francesca creates multi discipline, non naturalistic theatre that champions unheard voices (predominantly women). She is interested in extraordinary real life stories from everyday people. She enjoys working with new writing, reimagined classics and musical theatre. Her work usually incorporates music and movement.
In a review of her production, Sorter, The Guardian said “Superbly staged, Francesca Goodridge’s incisive, focused direction confirms that she is one of Wales’s most exciting theatre directors.”
She co-founded The Far Away Plays - an online play reading company that champions Welsh and Wales based creatives - with a view to revisit existing Welsh plays and discussing the place for those classics for today.
Francesca has been a visiting lecturer at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, LIPA, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, working with both the acting and design students.
In her production of A Pretty Shitty Love at Theatr Clwyd, The Stage said “Director Francesca Goodridge’s production is stamped with style and boldness, marking her as one to watch.” Her Christmas production of Cinderella at The Barn Theatre, Cirencester, was favoured as one of the ‘best family Christmas shows to see’ by The Observer.
Credits include; Rope, Sleeping Beauty Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto, A Pretty Shitty Love, Truth or Dare (Theatr Clwyd), Sorter (Swansea Grand Theatre), Faustus : That Damned Woman (Storyhouse Theatre), Carousel (Mountview), The True Adventures of Marian and Robin Hood, The Brothers Grimm presents Cinderella (The Barn Theatre), Once Upon A Christmas Theatr Clwyd), REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN, Philistines, POSH (LIPA), The Future (National Youth Theatre of Wales), The Crocodile (Cornerstone Theatre), Adam Eve & Steve (The Kings Head Theatre), Shout! The Mod Musical (Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool).
In development; Miss Wales a new all-female musical and recipient of the National Theatre Studio's Generate Programme. It will open at Theatr Clwyd for full production in 2026. Selected for BEAM showcase 2023.
She has been associate and/or assistant director on over 10 productions and co-productions with Theatr Clwyd. She has been Associate Director roles for Boys From The Blackstuff by James Graham directed by Kate Wasserberg, Famous Five The Musical directed by Tamara Harvey, a co-production from Theatr Clwyd and Chichester Festival Theatre, and most recently Associate Director to Rufus Norris on Nye at The National Theatre.