Cora Bissett (born 1974) is a Scottish theatre director, playwright, actor and musician. As a director she has created Amada, Roadkill, Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story, Glasgow Girls and Room. As an actor she had regular appearances in the television programmes Rab C. Nesbitt and High Times. She is an associate director at the National Theatre of Scotland.
She was the lead singer in the indie rock band Darlingheart who released one album in 1993 before splitting up.[1] The band received favourable write-ups[2][3] with the Scottish music press making Bissett a cover star.[4] Her time in the band was the inspiration for her autobiographical play, What Girls Are Made Of, which debuted at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe.[5]
In 1995 she was the singer in the band, Swelling Meg, a three-piece "comprising acoustic guitar, bowed double-bass and Bissett's athletic voice".[6] They performed at that year's T in the Park festival.[7]
In 2007, she devised Amada with three actors. It was an adaptation of an Isabel Allende short story about a woman whose personality changes as a result of an accident.[10] Bissett was the joint winner of the 2007 Arches Award for new directors for Amada.[11][12]
In 2011 she conceived the musical Glasgow Girls with book by David Greig about a group of activists who took up an ethical fight against the deportation of asylum seekers who had settled in Scotland.[15] In 2013 the show was shortlisted for best musical production at the UK Theatre Awards.[16]
In 2013 she directed Peter Arnott's short play about Janis Joplin.[19]
Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story
Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story was created by as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games cultural programme.[20] After being conceived by Bissett, it was written by playwright Kieran Hurley.[21] Bissett directed the show, having worked in close collaboration with Bennett's friends and family to create the show.[21] It premiered at the Tramway in Glasgow in May 2014, then was performed in Mull.[22] It was named event of the year at the 2014 Scots Trad Music Awards.[23]