Joe Dowling

Joe Dowling (born 27 September 1948) is the Artistic Director for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is also well known for his work as Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre in Ireland, and has directed plays in all the major theatres in Ireland as well as theatres in London, New York, Washington D.C., Montreal, and Alberta.

Educated at the Catholic University School, Colaiste na Rinne and at University College Dublin, Dowling has been long connected with Irish theatre having founded Ireland's premier drama school, the Gaiety School of Acting, served as artistic director of the Irish Theatre Company and the Peacock theatre and founded the Young Abbey, Ireland's first theater-in-education group.

He became the Guthrie's Artistic Director in 1995 and has directed productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Playboy of the Western World, Much Ado About Nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Amadeus.

He directed Hamlet, the Guthrie's last production in its original location next to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Hamlet was also the first play produced by the Guthrie in 1963, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie himself.

His first production at the theater's new location was The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard.

As part of the 2007/2008 season, he directed the American premiere of The Home Place by Brian Friel and in the 2009/2010 season, he directed and performed in Friel's play Faith Healer.

Following the announcement of the 2012 Guthrie Theatre lineup, Dowling was criticized for the lack of diversity in the selection of directors and playwrights. In an interview with MPR, he said "this kind of drip drip drip of complaints about the Guthrie - I'm not certain that it's constructive."