Lisa Goldman is a director, dramatist, and author who was born in 1964 and grew up in Walthamstow and Chingford, East London. She earned a B.A. in Drama and English from Loughborough University, a postgraduate diploma in Directing from Drama Studio London, and an M.A. in Creative and Life Writing from Goldsmith College, London.

She is best known for her work at the The Red Room and Soho Theatre, where she served as artistic director and joint chief executive from 2006 to 2010. At the Soho Theatre Company, she introduced a strong intercultural programme, which gained the company a nomination on the shortlist for a Peter Brook Empty Space Award. Goldman was the first to invite the Belarus Free Theatre to London in 2001 and 2008. Contemporary playwrights staged during her time as director at the Soho include Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Dennis Kelly, Anthony Neilson, Chloe Moss, Roy Williams, Tanika Gupta, In-Sook Chappell, and Natasha Langridge.

In 1995, she had founded the Red Room Theatre Company. As a dramatist Goldman’s work includes: On the Bridge (co-written with Sarah Tuck, 1989), The Diaries of Hannah Cullwick (1990), Discover My Dream (co-written with Debbie Plentie, 1991), Flying Colours (1993), and Hoxton Story (2005).

In 2005, Goldman directed Hoxton Story for The Red Room which she also wrote, based on 40 hours of interviews with people living on the housing estates in the area. The play was an immersive site specific critique of gentrification.

Her successful The No Rules Handbook for Writers was published by Oberon in 2012 and was cited by The Stage as one of the top ten training books of the year.

Goldman has co-founded Artists Against the War and has been a Board Member for two female led performance companies, Marisa Carnesky Productions and Time Won’t Wait with whom she is presently an Associate.