Mary Ann Goodbody (1947–75), better known as Buzz Goodbody, was an English theatre director. She was educated at Roedean and the University of Sussex. A product of the political and cultural upheavals of the 1960s, Goodbody regarded herself a radical and a revolutionary and joined the feminist and communist movements of the day. Very early in her theatrical career, she adapted and staged Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground'. This production won an award at the National Student Drama Festival and eventually transferred to the West End. As a result of her success, she was offered a position with the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she signed up as an associate director. She thus became the first ever female director to work at the RSC.
Her productions in Stratford (King John, Occupations, etc) were noted for their radical content. In 1974, Goodbody played an instrumental role in establishing The Other Place, a small studio theatre in Stratford. It was put forth as an alternative to the traditional Courtyard Theatre and became highly regarded for its challenging versions of canonical plays. At the Other Place, Goodbody staged King Lear in 1974 and Hamlet in 1975. Of the latter, the Times theatre critic Irving Wardle wrote: "an astounding revelation of the most excavated play in the world, ranking with Peter Brook's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as the key classical production of the decade". Renowned Shakespearean actors such as Ben Kingsley and Patrick Stewart have expressed their appreciation of Goodbody's directorial talents.
Goodbody was also associated with the Women's Movement and was a founder member of the Women's Street Theatre Group. Unfortunately, she committed suicide in April 1975 at the young age of 28. After her death, the National Union of Students Drama Festival named a directorial award in her honour. The Other Place was demolished in 1989.