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Meet the #tuneup line-up:
Drama

Meet the artists who are sharing their time and expertise for #tuneup.
 

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TILLIE AMARTEY

Actor

Tillie has been acting since she was 7 years old and has fortunately enjoyed a successful run so far. She has always been involved in the arts and it started after attending a local drama group she got the bug. She knows just how important the arts are for confidence building and performing gives you life long skills to carry throughout life regardless if you decide to continue in a professional capacity. Tillie is also a leader in helping kids to love themselves and have the confidence to just be you. She prides herself in breaking the misconceptions around social media and the pressure on young minds. You might know Tillie from David Walliams' TV adaptation of Ratburger for Sky 1 playing Tina Trotts, and the kids will know her for playing Chloe in CBBC’s Almost Never. She also does a lot of presenting, starting off on CITV at 9 then more recently for CBBC HQ.

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AIMIE ATKINSON

Actor

Olivier Nominated Actress & Winner of the BBC Voice of Musical Theatre, Aimie is currently playing Vivian Ward in the West Production of Pretty Woman. She is most known for her portrayal of Katherine Howard in the original cast of Six the Musical in London's West End.

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HARRY ATTWELL

Actor

Harry trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 2004. Harry has been an actor on both stage and screen for 17 years and his credits have included: Twelfth Night, Hamlet, King Lear, Richard II, Henry V, Betrayal, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (West End), The Duchess of Malfi, The Crucible (The Old Vic), The Skriker, Frankenstein (Manchester Royal Exchange), Hamlet, King Lear (Broadway). Film: Testament of Youth, Maleficent, Breathe. Television: The Night Manager.

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MAX BARNES

BBC Three Producer

Max has worked freelance for a number of independent TV companies and is currently Producer at BBC Three. 

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SAM BARNES

Box Office Manager & Singer

Sam is the Box Office Manager at the Dominion Theatre, and lead singer in Hyde Project. 

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MARTIN BARRASS

Actor

Martin Barrass is an English film, television and theatre actor as well as being a DJ on local radio. He is best known for his role as Ron Frost in the television series Angels, Mike Conrad in Emmerdale and for appearing alongside Berwick Kaler in the annual York Theatre Royal Pantomime every year from 1984 onwards.

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IMOGEN BROWN

Costume Constructor and Supervisor

Immy is a graduate from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now specialises in
Costume Construction and Costume Supervision. She is just at the start of her career but has already
been involved in projects such as Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert
Hall (Dresser), Boudica at the Leicester Curve (CSSD Tour, Costume Supervisor) and Pah - La at
the Royal Court (Costume Assistant).

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KATY BRYANT

Company Manager

Katy was part of the first intake of the theatre practice course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and shortly after graduating secured her first job at The Lion King. Katy has also worked alongside Michael Grandage as production administrator at the Donmar Warehouse. From there she went to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane as deputy company manager of Oliver! with responsibility for 150 child actors. Other big shows include production manager for Miss Saigon, Disney’s Aladdin and Hamilton.

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GEORGINA CASTLE

Actor

Georgina is a London based actress and singer. Her musical theatre credits include Doralee in 9 to 5 (Savoy), Sophie in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre) and Lisa Houseman in Dirty Dancing (UK tour). Workshops include: The Wall: Pink Floyd Musical and Beaches. Television includes: Doctors (BBC) and New Tricks (BBC).

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Georgina offers Private Performance Workshops and 1-1 Acting & Singing coaching. Get in touch with her on Instagram - @georginaecastle for more information. 

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JADE CLARKE

Wigs Assistant and Make-up Artist

Jade studied at Vidal Sassoon Hairdressing School and then went on to get a foundation degree in Specialist Makeup. She was successful in obtaining a place on a trainee scheme within film and television, which included working on productions such as Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Glorious 39 and The Armstrong and Miller Show. Theatre experience includes: Sister Act The MusicalShrek The Musical, Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, An American in Paris, Billy Elliot, South Pacific, Les Miserables, and School of Rock.

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RACHEL ELIZABETH COLEMAN

Director, Artist & Environmental Activist

Rachel (she/her) is an artist-activist based between the East Midlands, London and West Scotland. Her work moves through intersections of climate, ecology and folklore, maneuvering fields of performance, dance, teaching, textiles, podcasting and writing. Rachel inhabits various other landscapes, including her work as General Manager of Orange Skies, her climate activist work, and as a facilitator and educator. Her works to date includes Nw== (2018), goatfell (2019), the caretakers (2020) and SWEAT IT (2020). She has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Peckham 24, Camden People’s Theatre, and the Royal And Derngate Northampton. She is a recent Performance Art graduate from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

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GREG DAVIES

Comedian & Actor

Greg is best known for his roles as Greg in We Are Klang, Mr. Gilbert in The Inbetweeners, Ken Thompson in Cuckoo, the Taskmaster in Taskmaster, and Dan Davies in Man Down, as well as for guest appearances on Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, and Fast and Loose. He has also performed on the Live at the Apollo series. For his performance in Cuckoo, Davies was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Comedy  performance in 2013. Prior to embarking on a career in comedy, he taught secondary school Drama and English for 13 years.

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KATIE DAVIES

Script & Story Consultant

Katie worked on an extensive range of shows from children’s television show Roy, BBC Radio 4 sketch show One and television drama The Clinic.

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LILY DAVIES

Script & Story Consultant

After a false start at vetinary school, Lily trained as a stage manager and now works in film and television in the set decoration department. As a freelance worker her job takes her all over the country on different and exciting projects, where she gets to research, buy and dress beautiful pieces into amazing sets. 

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TOTIE DRIVER

Theatre Designer & Lecturer 

Recent career highlights have been designing the stage set for Miss Saigon for Cameron Mackintosh for the West End and Broadway. Winner of Best Stage Designer at the 'What’s On Stage' Awards, with productions also in Australia, Sao Paulo, Utrecht, Japan, Korean, and the US with a production coming in Vienna 2020. Totie has also designed a touring production of Oliver! again for Cameron Mackintosh.

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IESTYN EDWARDS

Vaudeville Performer and Writer

West End and international cabaret headliner and author of My Tutu Went AWOL.

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MATTHEW FARMER

Actor & Facilitator, Loudmouth

Matt is an actor and facilitator at Loudmouth Education and Training. Loudmouth is a highly respected and innovative theatre in education company. The company has been delivering Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) since 1994 and has reached over 750,000 children, young people, professionals and parents.

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HOLLY FIRTH-DAVIES

Social Prescriber

Holly trained at Mountview Theatre School in London achieving a diploma in Stage Management, Technical Theatre and Design. She worked at Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatr-Y-Werin in Aberystwyth, the Arts Theatre Cambridge and BBC Radio Nottingham before spending many years working in Production at York Theatre Royal. Holly returned to education as a mature student, undertaking her BA and MA in English Literature. As well as working in theatre, Holly has utilised the important skills she gained from the arts in roles in advocacy and community health where she now supports patients with their health and wellbeing using a person-centred approach.

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MARK FISHER

Theatre Critic & Journalist

Mark is a freelance theatre critic and feature writer based in Edinburgh and has written about theatre since the late-1980s. He is a theatre critic for The Guardian, a former editor of The List magazine and a contributor to publications all over the world. He is the co-editor of the play anthology Made in Scotland (1995), and the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide (2012) and How to Write About Theatre (2015) – all Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. He is also editor of The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls (2017) and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book (2019), both Mark Fisher Ltd.

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MATTHEW FLACKS

Actor

Matthew is an award-winning actor, writer and producer and has appeared in numerous stage productions in the UK and the US. Matthew studied acting at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 2005 - prior to that he studied Politics at Durham University. He has appeared in a variety of roles on screen, and has written and produced for both theatre and film. He is currently working on a new sitcom.

Matthew Flacks: http://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/1891-3495-5411

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ALANNAH FOSTER

BBC Producer

Alannah is a producer with the BBC and has most recently worked on Harry Hill’s Alien Fun Capsule and The One Show.

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KERRY FRAMPTON

Artistic Director, Splendid Productions

Kerry is the Artistic Director at Splendid Productions. Kerry trained at Bretton Hall and has worked as an actor, deviser and musician for the last 14 years. Credits include: A Change of Mind (Sadlers Wells), The Orchard Skins (Lakeside Theatre), Paradise (Moray House Theatre), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Cambridge Arts Theatre).

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SIMON FRIEND

Producer

Simon is an independent theatre producer and general manager. Previously he has been Producer for Theatre Royal Bath, originating the theatre’s commercial productions from 2011-2015, and worked for Triumph Entertainment (Duncan Weldon & Paul Elliott) and Bill Kenwright Ltd. Past productions include: Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days adapted by Laura Eason (St James Theatre); The Father by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton (Wyndham’s Theatre & Duke of York’s Theatre); Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon (Arts Theatre); The Mother by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton and Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet (Playhouse Theatre) and The Life of Pi at the Sheffield Crucible. Simon is a member of the Society of London Theatre and was named in The Stage 100 most influential people in British theatre.

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ROBIN FRENCH

Playwright & Writer for Film & Television

Robin is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His first play, Bear Hug, won the Royal Court Young Writer's Festival and was produced at the Royal Court, where it earned an extended run. Subsequent productions include Gilbert is Dead (Hoxton Hall), The Red Helicopter (Almeida), Heather Gardner (Birmingham Rep), The Get Out (The Royal Court), Musical Differences (National Theatre Connections), Crooked Dances (RSC), and Rebel Music (Birmingham Rep).

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Alongside his friend Kieron Quirke, Robin also co-created and wrote five series of the hit BBC sitcom Cuckoo, starring Greg Davies, Andy Samberg, Taylor Lautner and Andi MacDowell. Cuckoo was BBC3's biggest rating comedy launch and garnered nominations both at BAFTA and the British Comedy Awards.

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GEMMA GOGGIN

Actor, Comedienne & Writer 

As well as touring widely as a stand-up comic, Gemma has worked extensively on the stage, most notably as Cardinal of Lorraine in Doctor Faustus (Royal Shakespeare Company), Teresa Panza in Don Quixote (Royal Shakespeare Company), Maria in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Live, Royal Shakespeare Company), Miss Smith in Son of Rambow (Nuffield Theatres & The Other Palace), The Preacher, The Book of Man, The Miniaturists, (Arcola Theatre). Gemma’s work in feature film includes The Young Victoria and Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging.

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JAMES GRAHAM

Playwright  

James Graham OBE FRSL is a British playwright and screenwriter. James graduated from The University of Hull in 2003, where he took his first play Coal not Dole to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and received critical acclaim. James's work includes the HBO and Channel 4 drama Brexit starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He had two plays running concurrently in London's West End: Labour of Love, which won Best New Comedy at the Olivier Awards 2018, alongside INK nominated for Best Play the same year. Other theatre work includes This House at the National Theatre and West End, 2016. Privacy transferred from Donmar Warehouse to The Public Theater in 2016. The Vote was broadcast live on the UK election night in 2015 and nominated for a BAFTA. James wrote the book for the Broadway musical Finding Neverland. His screenwriting includes the political drama Coalition (Channel 4) winner of the Royal Television Society award for Best Single Drama, and the recent Drama Quiz (ITV) based on his play of the same name. His work has been staged throughout the UK and internationally, at theatres including the Bush, Soho Theatre, Clwyd Theatre Cymru and the National Theatre. 

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MICHAEL GRANDAGE

Artistic Director

Michael Grandage is Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company (MGC) where he has directed numerous productions in the West End and on Broadway including Aidan Turner in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Nicole Kidman in Photograph 51, Jude Law in Henry V, Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan and Judi Dench & Ben Whishaw in Peter and Alice. He has also directed the feature film Genius with Colin Firth for MGC. He is President of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He was appointed CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honors 2011. His book, A Decade At The Donmar, was published by Constable & Robins in 2012. His charity, set up to help young theatre makers, can be found at www.mgcfutures.com.

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SAM GRIFFITHS

Senior Promoter

Sam is a senior promoter at Live Nation Entertainment in the Cuffe & Taylor touring division. As a senior promoter Sam works across all Cuffe and Taylor's UK theatre tours as well as London dates for major artists and international tours. Artists & Productions include: Lea Salonga, John Barrowman, A Question of Sport Live, Sarah Brightman, Marisha Wallace  and KIDZ BOP.  

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NICK HARRIS

Actor & Television Director 

As an actor Nick is best known for White House Farm, Honour and Anthony. As a television director Nick has worked on Sunday Brunch, This Morning, The One Show and Strictly: It Takes Two

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LORETTA HOPE

Performer, Artist & Make-Up Artist

Loretta Hope’s diverse work incorporates a range of artistic and physical disciplines. She trained in musical theatre before branching out into other forms of expression and entertainment. This includes chapters in circus theatre, protest art, social/political performance and more!

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MARTHA HOWE-DOUGLAS

Actor & Writer

Martha Howe-Douglas is an actor and a writer who was born in Birmingham. Martha has worked extensively on screen and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), graduating in 2004. Her credits include The Office Christmas Special (BBC), Doctors (BBC), Doctor Foster (BBC) and The Bill (ITV) and most notably she has played various roles in the award winning Horrible Histories series on CBBC. Martha now works with the Horrible Histories team and they have created the show Yonderland (SkyTV) and Ghosts (BBC), where she plays the character Lady Button.

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KATE HOWELLS 

Drama Teacher

At the age of 11, Kate attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, London. She left her family farm in Mid Wales to follow her dream! After attending Sylvia Young for five years she then went on to the Arts Educational School in London and then studied for her degree at the Guildford School of Acting. After Drama School, Kate became an Agent for children and young adults at the Ravenscourt Theatre School in London. During her time as an Agent, Kate represented high profile performers helping to secure roles within West End productions, television and touring theatre. She did this whilst working as an actor too. In 2004 Kate decided to move back to her home in Mid Wales and retrain for a year to be able to teach Drama and Theatre Studies. She is currently Head of Drama at Moreton Hall School in Shropshire.

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MICHAEL JENKINS

Actor & Drama Teacher

Michael is a teacher of Drama and professional actor. He obtained a BA (Hons) in Music and Theatre from UCLan and studied Education at Glyndwr University. His credits as an actor include: The Greatest Show (UK Tour), West End Story (UK Tour), The Last Five Years (UK Tour), Into The Wild (Old Joint Stock, Birmingham), Captain Hook in Peter Pan (Epstein, Liverpool), West End On Tour (Birmingham Old Rep),  Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, and Cinderella (The Stiwt Theatre), Spring Awakening (St Peters), Parade (St Peters), Beauty and the Beast (RNCM), The Tempest (Sherman Theatre), Broadway - Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Congress Theatre). Michael is also no stranger to television, his credits include: Home Fires (ITV), Macbeth (GSP Productions), Choir of the Year (BBC 2011), The Big I Am (Cinematic Productions).

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RICHARD G JONES

Lighting Designer

With over 30 years’ experience, lighting designs have included West End, Broadway, UK & International tours, Repertory and site-specific work. Productions have included musical theatre, Shakespeare, contemporary writing and pantomimes, and as well as theatre work have included designs for arena shows, concerts and corporate events.

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STEVEN KASAMBA

Bantu Practitioner

Bantu Arts is an entertainment and production organisation that specialises in African arts through music, dance and drama.

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FIONA KEDDIE-ORD

Talent Management 

Fiona Keddie-Ord studied Theatre and Music at the University of Glasgow before going on to the London School of Musical Theatre.  After 10 years of mainly actor/musician productions, Fiona quickly realised that agenting was where she wanted to be…and so came Keddie Scott Associates.  

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CHANEIL KULAR

Actor

Chaneil is best known for playing Anwar in the Netflix drama Sex Education.He is also in the upcoming BBC adaptation of Black Narcissus. Other work includes the BBC drama Informer and the daytime soap Doctors.

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LYNNEBEC

Performance Company  

LYNNEBEC are a performance company based in Birmingham. It is made up of creative duo
Jessica Barber (she/her) and Catherine Butler (she/her). LYNNEBEC makes work that is highly visual, energetic and draws on their shared interests in pop-culture, contemporary circus/dance, site-responsive performance, and live/visual arts. It's characterised by themes of connection, queerness, identity, movement, humour, and
most importantly, JOY.

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MARCUS MARKOU

Filmmaker

Marcus started life editing and publishing inflight magazines. In his mid 20s he attended LAMDA and trained as an actor. In 2000, Marcus started Dynamis Ltd with his brother Andrew, an online publisher in the B2B sector. He has had two plays produced, including Ordinary Dreams; Or How to Survive a Meltdown with Flair at the Trafalgar Studios in 2009 and Age-Sex-Location at the Riverside Studios.

 

He was a member of Fluxx Improvisation theatre company in London between 2004 and 2010. He made a short film The Last Temptation of Chris in 2010 before completing Papadopoulos & Sons in 2012 – a film that he wrote, directed, produced and self-distributed in the UK in April 2013, achieving the second highest screen average of any film in its opening weekend. In 2014 he was nominated by the London Critics Circle Awards in the Breakthrough British Filmmaker category.  

 

His short film Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times was screened at over 60 film festivals world-wide, winning 'Best Short' at over 17 of them. His latest award winning short film Office Song is currently doing the festival circuit and has appeared at over 40 film festivals around the world.

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DAVID MASSEY

West End Company Manager 

David is a Company Manager and has worked on big shows such as Billy Elliot the Musical, Dreamgirls, Waitress the Musical, and Beautiful the Carol King Musical.

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TOM MARSHALL

Sound Designer

Tom has acted as an Associate Sound Designer on over thirty shows in the UK and Europe, including
The Bodyguard, Gypsy, and Warhorse to name a few. Prior to this he worked as No.1 (Head of Sound),
opening and mixing numerous large West End shows over the past two decades. Sound Design credits include: White Christmas (Dominion Theatre), The Boy in the Dress (RSC), My Beautiful Laundrette (UK Tour), The Colour Purple (Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome).

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FLORRIE MCNISH

Director and Applied Theatre Practitioner 

Florrie is a director and applied theatre practitioner who has recently graduated from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her theatre company Jack The Lass has recently received a commission for Queering Camden, a project to tell stories and uplift queer voices in Camden. Other recent projects include Kiss Her (director) and London Bubble Young Theatre Makers Programme (project assistant) and an international project in New York working with hard to reach young people. 

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ALI NATKIEL

Actor 

Alastair trained at the Manchester School of Theatre and continues in further training with the Impulse Theatre Company. He is best known for his role as Lee Banks in the BBC’s hit drama, Line of Duty. Other television credits include: Casualty, Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, Machines That Built American, Basil Brush and The Marchioness Disaster. Theatre credits include: The Merchant of Venice (Stafford Shakespeare Festival), Standing At The Sky’s Edge (Crucible Theatre).

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SAM NEWTON

Actor, Voice Actor & Movement Practitioner

Sam is an actor, voice actor & movement practitioner from Brum. He's played Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, devised a show with Frantic Assembly, lent his voice to various audiobooks and appeared in BBC shows Casualty and Doctors.

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SIDONIE NICHOLSON

Costume FX Modeller and Drapesman

Over the last 7 years, Sidonie has worked her way up to both assistant and fully-fledged roles in the costume FX and drapes departments on a number of film productions. These include: Edge Of Tomorrow, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, The Star Wars franchise and Academy-nominated 1917, to name only a few. She is currently working on Warner Bros. production The Batman.

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HANNAH PROOPS

Director of Drama & Puppeteer 

Hannah trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and spent the first few years of her career as a television puppeteer, working on shows such as Fab Lab (CITV), Words & Pictures and Playhouse Disney. During this time she was also an apprentice puppet maker under the guidance of Neil Sterenberg (Dark Crystal, Star Wars), assisting on puppets for many BBC & CITV productions. Her career then took a different turn completely when she ran a fashion label Jukes & Proops, putting her costume design training to good use, making upcycled clothing and accessories winning a concession in Topshop. In 2006 she began teaching and is now Director of Drama at King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham.

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KIERON QUIRKE

Writer for Film & Television 

Quirke wrote television for many years with Robin French. Their early output included work on children's drama I Dream, and the comedy sketch show, Man Stroke Woman. Quirke and French created Roommates, a new sitcom which premiered on ABC Family. Their eight-part drama Trinity appeared on British television in 2009. They were nominated amongst the Hot Shot Writers of 2008 by Broadcast magazine. In 2012 the sitcom Cuckoo, created and written by Quirke and French, aired on BBC Three. It ran to five series on BBC3 and BBC1. Kieron created and wrote the BBC TV sitcom, Defending the Guilty, which premiered in 2019. A second series has been commissioned.

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ADIL RAY 

Actor & Comedian 

Adil Ray OBE is best known as the star and creator of the hit BBC1 sitcom Citizen Khan. In 2017, as well as writing new projects Adil ventured into drama acting and appeared as Sadiq Nawaz in Channel 4's groundbreaking drama Ackley Bridge.Television and radio presenting has remained a staple throughout Adil's career. Adil has presented across all the major BBC networks, winning the award for Best Radio Show at the Asian Music Awards and is best known for his work on BBC Radio 5Live.Adil has co-presented BBC flagship entertainment show 'The One Show' and 'Have I Got News For You'. In 2016 Adil was honoured in the Queens Birthday List and awarded Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to Media and Broadcasting.

 

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EMMA RICE

Artistic Director, Wise Children

Emma Rice is the proud Artistic Director of her company, Wise Children, and an internationally-respected theatre-maker and director. For Wise Children Emma has adapted and directed the productions, Angela Carter’s Wise Children, Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers and Romantics Anonymous. As Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe (2016/18), she directed Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Little Matchgirl (and Other Happier Tales). For the previous 20 years, she worked for Kneehigh as an actor, director and Artistic Director and created critically acclaimed productions including The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Tristan & Yseult, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, The Wild Bride, The Red Shoes, and The Wooden Frock.

 

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LIZ RUMBOLD

Freelance Factual Television Producer

Liz Rumbold is a freelance factual television producer with over 25 years experience. Currently working on Great British Christmas Menu for BBC2 but previous credits include Gardeners’ World, The Gadget Show, Chelsea Flower Show & Challenge Anneka.

 

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MATTHEW SHARP

Musician, Actor & Director

‘Virtuoso of the arts' (The Times), Matthew Sharp, has performed worldwide as solo cellist, baritone, actor and director: solo appearances with the RPO, LPO, RLPO, CBSO; singing principal roles for the Royal Opera House and Opera North; acting principal roles at the Young Vic and National Theatre Studio; directing for the BBC and Opera North. From Glastonbury to Glyndebourne, the Sydney Opera House to Ronnie Scott’s, he has worked with an extraordinary spectrum of leading artists from Sir John Tavener to Marta Eggert to Dave McKean to Caryl Churchill. His own music and theatre works have toured to major festivals globally. He has given over sixty world premieres and recorded for Sony, EMI, Decca, Naxos, Somm, NMC, Avie and Whirlwind. www.matthewsharp.net

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GABRIELLA SLADE

Set & Costume Designer

Gabriella received an Off-West End Award for Best Costume Design plus Olivier Award and WhatsOnStage Award nominations for Best Costume Design in 2019 for Six, and an Off-West End Award Nomination for Best Costume Design in 2015 for In The Heights. She was a JMK Award finalist in 2014, an RSC Trainee Designer finalist in 2013 & 2014 and was shortlisted for The Linbury Prize for Stage Design in 2013. Gabriella studied Theatre Design at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

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MAYA SONDHI

Actor & Screenwriter

Birmingham born Maya Sondhi is probably best known for her roles as PC Maneet Bindra in award winning BBC drama Line of Duty and as Shazia Khan in BBC1 sitcom Citizen Khan. Her screenwriting credits include Mount Pleasant and The Kumars for Sky One, Ackley Bridge for Channel 4, and Eastenders and The Break for the BBC.

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GRACEY SPRING

Head of Drama at KHVIII School, Coventry

Gracey Spring has been Head of Drama at KHVIII School, Coventry, for nearly ten years, having gone straight into the Head of Department role in her Newly Qualified Teacher year. She has a first-class degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies from Warwick University, where she went on to study a PGCE in Drama with English. She is heavily involved in the development of performing arts nationally and locally and is an active member of CCEP (Coventry Cultural Education Partnership) and NISDA (National Independent Schools' Drama Association).  She also trained as a performer with Watford Palace Youth Theatre, the National Youth Theatre and British Youth Music Theatre and worked front of house at Watford Palace Theatre for several years. She is an avid theatregoer and performer, having played a number of roles such as Elle in 'Legally Blonde' (shocking the students by coming back to school after Christmas with blonde hair); The Wicked Queen in 'Snow White' and Eliza Doolittle in 'My Fair Lady'. She also plays Disney princesses and superheroes for professional children's party events with DBA Theatre Party Packages. She is also the acting teacher for Elevate Theatre Coventry, offering performing arts training to 6-19 year olds.

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NEIL STERENBERG

Puppeteer & Puppet Maker

For over twenty five years Neil has been producing puppets and puppetry for the UK television, commercial and film industry. His work includes many well loved characters and shows. As a puppet maker Neil has made and performed characters for CBeebies’ Get Well Soon, Mr Bloom’s Nursery, Hacker & Dodger, Andy’s Wild Adventures and The Furchester Hotel to name but a few. In feature film Neil has worked on Disney’s  Muppets Most Wanted, The Force Awaken’s, The Last Jedi and Solo, A Starwars Story and most recently the character of Rian in The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance for The Jim Henson Company/ Netflix.

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LEANNE TATTUM

Managing Director, Method In Motion 

After a decade at the BBC there isn’t much Leanne doesn’t know about video production. She’s worked across most genres of programming, from daytime television to current affairs, and has produced flagship shows and award-winning documentaries for BBC 2 and BBC 4. Leanne is now the Managing Director of Method in Motion, a production company that produces bespoke digital content for brands, organisations and agencies. Leanne oversees pre-production and project manages all of Method’s output.

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GILES TERERA

Actor

Theatre credits include:  ROSMERSHOLM at the Duke of York’s Theatre,  HAMILTON at the Victoria Palace Theatre (Winner, Best Actor in a Muscial 2018 Olivier Awards) , The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Donmar Warehouse, The Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theatre and international tour, Pure Imagination at the St James Theatre, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the National Theatre, King John at the Globe Theatre and UK Tour,  The Book OF Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre, The Tempest for Trevor Nunn at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Hamlet and also Death & The Kings Horseman at the National Theatre, Don’t You Leave Me Here at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Playing Christopher Molomo in the Abbey Theatre Dublin’s production of Playboy of the Western World. Gary Coleman in Avenue Q at the Noel Coward Theatre, playing Sammy Davis Junior in The Rat Pack at The Strand Theatre, Quickly Robinson in Jailhouse Rock at The Piccadilly Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth, Luther in 125th Street at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Mr Jefferson in Rent at the Prince of Wales Theatre. You Don’t Kiss at Stratford Circus, Up On The Roof at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Ariel in the world tour of The Tempest with the RSC, Six Degrees of Separation at the Sheffield Crucible, Generations of the dead at the Young Vic, Bill Shakespeare’s Italian Job at the Gilded Balloon and the Playbox Theatre Warwick, Demon Headmaster and The Animals of Farthing Wood at the Pleasance Theatre. Other National Theatre credits include, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, Troilus and Cressida, Candide, Honk! and Darker Face of the Earth. Film and TV appearances include; Maxx, Flack, The Current War directed by Alfonso Gomez Rejon, London Boulevard directed by William Monahan. Horrible Histories and Doctors for the BBC.

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CLAIRE TURON

Teacher & Actor 

Mrs T. is a Teaching Artist who began her professional career as a T.I.E actress performing in theatres, schools, arts centres and country houses, in a range of diverse roles spanning from a Gingerbread Man and Tortoise, to a Wartime Headmistress and Queen Elizabeth the First. She then branched into presenting; working in radio, TV and also live for companies such as Chessington World of Adventures, Park holidays and abroad with First Choice. Mrs T. has spent the last 10 years inspiring young people through teaching and leading workshops (in person and virtually), directing, coaching, writing scripts and also creating and recording drama videos. 

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HEATHER TEASDALE

Stage Manager, Show Caller & Gallery Producer

Heather trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is a very experienced stage manager and show caller, having worked on shows such as Kinky Boots and Hamilton. Heather has also been the show caller on the What’s On Stage Awards, the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the Olivier Awards.

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HELEN TURNER

Director 

Helen Turner is Director at Act On It, a not for profit company taking a drama based approach to education and development.

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PETER TODD

Costume Designer & Supervisor 

Peter is a London based costume designer and supervisor creating costume designs across theatre, dance, ballet and opera. Upcoming projects include costume designs for The Fix for Hofesh Schechter Dance Company, costume designs for The Waiting Game by Mthuthuzeli November for Ballet Black, and costume supervision for Daddy at the Almeida Theatre.

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JOANNA VANDERHAM

Actor & writer

Joanna grew up in Scotland. She trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. It was here she was 'spotted' by casting director Emma Style, which led to her first professional role as Cathy in The Runaway (2010) together with Keith Allen, Ken Stott, Alan Cumming and Jack O'Connell . The excellent range of her subtle performances includes notable TV and film works such as Stephen Poliakoff's Dancing on the Edge (2013), The Paradise (2012), Banished (2015), One of Us (2016), What Maisie Knew (2012) and Warrior (2019). Her superb stage work as a brilliant theatre artist also includes her exquisite interpretations as Lika in Aleksei Arbuzov's The Promise (London's Donmar Warehouse, 2012) and Milly in Richard Greenberg's The Dazzle (Soho Theatre, 2015-16) alongside Andrew Scott and David Dawson, as well as her remarkable Shakespearean performances as Desdemona in Royal Shakespeare Company: Othello (2015) and as Lady Anne in Richard III (2016) (Almeida Theatre) with Hugh Quarshie and Ralph Fiennes in the title roles respectively.

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STEVEN VOLK

Screenwriter & Novelist

Stephen is a Welsh screenwriter and novelist who specializes in the horror genre. He wrote the screenplays for numerous horror films, including Ken Russell's Gothic (1986), The Kiss (1988), and William Friedkin's The Guardian (1990). In 1992, Volk wrote the teleplay for the BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch. Other screenwriting credits include Octane (2003) and The Awakening (2011).

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ADELE WAITES 

Drama Teacher

Adele trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and worked as an improvisational comedian for SWANK Street Theatre for many years, alongside tours of educational theatres to Secondary Schools, performing arts venues and pupil referral units. In 2007, Adele found her calling and started her teaching career. Adele  is passionate about arts education and has completed an MA Education where her dissertation research involved exploring the power of the arts to empower and educate in varying contexts.

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DAISY WATERSTONE

Actor

Daisy Waterstone is a British actress, best known for playing Margo Durrell in the ITV family drama The Durrells.

Tillie Amartey
Aimie Atkinson
Harry Attwell
Sam Barnes
Martin Barrass
Imogen Brown
Katy Bryant
Georgina Castle
Jade Clarke
Rachel Coleman
Greg Davies
Katie Davies
Lily Davies
Totie Driver
Matthew Farmer
Holly Firth-Davies
Mark Fisher
Matthew Flacks
Kerry Frampton
Simon Friend
Robin French
Gemma Goggin
James Graham
Michael Grandage
Sam Griffiths
Nick Harris
Loretta Hope
Martha Howe-Douglas
Kate Howells
Michael Jenkins
Richard Jones
Steven Kasamba
Fiona Keddie-Ord
Chaneil Kular
LYNNEBEC
Marcus Markou
David Massey
Tom Marshall
Florrie McNish
Sam Newton
Ali Natkiel
Sidonie Nicholson
Hannah Proops
Kieron Quirke
Adil Ray
Emma Rice
Liz Rumbold
Matthew Sharp
Gabriella Slade
Maya Sondhi
Gracey Spring
Neil Sterenberg
Leanne Tattum
Giles Terera
Claire Turon
Heather Teasdale
Helen Turner
Peter Todd
Joanna Vanderham
Steven Volk
Adele Waites
Daisy Waterstone
Alannah Foster
Iestyn Edwards
Max Barnes
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