Theatre Making
I have been creating and making theatre since 2016. As an actor-musician my craft is rooted in performance and I like to work collaboratively with directors, designers and performers. My work is multi-skilled and inventive, bringing together music, song, spoken word and storytelling to create fast-paced live performance, with a dose of northern humour. There’s almost always a loop pedal, a ukulele and an accordion in the mix for good measure!
I make work for adults, young adults young people and families and have a strong community-focussed practise. I enjoy re-working classic stories to find a modern twist and creating new work through co-creation workshops with community groups, elevating everyday stories using song and storytelling.
I’m an experienced writer, lyricist, devisor and musical director, but these days I prefer to call myself a Theatre Maker. You can see examples of my past work below.
If you’re interested in collaborating or just fancy a chat get in touch!
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Cardboard Cosmos
Writer and Producer
Supported by Arts Council England and Big Imaginations, this interactive performance welcomes two friendly alien visitors from a hidden corner of the galaxy. Audience members are tasked with helping them mend their broken spaceship, share their intergalactic story and find a way to save their home. In this innovative new show from Stute Theatre, young audiences are offered a touch of cardboard creativity, a little musical mayhem and a chance to get involved with the action!
With a gentle alien encounter and a sustainable message, this show combines the thrill of a high quality live performance, with the interactive nature of a participatory workshop.
As part of this project I also trialled an implemented an ethical, inclusive casting process and supported 2 emerging creatives through paid placements.
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I Am No Bird
Writer/Composer, Producer and Performer
This touring production began life as an exploration of the Brontë story. After extensive research and development in 2020, I co-wrote, composed and produced this new musical with Stute Theatre CIC and the Stephen Joseph Theatre, with support from Arts Council England.
With live looped spoken word, soaring vocal harmonies and an unexpected twist; this modern adaptation shone a new light on the artistry and resilience of three remarkable Yorkshire women.
Alongside the live performance, I produced and project managed an ambitious programme of community engagement, comissioning three artists to create participatory dance, craft and writing workshops for community groups across the North.
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Grit
Maker and Performer
'Grit', was a canal-side performance about women who stride, walk, jog and run'. The piece was commissioned and supported by Urban Wilderness as part of their ambitious public art event The Happenings': a multi-art event in Stoke-on-Trent, which aimed to create new work in public spaces. 'Grit' focuses upon Chrissie, a woman who explores what it's like to take up space as a female runner.
The show was inspired by interviews and workshops with women and non binary runners and joggers and explored real experiences of exercising in public spaces.
I conducted interviews and workshop, as well as documenting my own ‘unsafe’ solo runs at dusk along the canal-side to develop this 1 hour site-specific show that challenges preconceptions about women’s safety in public spaces. The show also inspired a manifesto for public spaces, where workshop participants brought together ideas for making public spaces feel safer and more welcoming for everyone.
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The Telephone Theatre 'You Don't Know Me But...'
Theatre Maker and Performer
This live audio play was an intimate one-woman show performed live over the phone to one audience member at a time, giving a unique and moving live theatre experience at a time when most venues were closed.
The performance was been created following an in-depth period of research and development with B- Arts. A series of interviews, conversations and memory box activities uncovered real stories of care from staff and residents at a private care home in Stoke-on-Trent. Whilst the story was fictional, the themes and issues faced by the characters in the piece were based on real conversations with real people.
This play was performed live over 300 times and featured live music, live audio drama and live sound effects, all performed by one actor, live from my home using Zoom phone.
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The Fairhaven Story Stall
Theatre Maker and Performer
The Fairhaven Story Stall was an open-air theatrical encounter inspired by stories collected from members of the local community living on the Fylde Coast and the historical Fairhaven Lake, between Lytham and St Anne’s.
I created original songs and music, inventive storytelling and family-friendly theatre, to share real stories from the area’s past, present and looking towards its future.
I also produced and facilitated story-gathering workshops and a beautiful story booklet created by artist, maker and illustrator Cath Ford.
This show was commissioned by the Heritage Lottery Funded project at Fairhaven Lake.
The Fairhaven Story Stall was reimagined as ‘The Fairhaven Lake Podcast’ with stories and memories curated in collaboration with Sound Artist Karen Lauke into 4 audio storytelling episodes released in July 2020.
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Fables at the Kitchen Table
Maker and Performer
From Aesop the friendly Lion, Harriet the boastful Hare and Tim the chilled-out Tortoise, this solo show took family audiences on an imaginative adventure from the kitchen table, bringing some of Aesop’s best-loved animal characters to life.
With beautiful songs, creative puppetry and a little bit of theatre magic, this live family show featured everything except the kitchen sink!
Supported by Arts Council England and Big Imaginations, this storytelling piece offered both live and live-digital performances and was seen by over 12,000 children. It has gone on to tour multiple times to theatres, libraries and community spaces all over the country.