Producing & Artistic Direction
As Artistic Director and founder of The Thelmas I have until recently, also been lead Producer for the company. Alongside my co-director Guleraana Mir, I have developed skills in budgeting, programming, commissioning, recruitment & contracting tour booking, & company management, and fund-raising including multiple successful grants from Arts Council England.
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Thanks to an ACE Emergency Grant, we have recently undergone a period of significant organisational development. This has allowed me to develop my skills further in creative strategic thinking, developing company structures, leadership strategy, and brokering industry and social impact partnerships.
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For more information about the company or to propose a project please click here
Project Design & Management
Through my Applied Theatre practise, I have had the opportunity to design and manage several participation and education projects with marginalised young people and adults. Two that I am particularly proud of include:
In 2017 I designed and produced a project for Good Chance Theatre, 'Future Stories', which worked with a group of young people affected by the Grenfell Tower Fire, in partnership with two local organisations; Rugby Portobello Trust and The Clement James Centre. This included a series of creative workshops over eight weeks with leading professionals in Drama, Film and Photography, Spoken Word and Grafitti. These were run in conjunction with weekly trips to West End shows, art galleries and museums. The project culminated in a community sharing of their work and Christmas party.
Between 2013 - 2016 I was Programme Manager of award-winning youth arts charity DreamArts' Weekend programme with young people based in two Westminster locations; Pimlico and Church Street. The provision is free/low cost alternative for local young people to access performing arts training where they would not be able to do so otherwise. As manager I was responsible for managing a team of 12 freelance artists and support workers, and for the creative strategy and design of the termly schemes of work. During my time here, I developed the programme in order for it to move from concentrating on adapted versions of book musicals, to our members devising and writing their own original new musicals complete with their own songs. I also introduced and facilitated special holiday programmes in guerilla film making, radio drama and sketch comedy & stand up.
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A secondary part of my role at DreamArts was as lead practitioner in the charity's targeted work in youth clubs, alternative education provisions and PRU's. This included a 2 year residency at a referral youth club based on the Churchill Gardents Estate, working with a group of boys aged 8-14 yrs who were at risk of exclusion. During this residency, we ran workshops in drama, spoken word, puppetry,/puppet making, and street dance.