About the Artists
Lizzie Milton (WRITER)
Lizzie Milton is a playwright and storyteller who makes playful and affirming shows centering queer and neurodivergent experiences. They are particularly interested in how we represent and celebrate joy on stage, as well as being heavily influenced by folklore, mythology and aural traditions of storytelling. They are also interested in the relationship between form and content.
Credits include: LOOKING BACK (Hidden Histories, SHOUT Festival, 2021); INTRANSIGENT LINES (published in Tangent, Every Brain, 2021); HEROINE (Vault Festival, 2020); SOMETHING TERRIBLE (Minack Youth Theatre, play-in-a-day 2019) 10 (Vault Festival, 2019); SLOW RIPENING FRUIT (Bechdel Theatre, The Bunker, 2017) The Breaks in You and I (Vault Festival, 2018, Hope Theatre, 2016)
https://lizziemiltonwriter.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @lizzie_milton
Charlotte Barber (SOUND DESIGNER)
Charlotte Barber goes by the moniker SHAR and is a sound designer, composer, multimedia performer and artist.
She writes and produces music for theatre, film and live performance and her recent credits include Kerbs 2022 (Graeae); Up The Hill 2021 (Royal Exchange Theatre); Belle and Mary 2021 (The Dukes); Still Breathing 2020 (Manchester International Festival); Utopia 2019 (Royal Exchange Theatre); the accident did not take place (Edinburgh Fringe 2019 & UK Tour) YESYESNONO; Insert Slogan Here (Edinburgh Fringe 2018, UK Tour) YESYESNONO.
Rachael Munro-Fawcett (PHOTOGRAPHER)
Rachael Munro-Fawcett is a UK-based photographer whose work examines the relationships that exist between people and their environment. With a strong social and environmental focus, her practise is driven by an ardent belief in the power of photography to facilitate discussions that initiate positive change within societies. Her work explores a diverse range of cultures, communities and landscapes, broadening the scope of conversation to include worlds that exist beyond her own socio-economic and geographical boundaries.
Funded by Arts Council England, her long term project To Walk In Your Shoes was an insight into the daily plight of asylum seekers and refugees living in the UK. The project partnered with City of Sanctuary Manchester and PAFRAS Leeds (Positive Action for Asylum Seekers and Refugees) and was widely exhibited across the north of England. Her long term project Hollin Lane is a documentary exploration and looks into the wellbeing effects of allotment communities. A portrait from the Hollin Lane project was included in the Bristol Photo Festival 2021.
Rachael lives and works in Leeds, West Yorkshire and freelances as a documentary and commercial photographer. She received a BA Hons degree in Photography from Leeds Metropolitan University in 2007 and is the founder of the online Covid-19 participation project Photographers in Isolation @photographersinisolation. www.rachaelmunrofawcett.co.uk
Twitter: @rmunrofawcett
Instagram: @rachaelmunrofawcett
Michael Tansley Thomas (CREATOR: COLLAGE, SCULPTURE, GRAFFITI &: CALLISCRAWL)
Originally from Nottingham, Michael Tansley Thomas is a York-based artist whose work is centered around relationships. Experimentation is a key part of his process in producing art and he often starts with no predetermined concept of the work.
" I enjoy the challenge of bringing together elements that often oppose to reimagine their possibilities."
Photo by Loki Photography
Martha Simon (DIRECTOR)
Martha is a director and facilitator living in Manchester. She has recently directed Belle and Mary by Adam Robinson for the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster and she is currently an Associate Artist of the National Youth Theatre. For RedBobble, she directed To Walk In Your Shoes and If I Should Fall and is an Associate Artist with the company. Martha is currently expecting her second daughter and is really excited to be exploring Athena's subject matter with the brilliant creative team.
Grant Archer (FILM MAKER)
Grant is a digital artist creating theatrical installation work that explores the relationship between live and recorded media and storytelling. In 2015 he cofounded Take Back Theatre with actor Julie Hesmondhalgh and writer Rebekah Harrison, responding to social and political issues. Recent works include: Video Design for An Adventure at Octagon Theatre, Bolton; short film Angel of History in collaboration with ballerina Nicky Hensall, actress Shobna Gulati and composer Ashkay Gulati, Oldham Coliseum’s interactive digital murder mystery Whodunnit at the Coliseum; Connect – a series of phone conversations at HOME, Manchester; Patient – an audio/visual installation at Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Virtual Reality films at The Lowry, Oldham Coliseum and various site specific locations. Grant is also an Associate Artist with Oldham Coliseum. He collaborated frequently with the theatre’s artistic and learning teams on digital projects throughout the pandemic and is developing further digital installation work.
Leonna Lynch (DANCER)
Leonna is a dancer, choreographer and has been an educator of dance and drama in FE and mainstream education for the last 8 years. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills with students.
She trained as a dancer at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2003 which gave her the experience to develop her inner passion as a dancer and choreographer.
She is extremely passionate about the arts and how it allows her to be very expressive and creative, sharing real life experiences and challenges that many of us shy away from in everyday life.
Andrea Crewe (ACTOR)
Andrea trained at City Acting Studio, Salford, Manchester.
Her credits include: ‘Dialogues of Babel’ (Rehearsed reading -Traverse Theatre , Edinburgh), ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster), BBC ‘Doctors’, ‘Two pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’, ‘Blue Murder’. Andrea also appeared in an ident for BBC Comic Relief 2022 and has recently finished filming for ‘Coronation Street’ which aired in March/April this year over 5 Episodes.
Kelly Munro-Fawcett (ACTOR & CO PRODUCER)
Meet Kelly Munro-Fawcett, Co-Producer & Co-Founder of RedBobble Arts. Kelly is also a neurodivergent Actor and is very pleased to be returning to the stage post pandemic for Athena. Other acting credits this year include Film 4 Feature film ‘Birchanger Green’ & Elerby Studios Feature film ‘Watching Goldfish Suffocate.’
Kelly is Mom to her wonderful son Hadley who’s 8 years old and is a passionate advocate for parents in the arts.
Kelly also has 10+ years’ experience as a Community Engagement Specialist for Creative Arts, Wellbeing, Education & Empowerment.
Vicky Ackroyd (ACCESS CONSULTANT)
Vicky trained in stage management, worked in rep for a while and then spent 10 years with the BBC before deciding that theatre was her first love. With a young family she retrained as a teacher and worked for 10 years in the Performing Arts department of a Further Education college which is where her passion for inclusive practice began.
Vicky joined Mind the Gap theatre company, working as their Director of Learning and Skills before setting up a social enterprise, Purple Patch Arts which she led for 8 years, that delivered creative education to over 150 participants with learning disabilities a week across Yorkshire. In 2016 she won the Trainer Award at the National Learning Disability and Autism Awards. In 2017 Vicky set up Totally Inclusive People and now works with lots of different creative organisations exploring accessible ways to work.
Vicky began audio describing 13 years ago, and now regularly describes for theatre, dance and art exhibitions, exploring both traditional and integrated ways of working.
Isabel Potter (TECHNICAL STAGE MANAGER)
Isabel is a Yorkshire based Production/Stage Manager and Technician. She helps to support a variety of productions across the North of the UK, whilst also managing her own theatre company, Only Lucky Dogs, and their pop up venue at The Makespace.
Isabel is currently applying for a DYCP to further her virtual production skills which she then hopes to use in future projects.
Photo by Sam Taylor Photography
Louisa May Parker (CO PRODUCER)
Louisa has recently returned to work after having her first baby and is excited to be back producing at RedBobble Arts.
She was born and raised in Wythenshawe, Manchester and remains very proud of her working class roots! She trained as an actor at The Arden Manchester and then completed her MA at Drama Centre London. She was also lucky enough to spend two months training at The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, Moscow.
Lou wrote RedBobble’s debut show ‘The Box’ and as an actor she’s worked in theatre, film and TV. TV/Film credits include: ‘Coronation Street’ (ITV), ‘Hollyoaks’ (Channel 4), ‘Death Comes to Pemberley’ (BBC), ‘The Limehouse Golem’ (Number 9). Theatre credits include: ‘Quality Street’ (Northern Broadsides), ‘Sitcom Stories’ (Ed Fringe/Room 5064), ‘Five Kinds of Silence’ (Arcola), ‘The Iliad Live’ (Almeida), ‘Surgeon to the Dead’ (Old Operating Theatre London Bridge), ‘Three Sisters’ (The Boris Schchukin Theatre Institute, Moscow), ‘Orestes’ (Imalis Theatre, Epidaurus, Greece). For RedBobble Arts: ‘If I Should Fall’, ‘To Walk In Your Shoes’, ‘The Box’.
She is an experienced workshop leader and has led and developed workshops for communities and schools.