Leadership Team and Boards

Stephanie has 30 years experience of running theatres and a further 4 years experience of programming theatres. Her career includes stints as a Stage Manager in rep, an actress, theatre critic, court reporter and comedy club compere.

She has worked on all scales from a small-scale arts centre to a 1,500 seat SOLT venue. She has been programming dance since working at Sadler’s Wells under both Tim Tubbs and Nigel Hinds, and was a founder member of Dance Touring Partnership. She has run the Merlin Theatre, Frome, Blackpool Grand Theatre and, for the past 19 years, Nottingham Playhouse covering small-scale touring, middle-scale presenting and running a producing house. Nottingham Playhouse was a founder member of Eclipse Theatre Consortium and Ramps on the Moon under Stephanie’s leadership.

She is Joint President of UK Theatre (previously Vice President), Ex Vice Chair of Parents and Carers in Performing Arts and, at a local level, she sits on the ONE Nottingham Board and is an Ambassador for Inspiring Future Theatre.

Lee has extensive experience in the arts and cultural sector, most recently as Director at Chelmsford Theatre. Prior to that, Lee was Theatre Director at New Theatre Oxford, part of the Ambassador Theatre Group; Theatre Director at the Marina Theatre Trust, Lowestoft and General Manager at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Lee has held strategic roles covering finance, customer experience, programming, operations and commercial development, and having begun his career in stage management, has a very broad understanding of the demands of a busy producing theatre.

Mark Aldrich was formerly a partner at Browne Jacobson, a Nottingham commercial law firm. He now leads projects in their central management team. He has been passionate about the theatre since studying English Literature at school and taking leads on the school stage as Arthur Kipps in Half A Sixpence and Henry Higgins in Pygmalion. Mark has continued to take part in amateur dramatics locally, is a keen theatre-goer and is also trustee of a Nottinghamshire Multi-Academy Trust.

Anthony Almeida is an award-winning theatre and opera director. In 2019 he was named winner of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award. He was the inaugural Link Artist Stage Director at Royal Opera House; and Resident Director at Almeida Theatre for whom he directed actors including Ian McKellen, Fiona Shaw and Ashley Walters in Figures of Speech – a digital film project interrogating leadership.

Janette Alvarado-Cruz is Associate Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Nottingham and has worked in Further and Higher Education for 25 years. She has a firm professional and personal belief that we have a moral imperative to help all people within our community to flourish, and that equitable practice and commitment to work towards better inclusivity is everyone’s business. As a teenager she was an enthusiastic member of Sheffield’s Crucible Youth Theatre which then opened doors to training as a Youth Theatre and T.I.E workshop leader with Sheffield Theatres. She has found theatre to be personally transformative and a powerful way of gaining life opportunities which she would not otherwise have had.

David is an experienced leader, with a background covering Operations, eCommerce, Finance, Compliance, HR and IT. His career spans Banking, Retail and Engineering, spending the majority of his career working for ALDI as they grew to become 4th largest supermarket in the UK, including seven years on their UK board. Growing up in Kent, his parents regularly took him to the West End which kindled his love of attending the theatre.

Andy is a Chartered Accountant and works as a Director at PwC. He studied Economics and Econometrics at the University of Nottingham, before a sabbatical year as Treasurer of the Students’ Union. Other than some time working in London and the US, he has lived in Nottingham since graduation.

He is a very regular theatre goer, both locally and in London and “took to the stage” at Nottingham Playhouse as part of the Coram Boy Choir and as part of the Community singers in Wasteland. Andy Chairs Nottingham Playhouse’s Risk Group and is also an elected member of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Alex is Chief Marketing Officer at the National Theatre, where he is responsible for ensuring the organisation reaches and engages the widest possible audience in London, across the UK and around the world. Working across live theatre and digital, he is responsible for
sales, brand and marketing communications, digital products and platforms. Through sector engagement, policy and advocacy he is helping to build stronger, sustained partnerships with theatres across the UK. Originally from Dorset, Alex is a big fan of all forms of arts and culture and a keen gardener.

Amanda Farr is a practicing partner in Sweeney and Farr mental health consultancy.  She was formerly a clinical lead of the NHS county primary care mental health service and is Deputy Lieutenant and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.”

Roger is Nottingham born and bred and was lucky to be introduced to Nottingham Playhouse at an early age by his wonderful parents. He’s been captivated by the power of theatre to move, excite, and inspire ever since.  After a brief and undistinguished ‘am-dram’ career, he realised the arts would be better off if his involvement was off-stage and is therefore delighted to join the Board of Trustees. Roger also chairs our Trading Company. In his spare time, he’s a Solicitor and Managing Partner at the Nottingham office of Shakespeare Martineau. He lives in Nottingham with his wife and their two fab boys.

Danielle Russell is a senior marketing, communications and fundraising professional with a career spanning 20 years. She is Head of Alumni Relations and Regular Giving at Nottingham Trent University and, prior to this, she spent nine years in a similar role at Sheffield Hallam University.

Danielle believes in the importance of higher education in transforming people’s lives and increasing social mobility and, through her work at both universities, has played a crucial role in supporting this.

Before making the move into Higher Education, Danielle enjoyed a career in the arts, working at Sheffield Theatres, the Southbank Centre during the successful £110 million capital fundraising campaign and 2007 relaunch, Box Clever Theatre Company, Stratford Circus Arts Centre and East London Dance.

A dance alumna of the University of Surrey, Danielle has a passion for theatre and dance, and champions access to arts and culture for all.

Hi, I’ve been involved with Nottingham Playhouse since I was 11 when I started in Senior Young Company. I’ve also been part of many of the National Theatre Connections Festivals before joining the Youth Board. I love the energy and passion of all the wonderful people at the Nottingham Playhouse and am really excited to be a part of it.

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With over 30 years experience working in education, Cathryn is passionate about the transformative power of the arts. Teaching English and Drama in secondary schools and with experience of leadership in a large Multi Academy Trust, Cathryn understands the importance of inclusion and the need to ensure equity of opportunity and provision. Cathryn currently works as senior deputy head and teacher of English in a large Nottinghamshire secondary school and enjoys reading, music festivals, art and design in her spare time.

Becky is an award-winning and experienced Sustainability and Building Health Consultant, and co-owner of Nottingham-based Spenbeck. Through auditing, policy writing and training Becky supports the business, education and cultural sectors in maximising their sustainability, ESG and Net Zero efforts. She has particular commercial expertise in decarbonising heritage and listed buildings, is a certified Carbon Literacy Trainer and our Julie’s Bicycle Board Champion.

A lifelong avid theatre goer, though by her own admission not much of an actress, Becky has first-hand experience of the power theatre and the arts have to transform lives, recently representing Nottingham in two Royal Shakespeare Company productions as part of its ‘Shakespeare Nation’ community programme.

Amanda Whittington is one of the most performed playwrights in the UK.  She has written around 40 original plays for theatre and audio drama, including Be My Baby, The Thrill of Love, Kiss Me Quickstep, Mighty Atoms, Atalanta Forever, Amateur Girl, Ladies Day and Ladies Unleashed.  Amanda recently wrote the book for Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical which tours the UK and Canada in 2022-23.  Her work for BBC Radio 4 includes the award-winning series D for Dexter, The Nine Days Queen, The Dock Nuremberg and The Archers.

www.amandawhittington.com

I am an actor from Nottingham and a member of the Participation freelance team at Nottingham Playhouse. I have had the pleasure of performing on the playhouse stage a number of times and am a member of Homegrown Performers. I am excited to create a safe and uplifting environment to help get young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, involved in theatre and theatre making.

I’m in my second year of studying English and Film with television and I’ve wanted to be an author since I was 3. I’m passionate about books but I’d also love to get into theatre and screenwriting, eventually starting on writing my own script. I first got involved with the playhouse doing a theatre workshop called shewolves, and I can’t wait to see where the youth board will take me.

My name is Ryan and I’m incredibly excited to be joining the board. Theatre and performing arts are my passion. I have studied them since I was 14 and am looking forward to working with the Nottingham Playhouse as part of the board. As a severely
physically disabled person, I am very keen to bring my perspective to the board and the Playhouse as a whole.

Hello, I’m Christopher Molife. I was born and raised in Nottingham. I am delighted to be a Youth Board Member after being involved with lots of Nottingham Playhouse Projects from a young age. I have a love for theatre and the performing arts which I want to pursue further on in my life.

Hi I’m Rania – an undergraduate Geography student at the University of Nottingham with a love for theatre, recently getting
involved with Nottingham Playhouse! In my free time I love music, dance, film-watching, and writing poetry. I’m super excited to
work with the Youth Board and be a champion for the diversity and inclusion of all people on and off the stage.

Hello I’m a 21 year old actor from Nottingham. I’m a part of the Homegrown Performers group here at the Nottingham Playhouse and have previously worked with the National Youth Theatre. I have had the pleasure of performing on the Playhouse stage but am now excited to be a member of the Youth Board. I look forward to being a part of such an inspiring, progressive environment.
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Hi, I’ve been involved with Nottingham Playhouse since I was 11 when I started in Senior Young Company. I’ve also been part of many of the National Theatre Connections Festivals before joining the Youth Board. I love the energy and passion of all the wonderful people at the Nottingham Playhouse and am really excited to be a part of it.