Participation

Natalia is one of our in-house specialists, and has worked within the arts for the past 10 years with a focus on community participation. She is a local actor, writer, director and education specialist.

Beginning her journey at New College Nottingham, she has worked with Inspire Academy, The Television Workshop, Sheep Soup Theatre Company and has recently had her writing published. Natalia specializes in Youth Theatre and Developing Access into the Arts.

Tia is a facilitator and theatre maker specialising in making work with young people and people with additional needs. Having fun and developing skills whilst building confidence are priorities to Tia and her work. She is passionate about introducing young people playful techniques like Commedia dell’arte, improvisation and clowning, and forming ensembles to creatively tell a story.

Sarah is one of our in-house specialists and is a theatre practitioner who works in community and educational settings.

She has performed in the Story Explorers tour for early years and runs in-house Young Companies for the Playhouse. She also examines for LAMDA and teaches Contemporary Dance. Sarah has a particular interest in physical theatre/movement direction, and is a former Head of Drama, works for exams boards and has directed many large scale productions.

Zoe is a freelance Theatre Practitioner, Director, Acting Coach and Qualified Teacher. Zoe graduated from the Birmingham School of Acting with a BA Hons in Acting and went on to work as an actor for several years before gaining her PGCE in Secondary Drama Teaching.

As a former RSC Associate Schools Teacher, Zoe is fiercely passionate about bringing theatre to new and young audiences through collaborative and diverse work.

Zoe is currently a Lead Creative practitioner for the young company at Curve Theatre. She also develops and runs theatre workshops in a wide range of educational settings.

Sara Bodinar is a professional screenwriter. She has worked with film studios and TV production companies all over the world, is a script editor to Amazon best-selling authors, commissioned playwright, and a former Nottingham Post columnist. She delivers writing workshops all over the country.

Olwen Davies is a theatre maker, performer, programmer, producer, lecturer, youth theatre leader and artist. She has a Masters degree in Drama studies from De Montfort University and over the past decade Olwen has toured across the UK with her theatre company LaPelle’s Factory. Olwen has collaborated with multiple creatives and venues as a solo practitioner. She is a founding member of The Party Somewhere Else collective, where she focuses on programming, event management and coordination. Since 2014 has worked as an associate lecturer in multiple Higher Education Institutions including the Universities of Lincoln, Worcester, Derby and De Montfort University. Olwen works closely with UK New Artists as their Producer for Live works: Leicester 2022 and a mentor of their Future Producers project.

Olwen strongly believes in the creation and sharing of art and in supporting and growing creative talent. She facilitates projects and supports artists of all ages to develop their performance practice and actualise their work. She is passionate about building a thriving arts and cultural ecology, providing opportunities to all, showcasing excellence and facilitating growth.

Hugh Dichmont is a Nottingham-based writer. He has had plays performed throughout the UK, including at Nottingham Playhouse, Curve (Leicester), Theatre 503 and The Vaults (both London). As an educator he has over a decade of experience in delivering creative workshops to learners of all ages and abilities.

Helen is a drama facilitator and writer with 20 years’ experience working with children and young people. Her ethos is one of play, encouragement, and collaborative creation. Having run her own children’s drama company for 10 years, she is now working as a freelance artist, and loving being able to share her skills and experience with a wider community audience.

Omar is a director, facilitator and writer based in the Midlands with a focus on collaborative, experimental processes. Through film, theatre, and digital mediums, his work engages communities and enables conversations around topics including: death, identity, and spirituality.

An alumnus of Birmingham REP’s Foundry scheme & Tamasha’s Directors Programme, he is currently an Associate Artist at Derby Theatre, where he runs the Years 4-6 Youth Theatre.

Jo is a freelance dance/theatre practitioner and qualified teacher, who works both in the community and educational settings. After a successful career helping hundreds of young people reach their creative potential as a former head of Performing Arts, Jo is relishing the opportunity of working creatively with our Nottingham Playhouse participation groups. She loves to work collaboratively on performance projects with other practitioners, but the core of her work is centered on developing the creativity of her participants.

Simon is a Theatre Practitioner with over 20 years’ experience specialising in Theatre for Young Audiences. He is currently a lecturer at the University of Lincoln. Simon is delighted to join the Participation team and is looking forward to an exciting year ahead with Nottingham Playhouse.

Christina is a theatre maker and facilitator from Greece. She studied at Iasmos Drama School under a scholarship, and in 2018 graduated from Nottingham College with a BA hons in Theatre Arts. As a maker her work is focused on devising contemporary performances, incorporating digital media to extend the reach of communication and visualisation. As a facilitator she aims to unleash the participants’ sense of honest and spontaneous play, and to inspire young people to be creative and find confidence through the arts.