People

Charlotte Jones read English and Philosophy at York University and Law at the College of Law Chancery Lane. She trained as a solicitor and worked as a legal advisor at Brixton Law Centre and the Interchange Studios. She also worked at York Rape Crisis and Women’s Aid as a counsellor and advisor and as a freelance trainer and facilitator since 1991, specialising in company management, contracts and negotiating skills. Charlotte has been Chief Executive of ITC since 2000 and was previously Deputy Director. Charlotte specialises in advice and training on leadership, governance, company management, contracts and negotiating skills.

Zoe studied Performing Arts at London Metropolitan University and has a post-grad diploma in Digital Marketing. After a short stint as an actor she found her place in arts management, working for the King’s Head Theatre, Ustinov Studio: Bath, Barbican Centre, then as GM at Tramshed (previously GLYPT) for 6 years. Zoe is a Mental Health First Aider, and Trainee Counsellor.

Kevin has an accounting and finance degree from Liverpool University and trained as a management accountant at Proctor & Gamble. Kevin works with a wide range of performing arts companies including Soho Theatre and Writers’ Centre, Fairfield Hall Croydon and Royal Court Theatre Liverpool. Kevin brings over 25 years of accounting experience to his role at ITC. Kevin is available to answer our members’ finance and tax queries.

Jackie Elliman is ITC’s Legal & Industrial Relations Manager. Jackie comes from a theatre management background and has worked for a range of performing arts organisations, from street arts to the West End. She has also worked for TMA/SOLT and for Equity and for eight years ran her own business providing arts administration, marketing and events organisations services. Jackie has a Drama Degree from Manchester University and studied Law at the College of Law. She is also a qualified mediator and arbitrator.

Rachel studied Stage Management at Birmingham School of Acting and has since worked backstage on various shows in London, Edinburgh, and York. After working at York Barbican for 3 years she moved into social media and communications for Northern Trains, where she handled customer servicing and external content. She has qualifications in The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing from IAB Europe and The Open University, and Communications Access UK.

Fred is ITC’s legal and industrial relations manager, working part time alongside Jackie. Fred has previously worked for several trade unions, and as a political officer in local government. He recently completed the Legal Practice Course with a Masters of Law at London Metropolitan University, having previously completed a law conversion (GDL) at London South Bank University, and an undergraduate degree in politics from the University of Cambridge.

Ria is Co-Director of The North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford, leading on the financial and creative well-being of the organisation since 2017. She was previously co-founder and producer of Iron Shoes Theatre Company, touring small-scale new work across the UK and at the Edinburgh Festival, winning Fringe First Awards for new plays by Gbolahan Obisesan, Paul Charlton and Marika Mckennell.
As a freelance director and producer she has worked with companies such as the Bush Theatre, Young Vic, Unicorn Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, National Theatre, Southbank Centre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Rada, Lamda, New Earth and Touretteshero. She was previously a Creative Producer at Watford Palace Theatre, Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio, and is an alumnus of the Step Change Leadership Programme.

Keisha Thompson is a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer; as well as the Artistic Director and CEO of Contact

Keisha is Senior Learning Programme Manager for The World Reimagined, chair of radical arts funding body, Future’s Venture Foundation, a MOBO x London Theatre Consortium Fellow and a member of Greater Manchester Cultural and Heritage Group, and recipient of The Arts Foundation Theatre Makers Award 2021.

Dougie Irvine is a founding member, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Visible Fictions. Under his leadership, this Glasgow-based award-winning company has presented multi-disciplinary work in theatres, schools, outdoor sites, community settings, libraries, on television, radio, the internet, and at international film festivals. Under Douglas’ leadership, both national and international partnerships have played a crucial part in the company’s work, with co-productions and collaborations with a range of arts organisations including: The JF Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, BBC Scotland, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland, The Traverse, Aberdeen Performing Arts, Oregon Children’s Theatre, and CTC in Minneapolis. He has also worked as an actor, tutor and director with other companies including the BBC, Citizens Theatre, Royal Lyceum, Macrobert, Oran Mor, Polka Theatre, Scottish Youth Theatre, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Leeds Conservatoire, and both Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.

Natalie Adams is Senior Producer at Trigger making live, theatrical and visual work.

Natalie has 6 years of producing experience, and has secured and has run several cross artform and sector projects. Recent clients include National Trust, Deloitte, Imperial War Museums, AEG and Natural History Museum.
Natalie has produced and general managed for organisations including Coney, Paines Plough, nabokov and MPA-Berlin. She is an alumni artist of The Point Theatre.

Trigger are currently in receipt of an Organisational Development grant from Arts Council England and are developing a portfolio of new, large scale landmark projects with national impact.
Trigger are based in Bristol and are residents of the Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed.

Philippa Cross is General Manager at Talking Birds, and has worked in arts policy and management for over 25 years, as fundraiser, funding advisor, policy developer, programme manager, facilitator, coach and evaluator. She has worked for the Tate Gallery, West Midlands Arts, Arts Council England WM and Creative Partnerships Coventry (Cre8us) as well as with a wide range of freelance clients including local authorities, universities and arts companies. Her experience and expertise lie particularly in strategic planning, organisational development, financial and project management, evaluation and supporting reflection through keen questioning. She holds an MA in European Cultural Policy and a Diploma in Coaching from the University of Warwick. Alongside working part time as General Manager for Talking Birds, Philippa continues to support small arts companies and to coach individuals and teams on a freelance basis.

Dienka is Executive Director at Travelling Light, a Bristol based theatre company who create theatre for and with children and young people that inspires thinking, engages emotions and fires imaginations.

Dienka completed an MA in Applied Theatre at University of Manchester in 2004 and following this took part in ITC’s Fast Track programme. She has worked in a variety of arts management roles with a focus on cultural education, social inclusion and children and young people’s entitlement to creativity. This has included delivering social inclusion and anti-racism projects at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth, working as Culture Education Manager for Swindon Borough Council and working for Creative & Cultural Skills promoting apprenticeships and fair access to the sector for young people. She has been joint CEO at Travelling Light since 2014.

Michael is the Producer for Luca Silvestrini’s Protein and an independent producer for Jean Abreu Dance and Gateway Arts. He has extensive experience in arts management and is skilled in festival/project coordination. He previously worked at Sadler’s Wells Producing and Touring department, supporting international choreographers such as Carlos Acosta and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and was Dance Umbrella Festival Coordinator from 2016-2018.

Michael has delivered projects with a wide range of community settings including, primary and secondary schools, pupil referral units, as well as refugees and migrants. Michael’s work with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein earned them Community Project of the Year at The Stage Awards 2023. Saturn Returns by Gateway Arts was nominated for Best Choreography at the Black British Theatre Awards 2022.

Graduating from Rambert School with a first-class BA (Hons) degree, as a dancer and performer Michael has worked with choreographers and companies internationally including, Wayne McGregor/Random Dance (Big Dance 2012) Adaire to Dance, Lea Anderson & Gary Clarke (Games Time) Tom Dale, Katherine Hollinson, Ascendance Rep, RODA, Hinged Dance Co, The Typewriters and Joseph Mercier.

Leanne Jones has worked at 20 Stories High for 12 years and loves working closely with our youth theatre/young actors. She is a co-founder of Tell Tale Theatre, a local community theatre group. She is currently enjoying being a mum and loves most music ever made!

Aisha Khan is a playwright, director and dramaturg. Her recent work has spanned both theatre and radio and has included commissions for West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Royal Exchange Theatre and BBC Radio. Her directing credits include Bollywood for Dummies (Freedom Studios), Six Shooter and Beep (Northern Bullits/Theatre in the Mill). Aisha has also worked as a Consultant on DCI Banks and Casualty. Aisha has tutored and mentored on a number of writing schemes including those for Slung Low, Freedom Studios, Tutti Frutti, West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Royal Exchange Theatre. Aisha joined the ITC board in March 2020.

Maria Oshodi worked as a script writer for theatre from 1984-1992. Her plays were produced by national touring companies such as Talawa and Graeae, and later published by Longmans, Metheuen and John Murray. After graduating with a 1st BA honors in Drama and English she worked in arts management, for BBC drama production and in 1997 founded Extant, the leading performing arts organization in the UK, managed for and by visually impaired professional arts practitioners. As the Artistic Director of the Company for over 20 years, she has directed Extant’s national and international touring productions in a range of settings, including site-specific, traditional venues and art and tech installations, as well as led on the Companies participation, research and training strategies.

Emma is a theatre consultant, working recently with organisations including Chichester Festival Theatre, Kiln Theatre and London Theatre Consortium (LTC). Previously Director of LTC, she led on strategic projects working across the 14 member theatres, including the LTC Creative Apprenticeship programme; a sustainability programme in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle; and projects with a focus on workforce development, inclusion and representation . She also undertook an extended secondment as Senior Relationship Manager, Theatre in the London office of Arts Council England.

She has many years of experience at senior management level in theatres and touring companies with responsibility for strategic development, finance and funding, producing, tour booking and management, marketing and administration. She has also worked on several independent theatre and film projects in management and producing roles.

Emma has served on many boards and advisory bodies, and is currently Parent Governor of a local primary school. She lectures on theatre and performing arts administration and was a visiting lecturer at London South Bank University for nine years.

Ines is a freelance Arts Consultant & Fundraiser. She is from Lisbon, Portugal and came to London in 2003 to study Media Arts with Film and Video Production and then undertook a postgraduate degree in Arts Criticism and Management at City University.

Ines has worked in the arts for over 15 years. From Sept 2018 until Dec 2023 she was the Executive Director of Fuel Theatre. She has also worked with organisations like Percursos (a multidisciplinary arts festival held in Portugal), TAPP (the Teacher Artist Partnership Programme), LIFT, Phakama UK and Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre. She has also worked freelance as an arts consultant, curator and producer with companies such as Nour Festival, Clayground Collective and Freddie Opoku-Addaie.
In 2010 Ines joined City University’s mentoring scheme to help current graduates find their way into the arts and creative industries. From 2014 – 2017 I she on the board of CASA Latin American Theatre Festival, and in March 2020 Ines joined the board of ITC.

SJ is an independent theatre producer who lives in Birmingham. She currently works with Paul O’Donnell and Little Soldier in the UK and with Spanish companies Sleepwalk Collective from the Basque Country and Atresbandes from Barcelona.

She grew up in Derbyshire and studied Theatre Design at Birmingham Polytechnic, originally working as a designer, maker and workshop leader. She went on to work as a producer and general manager with organisations including China Plate Theatre, The Play House Theatre in Education, Women & Theatre, Creative Black Country, Sampad South Asian Arts and the National Dance Teachers Association.

Lian is the Executive Producer of New Earth Theatre (formerly Yellow Earth Theatre), producing work created by British East and South East Asian artists. They are a touring company that presents shows and readings across the year, nurtures BESEA talent as well as engage artists with communities, museums and schools. Previously, Lian was the Sustained Theatre Regional Associate Producer at Belgrade Theatre Coventry with Tamasha Theatre, where she managed projects spanning creative production, talent development and audience development. She has also produced shows in the UK,
Adelaide and New York, and found her roots in technical theatre at the COMEDIA Theater in Cologne, Germany.

Originally from the Scottish Borders, Ellis is now based in Cardiff and is Hijinx’s Senior Producer and Head of Theatre.
One of Europe’s leading inclusive theatre companies, Hijinx’s award-winning work is original, surprising, edgy, funny, and in huge demand across the globe, with productions including Meet Fred, The Flop and Into the Light travelling to over 35 countries in recent years and their latest digital adventures with Metamorphosis, Are You O.K.? and the_crash.test producing innovative hybrid theatre experiences. Hijinx creates exhilarating, subversive theatre from large to small scale for both indoor and outdoor performances. Artists with learning disabilities and/or autism are involved every step of the way in the making and performing of their stories.

Ellis is also a Mental Health First Aider and volunteers for the crisis helpline ‘Shout 85258’