Charles Freeman
Director of Charles Freeman projects and previously Quality Place Delivery Manager for the Partnership of Urban South Hampshire (PUSH). He has experience in delivering projects spanning traditional sector boundaries and has a track record of securing partner commitment and funding for new initiatives. Wide knowledge of the Culture, Economic Development and Skills Sectors, including creative Industries and neurodiversity.
Janis Gadd
Janis is passionate about enabling learning. Throughout her distinguished career she has developed expertise in supporting people who have not achieved their potential through the traditional schooling system. She has designed and delivered bespoke learning packages to meet the needs of learners; trained and mentored teachers and learning assistants and widened her classroom base to include vocational and workplace settings.
Janis has a Diploma of Theatre Arts in Education (Dartington College of Arts), and an MA in Advanced Educational Practice (University of Portsmouth). Currently Janis is offering flexible tuition in English, Maths and ICT to adults who wish to improve their skills.
Darren East
Darren East (www.darreneast.com) is a third-generation puppeteer, performer, director and theatre maker. He trained at the London School of Puppetry and the Central School of Speech and Drama, and was Artistic Associate at the Little Angel Theatre (“the home of British puppetry”) for 2013.
He co-founded Unpacked Theatre, touring visual theatre and puppetry. He is co-director of TouchedTheatre (www.touchedtheatre.co.uk), making touring theatre work for young audiences as well as curating and hosting Brighton’s new puppetry night Punched. He also devises and delivers TouchedTheatre’s ongoing work using arts to support therapeutic practice, particularly in mental health.
Opera work includes puppetry directing for a number of British Youth Opera shows; as a founder of Third Hand, the UK’s only dedicated puppetry and opera company, he co-directed their Triple Bill (winner of the Off West End Award for Best Opera).
He co-founded and regularly teaches with the Brighton Puppetry School (www.brightonpuppetryschool.com), offering high-quality vocational training in puppetry. He has also taught at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Rose Bruford, Kingston University, and New Bucks University, and regularly leads training and workshops on physical theatre and puppetry.
Shirley Sewell
Shirley has over 20 years’ experience as a senior teacher and department head. As Head of Performing Arts at Plumstead Manor School in London, Shirley was responsible for the raising of standards in performing arts subject areas across disciplines, the school and the Borough of Greenwich. She led on the introduction and delivery of the Greenwich Musical Theatre Academy, the Young Apprenticeship Programme in Performing Arts and the 14 – 19 Creative and Media Diploma.
Shirley’s experience in curriculum development includes: the development of a vocational route for students including work related learning and whole school initiatives in Literacy, Formative marking and Display for learning. She currently works with students with mild to moderate speech, language and communication difficulties and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
Hilary Strong
Hilary created the Making Theatre Gaining Skills learning concept and has delivered the programme across West Sussex and Hampshire since 2011. Her extensive experience and contacts in the creative sector combined with a background in large-scale learning delivery is key to the future success of the enterprise.
Her consultancy work includes developing learning strategies for New Theatre Royal Portsmouth, Youth Music Theatre UK, Cherwell District Council and Natural Theatre Company. Hilary served as member of Arts Council England 1998 – 2004.
