I’m a Professor of Applied and Social Theatre at the University of Manchester. Prior to working with the Care Lab team, I founded the TiPP Centre – working on arts in prisons – and In Place of War – developing arts programmes in places of conflict. I write about applied theatre and other aspects of socially engaged arts practice. My latest book is Care Aesthetics: For Artful Care and Careful Art (2022) and I am currently continuing to research all aspects of the aesthetics of care.

Hello there! I am thrilled to be part of The Care Lab team. I believe it is an exciting bridge between industry and higher education, sharing knowledge in community. I have worked in the arts all my life. I am a dancer trained in classical ballet, folk, dancehall and Senegalese ‘sabar’. I have a particular weakness for dance theatre that began when I saw Force Majeure’s Same, same but different as a teenager at the Sydney Opera House and later, Jean-Claude Gallota’s Les Gens Qui Danse as an intern at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (US). Learn more about what I have seen and experienced since here.

I make socially engaged theatre as an artist and think about it as an academic. For a decade I’ve worked specifically to promote the rights of refugees and asylum seekers through theatre. I’m also a trained clown and have worked in sites of armed conflict and political violence. I now spend my time wanting to understand what happens when we pay attention to how we care, especially in community and participatory arts. I’m also particularly interested in the dialogue between research and practice, and The Care Lab is a space to explore that! Here’s an attempt at a personal website.

I am a freelance drama practitioner based in Manchester. I work with a diverse range of people of all abilities and ages. I am a huge believer in theatre as a tool for promoting confidence, communication and well-being. I have worked for numerous theatres, schools and community venues.

Much of my work is within the SEND sector. I worked for a long time with DIY Theatre Company – a company of brilliant actors with learning disabilities based in Salford and I am proud to be on their board. In addition, I am a practitioner and trainer on ‘Speech Bubbles’ – a communication and story project for 5-7 year olds.

I have also worked extensively on a brilliant project called ‘Storybox’ which is a creative multi art form project for people living with a dementia and their families/carers. And more recently I am enjoying training students at both Manchester and Chester Universities in our creative approaches and ethos.

I am so happy being part of the Care team and the lead artist on a project with people with dementia called ‘Beautiful Feast’. And I am very excited to be developing a photography project about my mum’s journey with Alzheimer’s called ‘The Long Goodbye’ which has been funded by the Arts Council’s DYCP. I want to make this into a bigger project to open up the discussion around loss, love, anticipatory grief and caring for people with Alzheimer’s.

Hello! I am a curious and adventurous community theatre practitioner working in Manchester. I am interested in what really works within socially engaged art, and thinking about how we can capture and share this feeling. I work in a variety of community settings, including prisons, probation hubs, schools and alternative provisions, delivering theatre workshops and connecting with a wide range of people. I am curious about how art can encourage real and genuine connections between people, both within and across communities.

I first thought about Care Aesthetics when studying at the University of Manchester, on a course called The Art of Care, where I resonated with descriptions of tenderness and considered contact in Care settings. I began thinking about what this means for me, as a facilitator and theatre maker. Research on care within the arts (and all the wonderful ways the two intersect) inspires me, as it places people and thoughtfulness at the heart of what is valued and important, both in my artistic practice and personal life. For this reason, I am really excited to be a part of the CARE Team as Social Media Manager, where I will be shouting about this refreshing work far and wide!