My role as Creative Engagement Director is to oversee the delivery of the Traverse Theatre’s Engagement and Artist Development programmes by providing effective leadership and efficient project management. The role mixes producing, directing and writing for co-created productions.
Highlights in my role include Same Team: A Street Soccer Story, Class Act On Tour, Last Chance To Save The Planet, When The Sun Meets The Sky, and Traverse Young Writers.
One of the key projects in my time at the Traverse has been to write and create the play Same Team with Jack Nurse. We have worked with the Scottish Women's Team in Dundee to write a play about their journey to the Homeless World Cup in partnership with Street Soccer and Burness Paull. It has been a joy from start to finish and a highlight of my career to date.
Written by Jack Nurse and I with the Dundee Women’s Street Soccer Team, Same Team - A Street Soccer Story is an uplifting whirlwind through the highs and lows of homeless football. Directed by Bryony Shanahan and starring Chloe Anne Tyler, Hiftu Quasem, Neshla Caplan, Louise Ludgate and Hannah Jarrett-Scott.
Class Act on Tour (funded by Paul Hamlyn) works in partnership with Aberdeen Arts Centre, APA, Dumfries Theatre Royal, Mull Theatre, Eden Court and the Ayr Gaiety Theatre to take the Traverse Theatre’s flagship participatory project across Scotland.
Class Act also travelled to Finland to work with Ukranian and Russian refugees, culminating in a showcase at the Finnish National Theatre and the young people becoming published playwrights.
Last Chance To Save The Planet was an open call launched by Sam Hueghan (Outlander) for 11-25 year olds from across the UK in response to the climate crisis, which was showcased as part of TravFest23.
When The Sun Meets The Sky (in association with Capital Theatres) was an audio drama shaped by personal stories from the dementia community of Edinburgh and the Lothians during the height of the pandemic. Co-created by Robbie Gordon, Jack Nurse and experts from the Capital Theatres dementia-friendly community with a score from VanIves.
Traverse Young Writers entry-level programme, designed for young people aged 18-25 who want support to find their own voice, experiment with writing styles and try new things in a dynamic group setting. The programme of guest writers for the last cohort included Chris Thorpe, Isobel McArthur, Mariem Omari and TYW alumni Ella Hickson and Uma Nada-Rajah.