Meet the Team

Alongside Paul Warwick I co-founded China Plate in 2006.

We jointly share the artistic direction of China Plate and work closely with Executive Director Chloe Courtney on all aspects of leadership, management and strategy.

Paul or I usually act as Executive Producer on our productions, working with our producing team to support the artists making our shows as well as taking the lead on specific artist or sector development strands.

I’m China Plate’s Executive Director. I joined the company in March 2022.

I support China Plate’s producers and everyone who works with us by making sure that our organisation is run well and with care. I look after our finances and policies, and work with our Artistic Directors, our Board, and our team to decide China Plate’s direction of travel. Day to day, I liaise with our bookkeeper, our accountant, our insurers, and our suppliers to keep things going smoothly.

It’s important to me to make sure that at China Plate we embed access, equity, and care into all our working practices – from our budgets to our live shows.

I’m working with China Plate as an Associate Producer. I’m producing Inspector Sands’ Wuthering Heights, which will be touring from Spring 2023.

I have a care-centred practice and beyond my work at China Plate I am undertaking a DYCP to upskill and develop my practice as a creative lead.

I am China Plate’s Administrator. Based in our Birmingham office, I work with our Executive Director to maintain a broad range of administrative duties, including finance, processes and policy implementation, and environmental data reporting.

I also provide our larger team including Co-Artistic Directors and Producers with administrative and logistical support, alongside managing our Birmingham and London offices.

I am China Plate’s Engagement and Participation Producer. I develop and deliver the strategy around our work with young people, schools and community groups.

This involves modelling our existing artist development work for Midlands based 16-21 year olds so that they receive similar opportunities as professionals. It also includes how we can engage with secondary schools through our touring productions and ways members of the public can be involved in the creation of our work. If you are interested in our work with schools, please get in touch on [email protected]

I also support the whole company to think about how all our projects are audience-focused. Whether the ‘audiences’ are our artists, participants or members of the public seeing our work.

I am China Plate’s Training & Development Producer. In this new role, I will be nurturing people, relationships and ideas, alongside managing The Optimists and other training initiatives.

While supporting new arts producers, I’m looking to build and sustain connections with people and organisations in Birmingham and beyond, whilst looking for creative ideas that China Plate can help develop.

I am China Plate’s Digital & Data Manager.

In this new role, I am responsible for looking at how the organisation can best use digital tools and data – whether that be to communicate externally, evaluate our work, or support the team in producing and making creative projects happen.

I manage our online communications, including our website, social media, distribution platforms and monthly newsletter. I’ll be working closely with our Co-Artistic Directors, Executive Director and Engagement & Participation Producer, to develop and implement our Communications and Engagement Strategy.

Formerly China Plate’s Senior Producer, I worked on the strategic development within the company, managed the artist development programme, and researched and authored our Artist Wellbeing Policy.

I now work with the company as a freelance Associate Producer on various projects and shows. I am particularly interested in work that has a focus on developing collaborations, partnerships and audiences across different sectors.

I’m one of the Associate Producers for the To The Streets! programme. I’ll be working with Diandra and Jade to help develop and produce a co-curated programme with this brand new musical. It’s an incredibly exciting time to have joined the team, especially as I’m a history nerd who, unfortunately, can’t hold a tune. But if listening to stories is your bag, we’ll get along fine!

Formerly on China’s Plate’s Optimist Programme in 2016, I have continued to work with the company on evaluation and reporting, as well as being a guest speaker in Optimists sessions.

I’m now working with China Plate as a freelance Associate Producer to research and development Urielle Klein-Mekongo’s new show TRASH.

I’m also a freelancer creative producer working across Theatre, Dance and Live Art. A recipient of the Jerwood Arts Live Work Fund 2021 and an advocate for class diversity.

I specialise in producing new work and introducing it to diverse audiences. In addition to having extensive expertise in touring work to mid-scale venues and festivals around the UK and internationally.

Career highlights include the development and touring of the award-winning BAC Beatbox Academy production of Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster and the touring of Touretteshero’s Not I by Samuel Beckett.

Formerly an Associate Producer, I worked on the To The Streets! programme with Aksana, working with North Birmingham artists and communities to bring their stories to life – culminating in the Bus Boycott Block Party in August 2021!

I am now working with the company as a consultant, advising on the continued work to co-design and develop community led projects.

I’m working with China Plate as an Associate Producer on Soho Settlers by Black Heritage Walks Network & Overhear and We Still Here by Jane Thakoordin – two of the co-designed community-led projects running alongside To The Streets! as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

As a Birmingham based artist, I specialist in projects that get unknown, untold stories out there.

I am the Education Coordinator for Wuthering Heights. I lead on the design and delivery of the education and engagement package for schools, colleges and universities.

Outside of China Plate, I am a producer and engagement specialist based in Manchester. My work is focused on bringing about positive, tangible social change for young people through the arts. I am particularly interested in creating opportunities for marginalised young people to engage with the arts as audiences, participants, and artists. I am also currently undertaking a part-time MSc in International Development. Through this, I am learning how to design programmes for social change.

I am a Producer at China Plate, working with a diverse range of artists across the entire process involved in realising and ultimately presenting their work; from exploration of the original concept, through R&D stages, into accessing funding and then touring booking through the UK and internationally. I am particularly interested in work that brings together artists and creatives to collaboratively share knowledge and expertise to create work.

I am one of China Plate’s Co-Artistic Directors, having founded the company with Ed Collier in 2006.

Together we jointly share the artistic direction of China Plate, working closely with Executive Director Chloe Courtney on all aspects of leadership, management and strategy.

Ed or I usually act as Executive Producer on our productions, working with our Producing team to support the artists making our shows. I also lead on specific artist or sector development projects and occasionally even direct shows – most recently Romeo and Juliet – Mad Blood Rising.