Curve Resident Creatives
Our current Curve Resident Creatives
Find out more about our current cohort of Curve Resident Creatives below.
These artists and theatre-makers were selected following an open call-out and interview process.
S. B. Cole
S. B. COLE (Serenah) is a playwright and director with an MPhil in Playwriting Studies from the University of Birmingham, an alumna of the Royal Court Theatre’s Invitation Group Soho Theatre’s The Hub. She has performed poetry at events including Glastonbury Music Festival and led writing workshops and tutorials for organisations such as Curve and Loughborough University.
In 2023, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust commissioned her to develop and deliver the Manifesto Project to celebrate the NHS’ 75th anniversary and the arrival of the Empire Windrush. In 2024, she was selected to be a New Associate at New Perspectives Theatre Company. In 2025, she received funding from Arts Council England to develop her new gospel musical FORGIVEN.
Serenah has a passion for creating work that engages ethnically diverse communities in dialogue around the topics of Black mental health, wellbeing and masculinity. During Curve Resident Creatives, she will build her directing and producing skills and continue to develop FORGIVEN, with inimitable producer Gloria Lagou, phenomenal composing team Rukus, Zee Musiq and Devon Madden–aka A Bagga Drama, and wonderful cast, Jabari Ngozi, Atlas Azure, Mark Peachey and Flora Squires.
To find out more about S.B. Cole and Forgiven visit www.sbcole.co.uk
Vikas Gogana
Vikas Gogana is a writer currently working in film and television, who is now looking to adapt his skills for live theatre. Originally from Leicester, he currently splits his time between London and the Midlands, and is keen to rebuild his creative community in theregion.
A former member of Curve Young Community Company, Vikas had his first formative experience of theatre at Curve when he performed in Richard III in 2015. Since then, he has worked as an actor in theatre, film and television and he is excited to take the next step in his career with Curve’s support.
During the residency, he will focus on developing HIGHFIELDS, a play following a Punjabi crime family based in Highfields, Leicester in the 1970s, as well as work on building his facilitation skills and his ability to work with young people.
Vikas is represented by Ellen Gallagher at Casarotto Ramsay.
Martha Kent
Martha Kent is an emerging theatre director, composer and creative producer, working across musical theatre, youth theatre and new writing.
Martha has worked as an Assistant Director with companies including New Perspectives Theatre Company, Buxton Opera House and internationally at Jána Palárika Theatre in Slovakia. Martha is looking to build on her directing skills in ambitious, larger-scale work alongside creating her own musical theatre projects. As part of her time as a Curve Resident Creative, Martha is developing a new revue musical LITTLE BLACK DRESS which explores the iconic garment that changed the future of fashion, femininity and freedom.
Alongside directing, Martha has also worked as Casting Assistant for the UK & Ireland tour of MATILDA THE MUSICAL and Assistant Producer for Freedom Festival.
With a background in music, Martha has written original music for touring productions, children’s theatre and for her own projects. She is particularly interested in the integration of music and theatre within her directing practice.
She graduated from the University of Hull in 2022 with a First-Class BA in Music, Theatre& Performance and trained as an Emerging Conducting Scholar at Warwick Arts Centre in 2023/24.
Website: marthakent.journoportfolio.com
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/martha-kent-871473525
Ishi Khan
Ishi Khan is a Midlands-based Multi-award nominated comedian, theatre-maker, writer, facilitator, clown, and socially engaged artist. Zambian-born, with Indian heritage and proudly British, her work explores migration, identity, belonging, and joy. She is known for high-energy storytelling, emotional honesty, and a playful performance style that builds deep connection with audiences.
Over the past two years, Ishi has been transitioning from stand-up comedy into theatre-making, developing a hybrid practice that blends clown, character, movement, and live storytelling. Supported by an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant, she trained with internationally renowned clown company Spymonkey (2023–24), unlocking a richer, more physical, and emotionally resonant creative voice.
In 2025, she premiered ASK GRANNY, a clown-based character show inspired by her grandmother, at Leicester Comedy Festival — running 15 performances across three venues. It sold out. The show was featured on BBC TV and shortlisted by the National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF).
Her first solo stand-up show I AM HAPPY (sold out at Curve – “Engaging Raconteur” ThreeWeeks, ★★★★ – Female Arts); I’mMigrant (sold out at Nottingham Playhouse and Brighton Fringe). LOVE DESIRES, STRAWBERRIES (★★★★ Lancaster Guardian, ★★★★★ Retford Peoples Review) sold out at Leicester Comedy Festival, Buxton Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Nottingham Comedy Festival. She has performed internationally and opened for Simon Brodkin, Zoe Lyons, Paul Foot, and President Obonjo.
Ishi is currently developing a theatre-clown piece exploring love, desire, and cultural expectation, alongside delivering laughter-based engagement projects across Leicester’s communities.
Dakarayi ‘Dak’ Mashava
TRAINING: Leicester College, London Contemporary Dance School
THEATRE CREDITS INCLUDE: Cabaret West End (Prologue Cast), Royal Opera House, Tavaziva Dance, National Theatre, Thriller Live (West End & European Tour), Caitlin Barnett Dance, Cathy Waller Company, B-hybrid Dance
OTHER CREDITS: DYCP Recipient 2024, LDIF’26Shortlist (Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2026 Choreography Platform)
TELEVISION: Bad Education (BBC), Mawaan Rizwaan’s Mango Chutney (Channel 4), Sandman (Netflix) Ellie Goulding.
Born in Zimbabwe and growing up in Leicester, Dak is a professional dancer and performer whose dance journey first began at Leicester College. Dak formally trained at The Place (London Contemporary Dance School), as well as time spent with establishments including Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio and the Millenium Dance Complex, both in Los Angeles. With a career now spanning over a decade, he has worked across various avenues from theatre shows and companies to commercial work. Since receiving the DYCPArtsCouncil grant, Dak has been working on developing himself as a choreographer which has led him to now being a Curve Resident Creative, where he will further develop professionally and learn new skills.
Website: https://www.dakmovement.com/
Amelia Michaels
Amelia Michaels is a British-Bajan Actor, Director, Theatre-Maker and Facilitator born and bred between London and the Midlands. She is a hybrid in many aspects which has been her superpower, allowing her to work across various forms, disciplines, and communities. In 2024 and 2025, she solo-produced seven shows across five festivals of her debut play MANDEM for which she is also the Writer and Co-Director. An alumnus of China Plate’s well-established producing course ‘Optimists’, Amelia is currently focusing on birthing her directing career. Outside of her own work she’s most recently assisted Jesse Jones on TOP G’S LIKE ME (Royal & Derngate), Corey Campbell on ROMEO & JULIET (a Belgrade Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Hackney Empire co-production) and Lynette Linton on NOT YOUR SUPERWOMAN (Bush Theatre). She’s currently a ‘New Associates’ with New Perspectives Theatre Company, a member of Headlong’s Origins 6.0 Cohortand a Resident Creative at Curve. As an actor she most recently filmed for SUSPECT currently on Disney+.
Maria Telnikoff
Maria Telnikoff (she/they) is a writer, actor and alternative comedian from Leicester, now based in between the East Midlands and East London. She is the creator of hit solo shows MY DAD WEARS A DRESS (Nottingham Playhouse) and ALL THE MEN ARE GOING TO HATE ME (Soho Theatre). Their most recent play EGGS AREN’T THAT EASY TO MAKE is coming to Riverside Studios in spring 2026. Maria is a part of BOY Theatre, who are Pleasance Associate Artists and are developing their debut show CAMPITALISM: THREE GAYS TRY TO FIX THE ECONOMY with the support of Pleasance and Curve. As a comedian, Maria is one half of double act Soft Play, who have opened for Sophie Duker on the London date of the tour of her show BUT DADDY I LOVE HER!. Maria is a Curve Resident Creative and is currently developing a new play MY SISTER LIFE with them, exploring friendship and unspoken queerness as a young woman growing up in Leicester. They are also Associate Artist of White Noise Theatre and will be running theatre-making workshops with them at NSDF this spring.
Imani Ahiro Wenham
Imani Ahiro Wenham is a writer, performer and producer based in Leicester, and the founder of Apittame Arts (est. 2019), a creative platform dedicated to elevating marginalised voices and fostering community through storytelling.
Their practice spans theatre, spoken word and producing. Imani has participated in programmes including Kiln Theatre’s Seven Ages of Patience ensemble (2019), Young Vic’s Fresh Direction: Replay (2019), Theatre 503’s Five o’Fresh (2019), Old Vic Theatre Makers (2020/21), and the National Theatre’s Young Writers Programme (2021).
Imani performed at Curve’s Black History Month Scratch Nights in 2024 and 2025, and developed new writing through Curve’s Neighbour-Hubs Writers Scheme (2025). In 2025, their short story was published as part of Middle Way Project: In Middle anthology.
Alongside their own creative work, Imani continues to produce workshops and performance showcases through Apittame Arts, creating spaces where emerging artists can grow boldly and unapologetically.
Website: https://www.earthstartshere.com/
Curve Resident Creative alumni
Below you can find out more about our previous Curve Resident Creatives.
Burnt Lemon Theatre
With ambition burning in abundance, Burnt Lemon Theatre are a multi-award winning, female led company who give rise to innovative new work. From riotous gig-theatre to electrifying musicals, they tackle sensitive stories with tenderness, punch and precision.
Since the founding of Burnt Lemon in 2018 by Co-Artistic Directors Cara Baldwin and Hannah Benson and Producer Tanya Agarwal, they have gained critical-acclaim. Their debut production The Half Moon Shania won Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical Award 2018 and are more recently known for their Edinburgh Fringe sell-out show Tokyo Rose, winner of the Les Enfants Terribles ‘Stepladder Award’ as well as New Diorama and Underbelly’s ‘UNTAPPED’ award.
Utilising their skills of musicianship and fever for spoken word, Burnt Lemon Theatre’s productions demand your attention and leave you asking scorching questions.
Follow Burnt Lemon Theatre:
Facebook – @burntlemontheatre
Twitter – @BurntLemonTC
Instagram – @burntlemontheatre
Centre for Indian Classical Dance
Centre for Indian Classical Dance (CICD) is Leicester’s first South Asian dance organisation, found in 1981 by Artistic Director Nilima Devi (MBE) to promote knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Indian culture. Over 40 years it has produced many professional and community productions, nurturing generations of talent from the city’s diverse community. Past alumni include the UK’s finest Kathak dancers such as Aakash Odedra, an international artist with his own NPO company, Meera Patel, Subhash Viman Gorania and Kesha Raithatha.
Beyond the consistent teaching at the centre, CICD has a history of leading outreach work in schools, colleges and community organisations with alumni teaching dance classes at local, regional and national levels. CICD has also produced a string of well-received Indian classical, contemporary and folk dance productions, such as The Ugly Duckling, (1989) An evening of Indian dance (1987 and 1990) Triangle (1992), Kathak Double Bill, (1994) Rainbow (1995), Vyom (2000) and Folk dances of India (2002). Some of the productions were performed in Leicester and many were toured across the UK.
Outside the city the work has toured to the Lowry, South Bank Centre, Loughborough Town Hall, Cambridge University Theatre, The Bhavan Centre (London) and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As well as creating large-scale community and professional productions CICD has also produced with many solo and smaller group Kathak performances. In addition to its role as an institute of learning, the Centre has an archive of costumes, music, dance books, a rehearsal studio, information on dance artists, an extensive collection of leaflets, posters and newspaper cuttings, and much information on the theory and practice of Kathak and other Indian dance forms. Since 2010, CICD has received several National Heritage Lottery grants to establish a digital film, image and sound archive for the company’s work which can share this learning and story with a wider audience. These include Karman (2012), Abhilekh (2016) and Poshak Puralekh (2019).
Follow Nilima and CICD:
Facebook – @cicd
Twitter – @cicduk
Instagram – @cicduk
YouTube – cicduk
Emmerson & Ward
A new writing company with a focus on producing new LGBTQ+ work, Emmerson & Ward was formed in 2018 by Producer Max Emmerson and Writer Rob Ward. Since 2018, Emmerson & Ward has produced Gypsy Queen by Rob Ward at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, multiple UK tours and an international tour, Sex/Crime by Alexis Gregory at the Soho Theatre, Riot Act by Alexis Gregory, UK Tour and in 2020 they debuted The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me by Rob Ward in association with Curve. Throughout the pandemic they have been developing new work with support from Arts Council England.
Follow Emmerson & Ward:
Twitter – @emmersonward
Instagram – @emmersonandward
Gerrard Martin Dance
Gerrard Martin was born in Northampton and trained at De Montfort University, gaining a BA Hons in English Literature and Performing Arts. He then went on to Northern School of Contemporary Dance to continue his professional dance studies. Gerrard is a dance artist who performs, choreographs, movement directs, educates and teaches yoga.
Gerrard currently teaches at Trinity Laban (CAT), and has taught and mentored on the Children Youth Dance and the Classes & Courses programme at the Place, he is a guest Associate Lecturer at the University of Northampton, and a dance and yoga teacher at RADA, (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art).
Gerrard Martin Dance (GMD) is a project-based company, which was created in 2011. GMD produces dance theatre which is engaging, passionate, emotive and socially relevant.
The company teaches and facilitates creativity through dance, movement, and yoga. GMD enhances desire and passion for dancing, elevates self-esteem, and nurtures and encourages potential.
Gerrard Martin Dance believes in collaboration and engages artists across different art forms.
Follow Gerrard Martin Dance:
Twitter – @GMD2012
Facebook – Gerrard Martin Dance GMD
Instagram – @gerrardmartindance
YouTube – Gerrard Martin Dance
Subhash Viman Gorania
Morph Productions was set up by Subhash Viman Gorania (SVG) in July 2016 (originally called Morph Dance Company) for the purposes of developing opportunities for SVG as a dancer and choreographer to develop his contemporary style. SVG is Artistic Director of the company and features as performer, choreographer and collaborator in most of the works to date. More recently the artistic vision has been revised to enable current generations of artists to tell and present their stories using dance, physical theatre and digital mediums.
Since 2016 Morph Productions has created a number of works which look at deeper social and political issues such as the impacts of migration; bullying and racial harassment, the tensions underlying political protest. The company makes distinctive work through the use of new lighting design, an amalgamation of contemporary and Indian dance and music and the use of personal stories to shape the narrative. These works include Classic Encounters; Fly From, Metamorphic and Three in collaboration with renowned choreographers such as Gary Clarke, Saju Hari, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Preethi Vasudevan, T J Lowe and Chitraleka Bolar. Collaborators in sound and light include Niraj Chag, Raghu Dixit, Shammi Pithia, Andy Hamer and Hector Murray.
SVG has developed through lockdown new skills in dance and animation on digital screens with recent commissions from Aakesh Odedra Dance Company, Centre for Indian Classical Dance (CICD) Chitraleka Dance Company and MANCH. He was awarded Dance Xchange Choreography Award in 2018.
Follow Subhash and Morph Productions:
Facebook – @MorphProductions
Instagram – @morphproductions
Twitter – @SubhashViman
The Gramophones
The Gramophones are an established all-female company run by Co-Artistic Directors Hannah Stone and Ria Ashcroft. They create contemporary, playful, high quality shows that put women centre stage. They make work that is relevant and responsive but has hope and change at its heart. They tell stories that are rooted in the community, inspired by women’s voices and reach far and wide.
The Gramophones have toured extensively to venues across the UK. In 2011 they were selected by Theatre Writing Partnership to work with writer Clare Duffy to create an interactive show for children, Wild Duck. They were later awarded a grant to travel from Lands End to John O’Groats on as many forms of transport as we could. The show End to End received 4 and 5 star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe.
In 2016 they were commissioned by Derby Festé to make Tarzanna, an aerial theatre show for families which toured extensively and will tour again in October 2021.
“Thank you for inspiring + empowering my 3-year-old female warrior. Perfect timing as alarmingly she was just starting to say boys were strong not girls, but not anymore! Totally reprogrammed + empowered!”
The Gramophones are currently developing Aidy the Awesome, a children’s aerial show about a Grandmother and Granddaughter superhero duo commissioned by Curve and supported by Arts Council England. In 2020 they were commissioned by Lakeside Arts to make an audio adventure – ANOTHER PLANET, for an adult and child to experience in any green space.
Follow The Gramophones:
Facebook – @TheGramophonesTheatreCompany
Twitter – @TheGramophones_
Instagram – @the_gramophones
Samson Hawkins
Samson Hawkins is a playwright and theatre practitioner from Syresham, Northamptonshire. As a playwright, he has worked with The Nottingham Playhouse, The Arena Theatre Wolverhampton, The Oxford Playhouse, Second Sons and Eton College. Most recently he was awarded In Good Company’s ‘Take Off’ prize, for his play oh for f**k’s sake (I’m in love with you). He has also written a play for radio We are in this Love Story for Rural Media and BBC Arts. He is a current Curve Resident Creative, New Perspectives associate & Graeae Beyond member. He has graduated from the writers groups of The Royal Court, Soho Theatre and The Oxford Playhouse.
Samson has also directed productions at The Orange Tree Theatre, Soho Theatre, the Old Red Lion & The Pleasance, and has assisted Gemma Farley and Steve Marmion. He is the current director in residence at Eton College, the former resident director of The Oxford Playhouse and a former trainee director at The Orange Tree Theatre.
Samson formed ‘The Secret Monday Group’ an Oxford-based free accessible youth theatre, as well as directing many productions with young people. He recently received an Arts Council DYCP grant to develop a working practice of using the principles of relaxed performances as an artistic impetus to create work for rural and studio touring, this working practice of ‘LO-FI Theatre’ will be created by ‘The Tomfool Ensemble’ a company of which Samson is the creative director.
Follow Samson:
Twitter – @samson_hawkins
Tina Hofman
Tina Hofman is a bilingual performance maker of Croatian origin, who works both independently and leads Notnow Collective. Her work is inspired by standing on the precipices, disruptions, migration and fantasy, and uses collaborative practice and movement as primary languages. Having mainly created indoor studio work, Tina is now moving into both digital and outdoor spaces, and aims to create strong international corridors of creativity.
Tina regularly works with Tirena Theatre, Zagreb as an associate artist: co-devising and directing new, urgent work for young people – the most recent work U Mojoj Glavi is opening conversation about anxiety and depression.
In 2020 she was selected for the Creative Digital Leadership programme by Arts Connect and has been awarded the THRIVE bursary for developing her participatory practice through investigating protest as a creative intervention.
She is a core member of Migrants in Theatre movement, addressing mis/under representation of first generation migrants in UK, which is currently working on a series of Town Hall meetings across the UK. Tina is passionate about the decentralisation of arts in both the UK and Croatia, and developing corridors for creative exchange between her two home destinations.
Follow Tina:
Twitter – @hofmanica
Hal Mayer
Hal Mayer is an experimental multidisciplinary artist, his work ranging from Film, Theatre, Immersive, Mixed Media and Visual arts. Within his rooted movement practice he channels Butoh methodology through Hip-Hop dance disciplines. Using styles such as Tutting, Popping and Krump to tell provoking and harrowing narratives. Hal’s body of work connects the gap between horror and societal qualms. The work dealing with taboo subject matter as a means to open cathartic outlets for an audience, allowing them to engage with complex morality in a philosophical capacity.
His seminal performance ‘Mannequin’, a duet between live performer and a mannequin; gained some notoriety for the troubling visual/theme, leading to a permanent ban from a Royal Theatre. A key moment in the young artists journey, one that developed into wanting to unpick the hypocrisy of the arts and lending direction to his artistic vision.
Subsequently, Hal became the youngest participant on Breakin’ Conventions developmental programme ‘Back to the lab’. From this point Hal has gone on to develop work for: Artist’s 4 Artists, Breakin’ Convention, Studio 3 Arts, The Nottingham Contemporary, The University of Nottingham and Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
Follow Hal:
Instagram – @reyamlah
YouTube – Reyamlah
Stacey McCarthy
Stacey McCarthy is a choreographer, movement director and practitioner. She trained at De Montfort University and graduated with a BA Hons in Dance in 2006.
Stacey’s practice reflects her journey in the performing arts via art-forms inspired by black culture. She then progressed into studying contemporary dance, various social dance styles and commercial, which have all fused to inform her diverse practice and current work in movement direction and choreography. Stacey has performed and choreographed professionally in the music industry, theatre, tv, events, circus and festivals.
Recent theatre credits include: Chicken Licken (Derby Theatre/Polka Theatre); The Jolly Christmas Postman (Royal and Derngate); Three Billy Goats Gruff (Derby Theatre/Polka Theatre); Scenes from Rent (Curve Theatre); My Beautiful Laundrette (Curve Theatre/National Theatre UK tour); The Owl Who Came for Christmas (Curve Theatre); Funnybones (The Lowry); NYMT in Concert (National Youth Music Theatre/Rose Theatre); Wind in the Willows (Derby Theatre); The Palace of Varieties (Derby Theatre)
Social Media: Instagram – @_staceymccarthy
Phizzical
Phizzical tells tomorrow’s stories today by creating high quality, entertaining and unique South Asian arts and cultural experiences on the small to mid and large-scale touring circuits. Phizzical work with local communities, gathering their stories and, with its new perspectives, the company’s work influences the wider UK theatre sector. With a strong history of bringing both traditional and South Asian audiences into theatre spaces, Phizzical’s adventurous, physical and colourful work challenges the status quo and empowers new generations of theatre goers.
Founded in 2003 by Artistic Director and CEO Samir Bhamra, Phizzical has created and delivered 22 projects across all art forms. As part of its talent development and diverse arts sector support, Phizzical has produced 27 projects on behalf of emerging artists (Subhash Viman Gorania, Kesha Raithatha, Shahid Iqbal Khan, etc.) and small arts companies. Phizzical produces the Midlands edition of the UK Asian Film Festival.
Follow Samir and Phizzical:
Facebook: isamirbhamra
Facebook – @phizzical
Instagram – @phizzical
Twitter – @phizzical
Youtube – Phizzical
Kesha Raithatha
Kesha is a dancer and choreographer who embodies Kathak and Contemporary movement. She creates work that is rich in detail and experimentally reconsiders contemporary South Asian dance. Her curiosity and exposure to a wide range of movement training informs and invigorates her dance-making vocabulary. She is passionate about exploring her dance a way which allows the viewer to have a surreal and transcendental experience, but also as a means to be a voice for the collective.
Follow Kesha:
Sonia Sabri
Sonia Sabri is a multi award-winning dance artist and choreographer. She is one of the world’s leading Kathak dancers and amongst the brightest and most inspirational of British born dancer-choreographers working in the twenty-first century. She has created a fresh, unique style of Kathak by reinventing it from within, by pushing boundaries and generating work that is original in concept and exciting and relevant to today’s audiences.
Follow Sonia:
Facebook – Soniasabricompany
Twitter – @SoniaSabriCo
Instagram – @soniasabrico
STATE OF FLUX
STATE OF FLUX is movement company based in Leicester and London led by artistic director Laura Weston.
Since 2016 the company has delivered movement-based workshops across the UK, Europe and more recently online. They became Breakthrough Artists at Curve Theatre in 2017 where they developed ‘untravel’ and ‘(don’t) touch me’ which was performed as part of New Work Festival in 2019. STATE OF FLUX also produce live events which bring together exciting artists from across music, dance, theatre and spoken-word for one off live gigs (FLUX #1 Silver Building, London and FLUX#LC Curve Theatre, Leicester). Currently they are developing a series of dance films based in Leicester.
Artistic director Laura Weston was born and raised in Leicester and trained in contemporary dance at Trinity Laban (2002-2006). She worked professionally as a dancer touring nationally and internationally in works by Sarah Michelson, Athina Vahla, Thomas Hauert, Gary Clarke, Crystal Pite and Rashpal Singh Bansal. Laura now works as a freelance movement director and choreographer for stage and screen. She also teaches and directs at dance and theatre conservatoires including London Studio Centre, Guildford School of Acting (GSA), Mountview and Rose Bruford College.
STATE OF FLUX is also made up of Leicester-born associate artist and producer Brad Foster who has been part of the company since 2017.
Follow STATE OF FLUX:
Jude Taylor
Jude Taylor is a composer, lyricist and writer from Leicestershire. His first full length musical Steep Themselves in Night premiered at The Other Palace in London during October 2018. His most recent work, Make Me Infamous, a musical theatre audio production (produced by MP Theatricals) was released online in November 2020.
Jude is interested in creating quirky new musical comedies and fairytales which explore and challenge the usual representation of LGBTQ+ people in musical theatre.
Other credits as a composer/writer include: QUEERME (MP Theatricals, 2021); SIGNAL x MT Pride (2020, MP Theatricals/Queerly Productions/Adam Lenson); on hope: a digital song cycle (2020, MP Theatricals/Victoria Saxton); All That Scratch podcast (2019; All That Productions/The Other Palace); (Hey) Jude Taylor live at The Pheasantry, London (2019); Lionel Bart Masterclass (Mercury Musical Developments, 2018)
His first EP, (Hey) Jude Taylor, was released in 2019 and is available to stream online.
In 2012, Jude completed the Curve Young Arts Entrepreneurs scheme before going on to lead a number of small applied theatre and community arts projects, including work with partners such as Curve, West Yorkshire Playhouse, and YoungMinds. He has extensive experience in teaching, leading workshops and facilitating groups, including as a singing teacher.
Following 7 years of working in the third sector with mental health services alongside his work in the arts, Jude also has a particular passion for promoting the benefits of singing for wellbeing, leading him to develop several singing courses/groups for adults with mental health difficulties.
In 2019 he gave a TEDX talk on his experiences of singing for wellbeing at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Follow Jude:
Twitter – @heyjudetaylor
Instagram – @heyjudetaylor
Wayward Thread
Si Rawlinson is a British East-Asian hip hop dancer and choreographer, Curve Resident Creative and Artistic Director of the hip hop dance company Wayward Thread, which started in 2016. He is also a lecturer at De Montfort University.
Wayward Thread is a hip hop dance company. Rooted in break, the company uses hip hop styles, contemporary dance, physical theatre, spoken word and film to explore compassion, identity, and our dissonant relationship with a rapidly changing world.
Follow Si and Wayward Thread:
Instagram: @WaywardThread
Are you a Midlands artist or theatre company? Find out more and sign up to Curve Connect here, our free community hub for theatre-makers in the region.