People Involved
Becca Cox - Artistic Director
Becca is a co-founder of Cilgwyn Theatre Company and acts as both the director and a performer in Cilgwyn’s productions. She co-directed, produced and performed in The Way Through the Woods, a new show based on Rudyard Kipling short stories performed at The Pleasance in September 2009, Cilgwyn’s Chekhov at the Chapel an adaptation of 6 Chekhov Short Stories and Cilgwyn’s The Faerie Queen performed at the Lilian Baylis Theatre in December 2007.
She has worked extensively in devised theatre helping to create The World Turned Upside Down, a piece based on the turbulent times of the English Civil War and an adaptation of Kate Atkinson’s Human Croquet.Becca conceives and develops the initial concept for all Cilgwyn projects.
Becca trained in Acting at East 15 Acting School, as well as Biochemistry, Marketing and PR at Manchester University. She leads Cilgwyn’s Education programme and runs workshops in devised and physical theatre, text adaptation and character development. She has worked with over 1500 young people on Cilgwyn projects and has lead workshops all over London and the South East as well as in Chile and Zimbabwe.
Becca also looks after Cilgwyn’s Interactive programmes, developing new and exciting ways to involve people with theatre.
Katie Green - Associate Artist
After reading English at Cambridge, Katie graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2006 and formed green bean dance in the same year with the support of the Pyramid Award for Contemporary Dance. As well as directing her own company, she works as a freelance dance artist in London, the East Midlands and the East region.
Katie performs with Abalino Dance Theatre and Cilgwyn Theatre Company, teaches in learning environments from primary school to professional level and continues to choreograph for theatres and site-specific projects. She is currently an Associate Artist at Dance4 and winner of a Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award. Her choreography was also nominated for the New Trends prize at the Burgos International Choreography Competition (2007).
Recent projects include: choreography/performance for Cilgwyn Theatre Company's The Faerie Queen (London, December 2007), movement direction for Oily Cart Theatre Company's hydro-pool piece for children with complex disabilities and on the autistic spectrum (London, May 2008), a youth dance commission for the Big Dance 2008 (Peterborough, July 2008), a collaborative commission from Grimshaw Architecture Practice for the London Festival of Architecture (LFA), performed at the Royal Academy of Art and in outdoor venues in central London (July 2008), a day of creative dance workshops for the Tate Britain's family event Kinetic Tate, inspired by Martin Creed's installation 'Work No. 850' (London, October 2008).
Imogen Commander - Writer
Imogen graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2005 and has been writing plays and short stories ever since. Her first play, The Garden, was performed at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley in 2006 as a winning entry for a short play competition. In 2007 Imogen won an Artist in Residency at The Gershwin Hotel, New York - a hotel dedicated to showcasing international new art and performance. The Way Through the Woods will be Imogen’s first collaboration with Cilgwyn.
Iestyn Evans - Associate Artist
Iestyn Evans and Andy Heath set up Talk to the Hand Productions in 2005 as a platform for the creation and performance of puppet characters for T.V., theatre and film.
The creative team at Talk to the Hand started working together in 1998 when they met on Doctor Dolittle the stage musical at the Hammersmith Apollo. After a three year run with the show, both in London and on tour around the UK, they individually pursued other puppeteering opportunities, often re-uniting on projects. Some of the many projects they have worked on include: The Fimbles (CBBC), Scissor Sisters performance at BRITS 2005, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Jim Henson Creature shop) and with Gorillaz on their 2005 live concerts.
Talk to the Hand will create and animate some of the creatures that inhabit the world of The Faerie Queen.
James Perkins - Designer
James studied Theatre Design at Wimbledon School of Art. Since graduating in 2004 he has become co-producer and designer for The Other Theatre Company, co-founder of Blank Designs (a collaborative design co-operative) and resident designer for Charles Court Opera. He has just finished Sitting Pretty for Leicester Little Theatre and last worked with Tom Cornford on The Last Priest at The King’s Head.
James and the design team will create the world of The Faerie Queen using entirely unused and unwanted objects, something that he describes as “both daunting and incredibly exciting”.
Frances Beckerleg - Podcast Producer
Frances Beckerleg is a radio journalist, working predominately for the Naked Scientists show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. After a degree in Biology at Manchester University she developed a passion for radio whilst studying for her Masters in Science Communication at Imperial College, and was part of an award-winning team on IC Radio. She worked in the communications department of a medical research charity for three years, then started working in radio on a freelance basis, where she has been ever since. She will be producing a series of podcasts about Cilgwyn Theatre Company and Chekhov at the Chapel.