have over 30 years of experience working as a community theatre practitioner, also experienced in arts management and arts in education.

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I started as a youth worker using drama to explore issues affecting young people.

I went on to train with companies in West Yorkshire including Red Ladder, Major Road and Opera North before studying Drama at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle Upon Tyne.

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I became deaf in my early 20's and gradually made my way into the Deaf community. I worked to develop a number of projects with the Newcastle Deaf Drama Group as a writer and director in the 1990's. Our work received national critical acclaim including awards from the British Deaf Association and BBC See Hear. I also developed and ran a Deaf Youth Theatre initiative working in partnership with North Tyneside Youth Theatre's and Headway Theatre Blyth..

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I went on to set up and run my own company Sign Theatre based in West Yorkshire, working to increase awareness of d/Deaf issues through drama and the arts, developing work with a number of groups including Leeds Deaf Service; Rotherham College of Arts and Technology; Artlink West Yorkshire; Mind the Gap Performing Arts; Yorkshire Women's Theatre and Opera North.

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I then worked in arts management and in education including: Development Worker for Northern Disability Arts Forum; Arts Officer Scotland for National Deaf Children's Society and Arts Officer for Caldredale Council where I helped to establish Enabling Theatre to provide training for disabled people including work with the Internationally acclaimed late Brazilian director Augusto Boal. In addition I have also worked with Education Leeds to develop artistic packages to support d/Deaf children in schools. .

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I am currently studying for a Masters Degree at Leeds University and working with international climate change researcher Dr Liese Coulter, developing an interactive theatre piece to explore how we exchange climate change knowledge and our future roles in the face of climate change impact.