Our People
Writers we love working with
Laura Graham is a writer and comedian from Leeds. She writes playful pieces that pack a punch about motherhood, menopause and midlife. She also does fanny jokes.
She has been shortlisted for Leeds Poetry Festival Competition, featured on BBC Radio York and performed at the Vagina Festival and Funny Women Awards. She is Hammer and Tongue national slam finalist.
"So many moments of genius. I cried with laughter" -Joelle Taylor RSL
Richard D Rhodes is a Shipley-based writer and theatre-maker. He has been mentored by Paines Plough as a playwright, is a member of the Bradford Script Hub (which is supported by New Writing North and the Channel 4 Northern Talent Network) and was mentored by Screen Yorkshire as a screenwriter under the West Yorkshire Mayor’s Script Diversity Programme. He has a TV series in development. Freedom Studios and The Leeds Playhouse have showcased his work, and he has also produced material for Leeds Pub Theatre. He devised and continues to produce ITCH, a new writing programme including scratch events, for Studio at Bingley Little Theatre. He sits on the Boards of Script Yorkshire and the Red Ladder Theatre Company and is passionate about new writing and theatre as well as supporting fellow creatives in their journeys.
Nicole is a Bradford-based writer and theatre-maker, she writes women-led stories interested in the sublime, that connect and care for communities by exploring marginalised characters. Her first play, 'Blessed Spirits,' was a Finborough Theatre ETPEP Award Finalist and was selected for the Women's Prize for Playwriting shortlist (2021). She completed year long writing attachments with Tamasha Theatre and the Crucible Theatre where she wrote two new plays and developed them with the Royal Exchange Theatre. She was commissioned for 'Mixed Monologues' by the Crucible Theatre and English Touring Theatre (2023) and delivered writing workshops at the Bronte Parsonage's Festival of Women's Writing (2022-2024). She was commissioned to write the Crucible Theatre Sheffield's Young Company production, 'Urgent! A Timely Play.' She was awarded an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice grant and is currently in residency with the Bronte Society.
As a theatre-maker, Nicole's practice is based in a holistic and spiritual human-centred community care focused way. She has extensive experience in directing/dramaturgy, facilitation and producing. Nicole directed several short plays for Graeae Theatre's 'Crips with Chips' new writing showcase presented with Theatre by the Lake and Liverpool Everyman Theatre on their mainstages (2023-2024). She is currently a Dramaturg Mentor on Paines Plough's Tour the Writer programme in partnership with Bradford Producing Hub and Bradford 2025. She was a Creative Associate on the Royal Shakespeare Comany's First Encounters production of 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Twelfth Night.' (2024) Nicole has been trained by the Almeida Theatre, as a JMK Trust Mentored Director, through the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme (2021) and worked as a script-reader for Sheffield Theatres (2022).
Rob Place has been treading the boards in amateur theatre for over 21 years, initially finding their passion in musical theatre. Now Secretary of Menston Thespians, they love the annual pantomime and have proudly produced plays for the group. They're excited to share their latest story with you tonight and hope you enjoy the performance!
Esta Innes-Limbachia is a poet who found her love for the artform as a way of dealing with PTSD and post-natal depression. Her poetry explores birth, mental health, the challenges of raising a child in a multicultural family and the questions parenthood can shed on our existing relationships. She has been published in the inaugural Sisterhood anthology, the 2024 York literary Review, Ey Up 3 (an anthology of northern poetry), and can be found performing at open mic events around West Yorkshire. Instagram: @eilpoetry
Lee started as a writer creating issue-based plays for TiE roadshows. Since then, he has broadened his reach, both for stage and spec scripts for TV. He has an ongoing relationship with local community arts company Codswallop CIC and his work for them includes pieces of community theatre such as 'On Hallowed Ground' which celebrated Guiseley Association Football Club and the role they play in the community, and their annual family Christmas show at Guiseley Theatre. Work is underway for this year’s show which will see our protagonists' journey to the moon!
Directors we love working with
Jenny is a director, actor, creative facilitator & musician from Yorkshire. Studied at the University of Lincoln in English Literature & Drama/Theatre joint honours, specialising in physical theatre. Trained at Wakefield Performance Academy and Northern Ballet Leeds and currently in training with ‘Screen Acting East Yorkshire’. Some theatre performance credits include: ‘Taxi’ - Red Ladder & ’Want’- National Theatre Connections at CAST. Recently played the lead in short film ‘I’m Still Here’ with MyEyesWide productions and last year directed Rise & Howl’s R&D sharing of Present at Mind the Gap. Jenny is delighted to be back collaborating with Rise & Howl at 7Arts for Otherhood.
Rick trained at Bretton Hall, earning his Acting degree from the University of Leeds. He spent ten years as Principal of his own theatre school, directing everything from Mean Girls to Cats, with productions staged at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, and even breaking a world record along the way! His production of Brassed Off won Best Director and Best Play at the 2024 Wharfedale Festival of Theatre. He’s delighted to be directing Visiting as part of Otherhood, a poignant, layered piece that fits beautifully within this rich tapestry of plays.
Chrissie Poulter is a theatre-maker and educator, Yorkshire born, now living in Addingham and retired from formal education settings (Birmingham; Leeds Trinity; Trinity College Dublin). Co-founder of Jubilee Community Arts (Sandwell UK 1970s) and Artslab (Ireland 1990s) her practice centres on guardianship in group work, developing individual-in-community celebration and well-being through story-gathering and sharing. A published non-fiction writer, she has also written and directed for theatre & non-theatre settings. Now volunteering her time with Ilkley Playhouse she recently directed Polly Teale’s play Brontë (May 2025). Linking with the Brontë Parsonage, she is working with playwright Nicole Joseph and production company Rise & Howl facilitating script development through actors workshops. Past projects include: NI (pre–Belfast Agreement) - The Dockward Story; Dockers (Belfast), Enniskillen A Last Resort (Enniskillen & Liverpool), The Quest (9 villages, County Down); Since 2000 she has developed projects between Ireland, Greece, Spain (Catalonia and Navarre), France, UK, Poland and Norway.
Kelly (she/her) is an American actor and director originally from Central New York State. She earned her BFA in Theatre & Performance at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Kelly moved to the UK in 2019 to earn her Master's degree in Shakespeare & Creativity at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon. She was thrilled to produce and perform in an original devised piece, 'What We May Be,' at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Other Place. Favourite past credits include: 'Hamlet' (Hamlet) with Boston Theater Co; 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (Helena) with Sweet Sorrow Theatre Co; 'Romeo and Juliet' (Juliet) with Shakespeare Now! and 'The Two Noble Kinsmen' (Arcite) with the Ketterer's Men. Kelly is also an aspiring stage combat choreographer with specialty in unarmed, rapier and dagger.
Kelly began her professional career as a teaching artist in underserved school districts within central New York. Her passion for Shakespeare is rooted in accessibility, diversity, and breaking down barriers to what has often been a gate-kept playwright. Big thank you to the 7-year-old who asked her in a Romeo & Juliet Q&A session 'what does it feel like to follow your dreams?' That sparkly eyed question came just when she needed it.
Brandon is an early career theatre maker based in West Yorkshire. Having previously trained with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, he went on to graduate with first class honours from Leeds Conservatoire, having been the first person from his family to attend university. The myriad skills that Brandon brings along with an openness to build and further develop his creative values and toolkit is a testament to his tenacity and passion for the arts.
Stage Manager
Julie has been involved in theatre for many, many years. First in Holland and now in Yorkshire. She loves the teamwork, camaraderie and adventures that this has brought her.
Actors we love working with
Nikki mostly acts at Bingley and Ilkley Playhouse and her most enjoyable recent roles include Ruth in The Homecoming, Margaret in Lovesong and Annie in All My Sons.
Gary did a stand-up course approximately 20 years ago, fell into acting when a stand-up friend of his wrote a short two hander play which they performed at Leeds Carriageworks and has being doing it ever since.
He was with Clifford Drama Group for many years until venturing out to other groups further a field.
He has most recently played Marlowe in Shakespeare in Love, Jonny in Home I’m Darling and Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for Harrogate Drama Society. Wayne New in Everybody is Talking About Jamie is his next adventure!
Vani has appeared in a number of productions at Ilkley Playhouse, ranging from Wind in the Willows to an all-female Jeeves & Wooster. In the dim and distant past, she also appeared in various university productions at The Old Firehouse Theatre in Oxford.
Hetty is Head of Drama at a school in Bradford, and currently studying for a PhD in Shakespearean Studies at KCL. Her acting experience includes multiple productions at Ilkley Playhouse (most recently Mary in ‘Mary Shelley’), Richmond Shakespeare Society, and extra work on ‘Peep Show’!
Victoria has been recently seen in Brontë at Ilkley Playhouse. Other Ilkley Playhouse credits include The Cracked Pot and The Revlon Girl. At Bingley Little Theatre, she appeared in The Bedroom Farce and Twelfth Night.