Matt Wardle
Matt has been a passionate Speech Bubbler for 10 years, as both a practitioner for Peoplescape Theatre in Manchester and now managing North West Drama’s cohort of schools across Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Tameside. He is a firm believer that all children and young people have a right to experience drama that inspires learning and drives forward a creative and humanising curriculum.
He was a primary teacher for 10 years, and now works across the areas of theatre making, performance, drama for learning and producing. He is the Creative Producer of North West Drama alongside his freelance work - and also teaches yoga.
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Stasha Dukic
Stasha Dukic is an actress, theatre maker and drama facilitator. She has been delivering Speech bubbles sessions since 2021 and has been working with Trinity Theatre, Immediate Theatre, Half Moon Theatre and Speech Bubble CIO.
Currently she is a Playground artist with Playground, Kent where she performs for babies in libraries. She is also a facilitator at Little Angel Theatre and Polka Theatre. Stasha has her own theatre company - Jump Rope Theatre where they create work for and with children and young adults.
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Alison Hale
Alison is proud to have been involved in Speech Bubbles since the start many years ago! She has a specialism in creating Speech Bubbles practice in SEND settings and loves being part of inclusive creative spaces where playful interactions can happen. She is also joint Creative Director of Peoplescape Theatre who are a franchise partner for Speech Bubbles in Manchester.
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Kirsty Blewett
Kirsty is a Rose-Bruford trained performer and drama facilitator who specialises in working with and for children. She loves to play. Sensory theatre, visual storytelling and puppets make her excited. Kirsty’s drama practice is all about shining a light on unheard voices. She is founder and Associate Performer at Squelch, who was mentored by Speech Bubbles.
Since joining Speech Bubbles in 2021 with her silly, bird puppet, Rainbow, she has relished in igniting the imaginations of her Speech Bubbles groups and helping other Speech Bubbles practitioner’s grow. It has been a privilege to share the Speech Bubbles ethos to education and drama practitioner’s alike in London and beyond.
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Jenny Harris
Jenny Harris is a freelance drama practitioner based in Manchester.
She has worked as part of the Speech Bubbles team since 2017.
She has delivered Speech Bubbles CIO for M6 Theatre Company in Rochdale and now delivers evaluation sessions as well as doing supervisions, which she loves.
She loves Speech Bubbles because it places the child and their stories at the heart of the work. It’s hugely empowering for children with a range of communication needs.
Jenny is proud to be part of the Speech Bubbles family!
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Shermaine Slocombe
Shermaine is an interdisciplinary artist and educator deeply engaged in participatory practices. Over the past two decades, she has contributed to the cultural and educational sectors, devising and delivering authentic artistic experiences and immersive projects for both Primary and Secondary audiences. Her aim is to empower young individuals to discover their voices, emphasising the presentation and curation of outcomes generated by participants.
Within her practice, she leads workshops and projects in dance, theatre, and visual arts. She delivers teacher training sessions, develops classroom resources and provides guidance on educational initiatives. Her passion lies in recognising the transformative potential of the arts to unite communities and individuals, as well as advocating for the integral role of creativity in education.
She adores being a Speech Bubbles practitioner, where witnessing the transformation in communication through play and drama for young people is remarkable!
@shemyslocs
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Sarah Kadri
Sarah worked as a facilitator and project manager for NGOs in advocacy, forced migration, and alternative education settings in England, Syria, Morocco and the UAE, before returning to theatre and community arts in 2022. She has since contributed to the work of Clean Break, PAN Arts, and Company Three as a freelancer. She is also an active member of several communities that centre children's freedom to learn, non-violent communication, and decolonisation. Sarah is French-Moroccan, lives in SE London, and holds a BA in Arabic & History (University of Cambridge) and an MA in Applied Theatre (RCSSD).
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Flo Katesmark
Flo has been delivering Speech Bubbles since 2016 across London. Currently she delivers with Immediate Theatre in Hackney and for Speech Bubbles CIO in Lambeth. She is also a Speech Bubbles associate and has led training and supervision visits. Every year she loves watching children gain confidence, work together and use their imagination in a playful environment. Flo believes Speech Bubbles really does transform the lives of the children and school staff involved in the project, by giving everyone a voice.
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Caitlin McGlouglin
I am a Junior Social Impact Advisor and champion of creative approaches for learning and development. I am excited to be joining the Board of an organisation so deeply committed to supporting children and so genuinely passionate about amplifying young people’s voices.
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Adam Annand, CEO
Adam is a participatory theatre maker, learning his craft as an actor/teacher and youth theatre leader. Since 2000 he has developed as an organisational leader at Greenwich and Lewisham Young Peoples Theatre, Half Moon Theatre and London Bubble. Adam is a member of the Cultural Learning Alliance advisory panel.
Nurturing Speech Bubbles from a local project to a national programme has been the most rewarding thing in Adam’s career. Speech Bubbles uses all the instincts of theatre making to provide children with a joyful creative space where they can develop their own unique communication.
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Elizabeth Kennedy, General Manager
Lizzie is a visual artist who has been working on projects across different art forms for over 20 years. She has a BA (Hons) in Creative Arts from University of Birmingham, graduating in 2003 and has worked in the arts ever since. She has experience in the charitable sector in project management, event management, support work and business administration. Lizzie is enjoying supporting everyone involved in Speech Bubbles projects in her role as General Manager and is committed to our work to support children to develop their communications skills in a fun and relaxed ways.
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Fran Jones
My relationship with Speech Bubbles has grown from being a close neighbour - literally just across the road, to now being on the board of trustees.
I have really enjoyed the development of this relationship and it was a very natural step to go along with them on the next part of their adventure, if only to pay them back for allowing me to play the role of a parakeet!
It is incredibly satisfying to be able to apply the various skills I have learnt throughout my career in finance and pension trustee work and find that they are still of use.
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Jane Stokes
There is nothing like watching children tell stories with freedom, imagination and independence. That is what Speech Bubbles help them to do, and that is why I support them!
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Jason Lower
I am a youth theatre director and arts practitioner. I lead the Creative Engagement department at Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, where he has also been delivering Speech Bubbles since 2017 with his trusty mascot, Badger (a lion). I have experienced first-hand the benefits the arts can bring to communication, and loves seeing the positive impact Speech Bubbles has on the children he sees each week. I am excited to become a trustee of Speech Bubbles as the programme takes its exciting next steps.
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Lehni Lamide Davies
I am an artist, creative producer and university Programme Manager. As a former Speech Bubbles Practitioner - I have witnessed and seen evidence of the transformative power of Speech Bubbles and what it provides for children with communication needs through the use of story-telling and imaginative drama. I am thrilled to now be part of the team of trustees that will be supporting the development and growth of Speech Bubbles in its exciting new phase, as it expands the programme supporting young children with communication needs in educational settings across England.
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Lily Rice
I am passionate about supporting young people and children. This has been at the centre of my career for the last 7 years, something I am immensely proud of. I currently work in the Access team at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and am an actor in my spare time, so I know first-hand the great joy that drama brings us. I am excited to join Speech Bubbles’ Board of Trustees, to help bring that joy to more children, and see them tell their stories with more confidence, creativity and imagination.
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Wayne Cooper
I am an experienced teacher and leader in primary education who is passionate about supporting artistic creativity as a vehicle to overcome physical, mental and emotional barriers to children’s learning. I have been in education for 27 years.
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Alison Willmott
I am delighted to be part of the Speech Bubbles Advisory team and to have seen the project grow and enrich children's lives over the years. Eve Bearne and David Reedy describe spoken language as" the bedrock of children's personal, social, cultural, cognitive, creative and imaginative development,' and what could be more important than that?
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Elle Pethurst
Supporting young people, increasing access & inclusion within the arts, and removing barriers is a huge part of my life. I'm delighted to be part of the Speech Bubbles advisory group and look forward to further supporting the organisation's wonderful work.
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Jonathan Barnes
I've been teaching for 45 years and often concerned with those whose voices are rarely heard, and I have never experienced a more effective approach to confidence building, involvement and the motivation to speak out than Speech Bubbles.
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