Wendy Hoose. Johnny McKnight
He has been a Drama advisor for both the Arts Council of England and the Scottish Arts Council and was an Unlimited Awards panel member for the Cultural Olympiad. As an actor – as well as numerous roles on TV and radio – he has performed in many of the major theatres in the UK in a range of classics and new works.
JULIE BROWN
AUDIO DESCRIBER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Julie Brown trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is co-Artistic Director of Random Accomplice. As a Performer, Director and Producer she has worked for a range of companies including Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Scottish Youth Theatre Cumbernauld Theatre, Arches Theatre, Bard in the Botanics and the Tron Theatre as well as directing and choreographing for various youth companies.
KAY HESFORD
STAGE MANAGER
Kay has worked for numerous companies such as Paragon Ensemble, Tall Stories, Suspect Culture, and The Tron. As a founding member of Bard in the Botanics she was Production Manager for their festival for many years. She was Technical Administrator at Gilmorehill G12 for three years, and since becoming freelance again she has stage-managed for a number of companies including Macrobert Arts Centre, Traverse Theatre, and Birds of Paradise. She has been Company Stage Manager regularly for Random Accomplice. In the last couple of years she has also been involved with the National Theatre of Scotland’s Learn projects. As Company Stage Manager for Ignition on Shetland, Production Manager for Tin Forest in Glasgow and most recently as Stage Manager for Granite in Aberdeen.
RANDOMACCOMPLICE
Random Accomplice are accomplished leaders in the theatre touring circuit. The company was formed by Julie Brown and Johnny McKnight in 2002. Since then we have toured to over 35 Scottish venues, Prague, New York and London. The company has been nominated for a New York Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Solo Performance for Promises, Promises); three Critic Awards for Theatre in Scotland (Best Technical Presentation, Best Show for Children and Young People) and consistently have four and five star reviews in the National Press. We produce touring work that is of a small-medium scale. Julie and Johnny have been described in the national press as ‘brilliant,’ ‘gifted’ and ‘fiercely accessible.’ Random Accomplice are committed to maintaining Scotland’s international reputation for creating high quality new writing that is artist-led.
‘One of Scotland’s most versatile and energetic companies.’ The Skinny 2011
‘The quirky sense of fun and bawdy humour that characterises the work of McKnight and Brown’s company Random Accomplice.’ The List 2011
Board of Directors
Julie Brown
Jane Davidson
Stella Litchfield
Gerard McBride
Johnny McKnight
Ruth Ogston
Birds of Paradise is a force for change in Scottish theatre, creating world class projects and performances that place disabled artists centre stage. Led by two of the UKs leading disabled practitioners, Robert Softley Gale and Garry Robson have been creating.
BOP exists to increase the representation of professional deaf and disabled artists and performers in Scottish theatre – by working with exciting and skilled disabled and non-disabled artists and leading a national debate on inclusive theatre practice and issues around deaf and disability arts. We have a core focus of creating world class performances and projects that embody the aesthetics of access – integrating audio description, BSL interpretation and captioning in to the work we make. By becoming acknowledged leaders in the practical application of the aesthetics of access in Scotland and across the world we aim to play our part in making the arts as accessible as possible for everyone.
BOP also has a role in nurturing the next generation of deaf and disabled performers and artists – by introducing young people deaf and disabled people to theatre and by developing their skills alongside wider opportunities within the theatre sector.
‘As a calling card for the new direction for Birds of Paradise, this is a wonderfully full-on-no-holds-barred declaration of intent to produce entertaining theatre with heart, intelligence and flair’.
Disability Arts On-line
Birds of Paradise are supported by:
| LONDON’S MOSTVIBRANT VENUEFOR NEW THEATRE,COMEDY ANDCABARET |
Soho Theatre is a major creator of new theatre, comedy and cabaret. Across our three distinct spaces we curate the finest live performance we can discover, develop and nurture. Soho Theatre works with theatre makers and companies in a variety of ways, from full producing of new plays, to co-producing new work, working with associate artists and presenting the best new emerging theatre companies that we can find. We have numerous writers and theatre makers on attachment and under commission, six young writers and comedy groups and we read and see hundreds of shows a year – all in an effort to bring our audience work that amazes, moves and inspires.
‘Soho Theatre was buzzing, and there were queues all over the building as audiences waited to go into one or other of the venue’s spaces. (The audience) is so young, exuberant and clearly anticipating a good time.’ Guardian
Over the last five years we have almost trebled our audiences, opened a new venue and produced more work than ever before.
Each year we have over 2000 performances on our stages and audiences of more than 220,000 people see our work.
Our social enterprise business model means that we maximise value from Arts Council and philanthropic funding; we actually contribute more to government in tax and NI than we receive in public funding.
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We make the very best entertaining, challenging, profound new work across a range of live performance genres.
We are the place where emerging and established writers conceive, develop and realise their work.
We want to push the form in a way that delights and inspires our audience.
There are no thematic, political or philosophical constraints and though we love to produce a writers’