Who we are
Founded in 1984, Arc Theatre has built a strong core Management and Associate team bringing together an exceptional range of creative skills, educational experience and business and social expertise. The Company is governed by an equally diverse and committed Board of Management.
We also benefit from a first-class pool of highly-skilled, trained actors, storytellers, facilitators, workshop leaders, production managers and designers who are individually hand-picked to suit each programme or bespoke project.
Neville Lawrence OBE
Patron
Arc's relationship with Neville began in 2001 when working together on a video version of the play My England by Clifford Oliver, which explored issues of race and justice. The education video resource went on to sell over 5,000 copies and is still used in classrooms today. Since then Arc has gone on to work with Neville on a range of projects with young people and communities, most recently with The Stereo Trilogy by Clifford Oliver, of which Boy X is the third play. As a powerful champion, Neville supports Arc in promoting theatre and drama as transformational tools at the heart of our community.
Carole Pluckrose
Chief Executive Officer/Artistic Director
Carole is a theatre director committed to creating powerful and emotionally connecting stories through theatre. Her background was initially as an actor, following the studying of drama at Exeter University. However, Carole quickly realised that she wanted to play a greater part in the overall conception of a piece of work. This led to her joining forces with Clifford Oliver to set up Arc in 1984, and to the subsequent development of the Company as a leading theatre provider with a highly successful track record.
In the past 17 years, Carole has concentrated on the development of theatre and story-based work into a range of innovative partnerships with business in a variety of learning environments. Such partnerships involve developing bespoke projects for organisations as diverse as Unilever and the Metropolitan Police. Carole is a Master Practitioner of NLP.
You can follow Carole's Blog on Blogspot
Clifford Oliver (Olly)
Creative Director
Olly is Arc's Creative Director and Lead Facilitator. He began his career in the theatre as an actor with the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. After touring the USA in 1984, he discovered his passion for storytelling, which has been widely documented through research projects, documentary films and the Dartington Theatre Papers.
Olly's curiosity about stories led to the co-founding of Arc, a vehicle through which he could experiment with developing and creating his story-based work. Learning his craft by storytelling in schools and on radio (with a notable appearance as 'Dusty the Dog' in Radio 4's 'Listening Corner'), Olly has gone on to write over 35 original plays for Arc. These plays, including the highly successful trilogy The Football Plays (which Olly created in partnership with the visionary HSBC team) have received critical acclaim and a wide range of awards, including FT, Raspberry Ripple and Rima.
Olly's interest in storytelling in business has led to a number of innovative partnerships with companies looking to articulate and embed their brand through powerful and memorable stories.
Nita Bocking
General Manager
Nita worked in domestic banking for a decade before joining Arc in 1991. As General Manager, Nita plays a vital role in the Company's Management Team and deals with all financial, contractual, personnel and Company business issues. Nita is responsible for the overall fine-tuning of the organisation and oversees the smooth running of Arc's administration and project co-ordination. Nita also manages the use and hiring of Arc's Studios at The Malthouse.
Josh Cass
Director - Community Portfolio
Before joining Arc in early 2009, Josh worked on a number of diverse projects for organisations such as St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace; Encompass - The Daniel Braden Reconciliation Trust; and the Citizenship Foundation. These projects all sought to empower people to explore the possibility of change within the communities and circumstances in which they lived. It is this background in non-formal educational methods that Josh has brought to the running and development of Arc's community portfolio.
Josh is also an experienced actor and voiceover artist.
Natalie Smith
Associate - Education
Natalie joined Arc in 1992. She has performed in over 25 of the Company's productions, having played everything from a tooth fairy to a police officer! For many years, Natalie co-ordinated and delivered Arc's primary and secondary school programmes and was also manager and co-director of Barking & Dagenham Youth Theatre and Drama Club for the Company. Now a Freelancer with Arc, Natalie both performs in, and facilitates Forum Theatre and training workshops for both adults and young people, and has spent much of 2011 travelling London and the South East as Tour Manager for Arc's Blade Trilogy by Clifford Oliver. She also manages and facilitates the highly-successful Essex County Council B Safe B Cool transport safety programme, which returned to Essex primary schools for a third tour in summer 2011.
Theresa Snooks
Associate - Communications
With a daughter attending Arc's Holiday Workshops since its launch in 1993, Theresa became a Company member in 1995, having previously worked in independent radio and international film production. Now a Freelancer with Arc, Theresa has booked and co-ordinated many of Arc's local and national tours over the years, and looks after the Company's branding, design, print, press, publicity, proofreading, mailouts and events. Theresa produces much of the Company's in-house creative resources including photography and costumes, and also manages Arc's website, so if you find any problems, please contact her at theresa@arctheatre.com
Grace Pluckrose-Oliver
Associate - Film and Evaluation
Grace graduated from Warwick University in 2009 with a degree in Philosophy and Literature. Since graduating, she has developed her own freelance practice in documenting and evaluating arts projects on film and in written formats. She currently works for Black Bull Films and The Documentary Film Group, as well as undertaking projects for Arc. Grace can be contacted direct at gracepoliver@gmail.com
Andrew Barry (formerly Rogers)
Associate Director
Since graduating from Exeter with a first class drama degree, Andy has worked in educational and community theatre for nearly a decade as a storyteller, director and workshop facilitator.
He toured theatre to primary schools throughout the West Country with his own company, Kaleidoscope Theatre, before joining Arc in 2003 first as Community Education Officer before becoming Assistant Artistic Director in 2008. At Arc Andy specialised in creating storytelling programmes to develop emotional literacy for five to seven year olds. He also directed Barking & Dagenham Youth Theatre in productions of Our Day Out, A Midsummer Night's Dream and several of his own original scripts. In 2009, Andy directed the community play Trading Stories by Clifford Oliver, which premiered at the LIFT. While at Arc, Andy directed ten professional productions.
Andy is currently on the MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Joss Bennathan
Associate Director
Joss has worked with Arc since 1995. With extensive experience and a notable reputation in Drama in Education, Joss has devised and compiled many of the learning resource materials that accompany Arc's plays and videos. A former OFSTED Inspector, school advisor and former teacher, Joss delivers many of the Company's INSET courses for teachers and both leads and performs in Arc's Forums. His books, 'Developing Drama Skills 11-14' and 'Performance Power' are widely used in schools in the UK and abroad. Joss is a professional theatre director and Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Present Moment Productions. He has also directed two of Arc's original Community Plays - Big Bang and Relics.
Dani Bradstreet
Associate Director
Working for Arc since 1997 as an actor, storyteller and facilitator, Dani graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama with a first class honours degree in Drama and Education.
Dani has developed a method of work that focuses on multi-sensory elements and the use of imagination to transport participants to wonderful worlds. Now Arc's Associate Director specialising in work for the Under 8's, Dani has developed and written several early years interactive performances alongside Andrew Barry, which tour nationally around the UK.
Outside of Arc, Dani is a specialist for early years and Key Stage One with several theatre companies, training others to work with this age group. Dani also tours London with her own theatre company, Adventures Inc.
Jim Dunk
Associate Director
In the '70's Jim worked as a teacher in the East End of London. He was Head of Drama at a Newham comprehensive and a Drama Advisory Teacher for Barking & Dagenham. He then spent 24 years as a professional actor, theatre director and more latterly a writer, working in theatre, television, film and radio. In 2005, Jim decided to give up his commercial acting career to concentrate on writing, theatre directing and his work with Arc.
As a director, Jim has productions on tour in the UK and Eire and is planning a new piece with Isosceles Theatre, for whom he is Director of Projects. As Artistic Director of the London Theatre Laboratory and the Lansdowne Theatre Research Project, his plays were well reviewed in the National Press. Jim is currently co-writing a television drama, writing poetry and short stories, and is also Project Co-ordinator for the TEXT Professional Writers in Schools Project in Islington.
As well as performing regularly with Arc and creating and delivering the very successful Speak Up project for schools funded by LBBD and LTGDC, Jim writes scripts and educational resources, develops new projects and directs Forum Theatre for the Company. He is a passionate believer in the Company's work and has known Clifford Oliver and Carole Pluckrose for over 20 years.
Bill Griffiths CBE BEM QPM
Associate Director
Former Director of Serious Crime Operations, Bill joined the Metropolitan Police aged 20 in 1967 and retired as Deputy Assistant Commissioner in 2005. His last 5 years as Director of Leadership Development since his retirement as a police officer have been spent running a working culture change programme following a public inquiry. Due to his involvement in public interest cases such as Stephen Lawrence, Victoria Climbie and Damilola Taylor, Bill has developed an interest in critical decision making and the systems approach to complexity as well as the relationship between risk and reputation. Bill is also a Trustee Director of Crimestoppers.
Pradeep Jey
Associate Director
Pradeep trained at Rose Bruford College and has worked with Arc since 2005 as Forum theatre actor and facilitator. Working on projects including youth violence and forced marriage, he is passionate about Arc's commitment to social change and has worked at all levels in both the public and private sector. Pradeep has a diploma in NLP which included modules on communication skills and giving feedback. He has also attended short courses on coaching, bespoke roleplays and facilitation. Outside training, Pradeep works as an actor, primarily in theatre. He has recently been working with Metis Arts, Opla Companya and the Space, where he is on the Artistic Committee.
Ria Knowles
Associate Director
Ria graduated from Dartington College of Arts with a BA (Hons) in Theatre and trained at the Mime School, Amsterdam. She is a freelance actor who has worked in film, television and theatre in Britain and internationally, with companies including ITV, BBC, The Young Vic, Carnaby Films and the late Ken Campbell's The Warp.
Ria has worked with Arc for over 11 years, first performing in Soft Times and Lost for Words touring productions. She has since worked as a Forum Theatre actor and facilitator, workshop leader and company manager, including leading Arc's seven-week tour of Stereo Interactive to schools and venues across London.
Thierry Lawson
Associate Director
Thierry joined Arc in 2002 for the French translation of Kicking Out, which toured Marseilles and Paris alongside the World Cup. Since then he has toured with Ooh Ah Showab Khan and directed many Arc projects, including the tenth anniversary production of Kicking Out commissioned by Charlton Athletic Race Equality Partnership (CARE) - performed by young people from Greenwich at Charlton Athletic FC and at secondary schools around the borough. Thierry has also directed two of Arc's film resources - 'No Witness, No Justice' for Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and the Avon & Somerset CJB film A Question of Difference. Thierry most recently worked on a long-term Creative Partnerships project in Greenford School, Middlesex, along with Danielle McIlven and Natalie Smith.
Danielle McIlven
Associate Director
After graduating from UCL, Danielle spent three years teaching Theatre in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She established the IB Theatre course at the United World College in Mostar, and travelled throughout the region facilitating drama workshops with various groups of young people. Since returning to the UK in September 2009 she has worked throughout London leading youth theatre groups and devising performances. Until recently Arc's Youth Theatre Director managing and leading Barking & Dagenham Youth Theatre and Drama Club, Danielle is currently broadening her experiences working in India on a new schools programme for disadvantaged children.
Michael Ainsworth - Independent Criminal Justice Consultant
Chair of Arc's Board, Mike joined the Prison Service as a Prison Officer at HMP Lincoln in 1980. During the next 18 years he had a variety of roles including running the Lifer Unit in HMP Wormwood Scrubs, Head of Staff Discipline and Deputy Governor at HMP Holloway.
Mike left Holloway to head up a team organising the evacuation of refugees from Macedonia. On returning to the UK, Mike worked for the Home Office in the Police Personnel Unit with responsibility for police pay and setting targets for the recruitment, retention and progression of Black and Asian Police Officers. From 2000, Mike spent three years with The Prince's Trust heading a programme to assist young offenders on release from custody.
Mike worked in the CJS Race Unit from '03 until '11, with responsibility for developing policy to decrease the disproportionate use of Stop and Search and to increase minority communities' confidence in the Police and Prison Services. Mike now works independently for a number of criminal justice and associated agencies that are seeking to improve community confidence.
Sarah Willis -
National Programme Lead, Catch22 Positive Futures
Sarah is Vice-Chair of Arc's Board and National Programme Lead for Positive Futures - the national youth crime prevention programme managed by young people's charity Catch22. Funded by the Home Office, the programme is delivered through 91 projects in some of the most deprived communities across England and Wales.
Sarah is a former Director of circleindigo; an organisation that designs and facilitates programmes covering a broad range of issues and change initiatives for clients cross-sector and cross-industry. She has extensive experience of facilitation, learning and development, design and project management, leading programmes at all levels including managing transition, unlocking potential, social inclusion, conflict resolution, team development, mentoring and leadership. She took a lead role in the National Remodelling Team for education, developing extended services within and around schools.
Working with The Talent Foundation - a not-for-profit research organisation, Sarah was Project Director of TalentKey - an experience designed to unlock the potential of individuals. As Director of Learning for the charity Training For Life, Sarah was responsible for the implementation of experiential learning programmes and the development of an extensive team of facilitators for several years.
Sarah also spent 15 years as a Design Colour and Style Consultant after graduating from St Martin's School of Art.
Graham Simmons - Director, MGBS Associates Ltd
Graham is Director of a business management consultancy working with both the public and private sectors. This follows a successful career in Local Government at senior level, initially in the technical and surveying field before moving into social housing. Graham then set up and developed an 'Arms Length Housing Management Company' in the capacity of Interim Chief Executive.
Graham brings to the Board considerable experience in governance, committee arrangements, partnerships, project management, and offers a pragmatic approach to strategic planning and financial management.
Bill Lovelock - Retired Senior Project Manager of HSBC Bank plc
Bill is a fully accredited Six Sigma Black Belt Project Manager and has recently retired from HSBC after 36 years' service. Bill's experience is very wide within financial services having held senior management positions in Branch, Regional Operations and Corporate Banking. Bill is a longstanding supporter of Arc and has been a member of the Board of Management for 17 years.
Yvette Williams - Equality and Diversity Manger, CPS London
Yvette was appointed Equality and Diversity Manger in 2002 and currently represents CPS London on a number of boards and committees including the London-wide Race Hate Crime Forum and the NACRO Race Issues Advisory Group. Yvette also acts as independent facilitator to Alif-Aleph UK - a forum committed to developing positive contact and dialogue between Britain's Muslim and Jewish communities.
Prior to joining the CPS, Yvette was active in community and policy work on issues affecting Black and Minority Ethnic Communities, working with the Mangrove Trust and the 1990 Trust. Between '94 and '97 Yvette sat on a number of committees including the National Assembly Against Racism, National Black Alliance, Operation Black Vote and The Tabernacle Trust. She served tenure as the Chairperson for Mangrove First Base - a hostel developed for black female ex-offenders in Notting Hill.
A former primary school teacher, Yvette is a BA (Hons) Post-Graduate and MSc Graduate and was educated at University of London (Goldsmiths and Birkbeck Colleges).
Dr Tony Breslin - Director, Breslin Public Policy Ltd
Dr Breslin is Chair of the charity Human Scale Education, Director of the consultancy Breslin Public Policy Limited and Visiting Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. In addition, he has recently been appointed as a User Member of the Economic and Social Research Council's Peer Review College and to the Research and Replication Committee at the Big Lottery Fund. He is a member of the National Community Cohesion Panel and a Trustee at Speakers Trust.
Between September 2001 and August 2010, he was Chief Executive at the Citizenship Foundation, the independent education and participation charity and has published and spoken widely on these issues in the UK and overseas. Prior to his appointment at the Foundation, he was General Adviser, 14-19 Education, in Enfield, North London. Tony is an experienced teacher and examiner and a qualified Ofsted inspector. His latest book, Teachers, Schools and Change is to be published by Trentham in January 2011 and follows Developing Citizens, a collection of essays co-edited with Barry Dufour, published by Hodder Education in 2006.
Tony was a founding Trustee of the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT) and is a former Chair of both the Association for the Teaching of the Social Sciences (ATSS) and the schools-focused social enterprise, Speakers Bank. He has been a member of the Arc Board since 2006, having first been introduced to their work in the late 1990s.
Colleen Amos - Head of Marketing and Communications, The Learning Trust
Colleen is Head of Communications and Marketing for The Learning Trust - the UK's first private, not-for profit company set up in 2002 to run education services in Hackney. The Trust is responsible for Hackney schools, day nurseries, early years and adult education service.
Colleen is responsible for internal communications, stakeholder engagement, external communications and marketing. She advises the senior management team of The Learning Trust, head teachers and governors on their communication and marketing strategies.
Colleen has both national and international experience having worked in Zimbabwe in the '80's. A trained teacher, she has also worked in the media as a TV presenter and in advertising.
In 2008, Colleen set up the Amos Bursary in memory of her parents: www.amosbursary.org.uk. It is a family-run charity for African Caribbean young men in transition from school to University to work, providing professional and peer-mentoring support. Colleen is also a Trustee for the Teaching Awards.
Dolores Altaras - Altaras Architecture / The Flavasum Trust
Trustee of the Flavasum Trust, Dolores was born in Romania in 1954. She emigrated to Israel in 1972, where she completed her studies in architecture . She arrived in the UK in 1978 and joined a large commercial architectural practice, where she took part in important design competitions, such as the redevelopment of Covent Garden, Westminster pier, and The National Gallery Extension. In 1983 she joined a multi-ethnic team of professionals employed by Haringey Council to regenerate the Broadwater Farm Estate after the 1985 riots. In 1988 she became a single mother and continued to work and bring up her son Tom. With the encouragement of Peter, her new partner, she formed her own practice in 1995. Her main architectural interests now lie in environmental design and eco-friendly homes.
In 2006, her only son was killed in an unprovoked knife attack and following his death, she, her partner and Tom's friends formed The Flavasum Trust, which aims to raise awareness of the mconsequences of knife and gun crime by using creative means to engage disaffected young prople.
Shamus Kenny - Head of Secretariat, Transport for London
Shamus is the Head of Secretariat at Transport for London. He was previously Board Secretary for the Office of Rail Regulation and Senior Secretariat Office for the Disability Rights Commission. He has also worked for the London Boroughs of Redbridge and Islington and the London North East Community Foundation in committee secretary roles. Shamus has serviced Arc Board meetings as Minutes Secretary since 1989. He provides advice and supports the effective operation of the Board.
