Artistic Team

Emma Callander - artistic directoR

@emmacallander

Emma Callander joined Theatre Uncut as Co-Artistic Director in 2012 and became Artistic Director in 2021.

Directing includes The Merthyr Stigmatist by Lisa Parry, Crash by Andy Duffy (nominated Best Play at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland) and Cuckooed by Mark Thomas (winner of a Fringe First and the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award).

Emma was Associate Director of the Traverse Theatre 2013 - 15 and Creative Director of BIRTH international playwriting festival for Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester.

Emma has directed Theatre Uncut productions at the Young Vic, Traverse Theatre, Sherman Theatre, Paines Plough Roundabout, Bristol Old Vic, Arches Glasgow, Latitude, Boomtown, Shambala and Teater GROB Copenhagen.

hannah price - FOUNDER

@hannahprice

Hannah is the Founder of Theatre Uncut and was also Co- Artistic Director until 2021.

Hannah is a BAFTA winning performance director for video games, virtual reality, motion-capture and performance-capture projects. She also created and directed the immersive experience The Gunpowder Plot at the Tower of London.

Directing includes: The Girl That Fell by Sarah Rutherford and Again by Stephanie Jacobs and Boa by Clara Brennan starring Harriet Walter at the Trafalgar Studios, 1984 LIVE for the Orwell Foundation, Dead Monkey by Nick Darke at the Park Theatre.

Hannah has directed Theatre Uncut work at the Young Vic, Traverse Theatre, Paines Plough Roundabout, Southwark Playhouse, Latitude Festival, on national UK tour, Teater GROB Copenhagen and DOT Tiyatro Istanbul.

Our Board

MIMI FINDLAY(Chair)

Mimi is Chair of Theatre Uncut and Executive Director of Bush Theatre. 

She was previously the Administrative Producer at the Albany for the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022 – We Are Lewisham, and Chair of Judges for the Alfred Fagon Award. Prior to this she worked with companies including Clean Break, Talawa, Fuel, Actors Touring Company, the National Theatre and Paines Plough.

Alongside the delivery of multiple events for London Borough of Culture including Close To Home: The Mass Dance Event, her credits include Blis-ta, which was Recipient of Tinniswood Award 2022 – BBC Audio Drama Awards, [BLANK] by Alice Birch, a Clean Break and Donmar Warehouse co-production at Donmar Warehouse and the national tour of The Dark by Nick Makoha for Fuel. She produced the new writing festival Talawa Firsts from 2015 – 2017 supporting a number of writers in the development of new works including Tash Marshall’s Half Breed, babirye bukilwa’s …hour and theatre makers including Azara Meghie, Ann Akin and Botis Seva – Far from the Norm.

Mimi provides consultancy and mentorship for artists at various stages of their careers and is a firm advocate for inclusive practice. She has previously participated on panels and in workshops for the Greater London Authority for London Borough of Culture, Theatre Peckham, National Theatre, China Plate, The Roundhouse, people make it work, and Creative Access, and contributed to several studies in equality of access and opportunity.

She is committed to developing and progressing conversation and action towards a more representative and inclusive cultural landscape in the UK and beyond, championing and sustaining underrepresented artists careers from all corners of the industry, and harnessing artists’ voices to enhance the British cultural experience for everyone.

SIOBHAN WOODROW

Siobhán works in advertising with a specialism in social media and content. With almost two decades experience within media and advertising she joined Theatre Uncut’s board in January 2018. She’s been a supporter of Theatre Uncut's work since it was created and is excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the great work this charity is under taking. 

Pooja SITPURA

Pooja is Head of Inclusive Talent Engagement at Somerset House. She has collaborated with organisations, such as Magic Me, Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Yard Theatre, and Croydon Music and Arts, to develop and deliver engaging and impactful programmes that promote participation and diversity. Pooja consults and educates organisations on how to address systemic exclusion and foster organisational change through the ethics and tools of creative learning.

Debbie Hannan

Debbie writes and directs for stage and screen. They have been developing and directing new plays for 15 years, alongside their own writing and screen work, and are known for dynamic, high energy, heightened work, focussing on lgbtq+, disabled and working-class stories, with a love for dark, social satire.

They are currently Associate Director at National Theatre of Scotland and were formerly Interim Artistic Director and Showrunner at Stockroom, theatre’s first writers room. They trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and as Trainee Director at the Royal Court

JOAnna kennedy

Joanna Kennedy is a retired solicitor. After leaving her legal practice she developed and ran a London based advice and campaigning charity called Z2K.

Joanna is a passionate supporter of the Arts, especially theatre. She has chaired the Boards of two theatre companies, Headlong and The Unicorn and has sat on and chaired numerous charity Boards in both the theatre world and the advice/poverty sector. Her main current roles of this kind, apart from as Trustee of Theatre Uncut, are as Chair of the National Youth Arts Trust which works to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the performing arts and locally as a member of the Development Board of the Lyric Hammersmith and as Trustee of both the Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre and the QPR Community Trust and Chair of H&F Giving.

Since she has retired from any employed role Joanna indulged her passion for theatre by doing a Masters in Theatre & Performance at Queen Mary University and then obtained a CELTA qualification to enable her to teach English as a foreign language to refugees which she is currently doing through the charity West London Welcome.

Stephen cottle

Stephen Cottle has a substantial practice that covers all aspects of housing and housing standards both in England and in Wales . Stephen is also one of the leading specialists in the country in  planning  cases  concerning Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers. Published work includes Using the Housing Act 2004 (Jordans), contributor to Gypsy & Traveller Law (LAG 2020) and editor of the Law Society’s Housing Law Handbook 2nd Edition  2020. Stephen also provided a commentary for a book that focused on child centred decision making -Rewriting Children’s Judgments From Academic Vision to New Practice (Hart, 2017).

Rutger Beelaerts

Rutger Beelaerts joined the board of Theatre Uncut in 2023. Previously he served on the Board of the Alley Theatre in Houston, TX, USA from 2016 till 2023. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Alley All New Festival for several years. As a frequent visitor of theatres across the world, he is keen to stimulate the development of new work. In our polarizing world, theatre can play an important role to understand different perspectives and build bridges between communities.

Rutger worked for Shell in Europe, Singapore, and the U.S.A. for almost 30 years. In Houston, he was General Manager Intermediates and General Manager Strategy of Shell Chemicals. After leaving Shell at the end of 2019, he moved back to London. He consults clients in the Renewables and Chemical companies on strategy, commercial structuring and negotiations, sustainability, and plastic waste. He also develops business leaders using theatre techniques.

amy davies dolamore

Amy is the Executive Director for Punchdrunk Enrichment. Amy has always sought out roles in her career where her skills and experience can support the creation of high quality theatre, art and community engagement. She has previously worked at Fevered Sleep, The Bush Theatre, Bryony Kimmings Ltd and Complicite.