None of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation's impact would be possible without our committed staff team, artistic associates and trustees. Please do get in touch - we're always happy to talk about our work and answer your questions!
Leadership
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After four years working the higher education sector Mike joined the Festival Team at Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation. Passionate about the power of stories to bring together people and communities, Mike works with the theatres and theatremakers who support schools through their Festival journey. He also works to measure the impact of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation's work. Mike originally moved to London from South Wales to study law and philosophy, and still ponders why there are rules.
Which Shakespeare character you would be? Mike aims to be like Horatio because he's friendly, dependable and alive at the end.
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Maddie Short
Programmes and Creative Lead and Designated Safeguarding Officer (she/her)Maddie trained as an actress at Mountview Academy before qualifying as a teacher and teaching for six years in North London and Hertfordshire. Joining Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation in 2015 brought together her passion for Shakespeare in performance and inspiring a love of learning. Maddie feels strongly that Shakespeare is for everyone and her role at Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, overseeing the work with schools and developing resources to support teachers, gives her the exciting opportunity to tap into its relevance for young people. She feels especially passionate about using Shakespeare when working with disengaged learners and is very proud of the work the charity does with students in Pupil Referral Units.
Which Shakespeare character you would be? Viola
Core Staff
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Alex Swain
Sales and Marketing Manager (he/him)Alex was initially drawn to Shakespeare by Twelfth Night which blew away his misconceptions of Shakespeare as a boring, serious playwright, and he’s been a fan ever since. He is immensely proud of the work Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation does and has made it one of his favourite pastimes to tell anyone who’ll listen about some of the inspiring stories he has seen unfold as part of the Festival.
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Ally Couch
Workshops Manager (Maternity Leave) (she/her)Ally graduated from Goldsmiths University in 2013 where she studied Drama and Theatre Arts, she went on to work with a number of theatre companies before joining the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation team in 2021. As an artist, Ally has devised site-specific and site-responsive performances that harness the power of play and is interested in creating surprising and transformative theatre that connects the audience to the performer. She has worked in both theatre and film as producer, dramaturg, facilitator, performer, and playwright. As Workshops Officer at Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, Ally has the pleasure of working with young people and teachers in an environment that allows their confidence and creativity to flourish, and is delighted to work for an organisation that equips young people with the skills to succeed in life.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? Bottom, because Ally's main aim is to make others laugh.
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Amarah Mahmood
Marketing and Development Officer (she/her)Amarah has always enjoyed content creation, theatre, and anything media-related but initially planned to pursue law. After volunteering with a charity advocating for climate change and gender equality, she witnessed firsthand the impact that change can create. This experience led her to study Marketing Management at the University of Westminster in London, and shortly after graduating, she joined Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation.
She is passionate about creating content that showcases meaningful moments and sharing the incredible impact of an organisation that empowers young people to build bright futures, whatever path they choose.
She enjoyed studying Macbeth at school. Her favourite characters are the meddling witches because they stir the pot and then disappear, while enjoying watching all the chaos unfold.
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Bethany Appleton
Schools Manager (she/her)After graduating from the University of Oxford with a Master's degree in English Literature, Bethany joined Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation in 2019. She has always been passionate about the power of the arts to enrich and transform lives, and is now responsible for overseeing the programmes team in delivering high-quality Festival experiences for all participants.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? If Bethany were a Shakespeare character, she would be Beatrice - independent, articulate, loyal, and a great friend to have.
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Beth Punnett
Senior Programmes Coordinator (she/they)Beth's first foray into Shakespeare and creative learning was as an Education Assistant at Shakespeare's Globe, before they completed their undergraduate degree in Theatre and Performance at the University of Surrey. Since then, Beth has worked in several diverse cultural settings as an arts coordinator, dabbled in poetry and puppetry, and dared to read one hundred books in a year. As Coordinator for Inclusion at Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, Beth is committed to championing empathy and equity within creative practice.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? Viola, since she is determined and a hopeless romantic.
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Cassia Thakkar
Programmes Assistant (she/her) -
Francis Christeller
Development Consultant (he/him)Francis was born in New Zealand and has lived in London for over a decade. He has a passion for all things theatrical, having trained in contemporary dance at university and spent a good part of his professional career on the stages and screens of New Zealand, the UK and Europe. In 2015 Francis joined the team at LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) before joining the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation team as Fundraising Manager in mid 2019. Since the charity joined Coram in 2020, Francis has stayed on part-time while spending most of his work life managing the theatre, dance and literature programmes of the Goethe-Institut London.
Which Shakespeare character you would be? Benvolio - because Francis is chilled out, super loyal and hopefully will survive right to the end.
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Jessica Manu
Schools Outreach Coordinator (she/her) -
John Chisham
Senior Schools Outreach Coordinator (he/him)John’s love of drama and performance stemmed from taking part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival in 2009. He went on to study Theatre at the University of York and then trained as an actor at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. After spending two years working in schools and venues, John became reacquainted with Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation via the government’s KICKSTARTER scheme.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? John would be The Porter from Macbeth, as he often tries to be cheery when things seem tough.
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Jordana Golbourn
Youth Board Project Manager (she/her)Jordana is a theatre maker and facilitator working with community artists. She has a decade of experience working with companies such as Almeida Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, and Old Vic Theatre. She is the director of Almeida Academy, a programme that gives 5 to 14-year-olds the opportunity to work with theatre professionals to devise and stage brand new plays.
Jordana has also trained with Oily Cart on making theatre for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
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Lauren Brewer
Programmes Coordinator (she/her)Having taken part in the Festival herself as an overtly eager year 8, Lauren is thrilled to finally be reunited with Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation and a group of people as passionate about both theatre and Shakespeare as she is. Having recently graduated with a BA in English Literature from Durham University, she is incredibly excited to be a part of helping other young people find their own love of storytelling and the Arts.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? Whilst Lauren played the cowardly Pindarus (Julius Caesar) in her school's Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation production, she aspires to be more of a Beatrice - headstrong and fun if a little clumsy!
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Lydia Stevens
Workshops Manager (Maternity Cover) (she/her)Lydia volunteered with the Festival as a venue assistant at the Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol as a recent graduate back in 2009 and is very excited to be part of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation again.
She moved back to London a couple of years ago after living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for ten years where she worked as a TIE workshop developer and facilitator, and in the production of international arts festivals. While in Argentina, Lydia also formed part of a theatre cooperative and performed in a number of independent stage productions. Lydia holds an MA in Cultural Management and Cultural Policy.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? Lydia likes the idea of being a Beatrice but is realistic about the fact that she is probably more of a Juliet's Nurse.
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Ryan Hay
Project Producer (they/them) -
Shumin Zeng
Schools Outreach Coordinator (they/them)Shumin's first encounter with Shakespeare on stage is quite an unusual one: the retelling of Shakespeare's most famous story through traditional Chinese Opera in a ground-breaking one-man show, I, Hamlet. They were so completely blown away by the show that they kept going back for every round of performance and signed up straight away when the opportunity for backstage volunteers came up, beginning their journey working in the theatre.
Before coming to the UK for their Master's degree, Shumin worked as a Production Assistant at the Xintiandi Performing Arts Festival in Shanghai, China. They are thrilled to be a part of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, spreading the joy and magic of theatre to young people.
Which Shakespeare character would you be? The Gravediggers in Hamlet. A surprising choice, but coming from an academic background in archaeology and always being the comedian of the group, Shumin really sees themself in these two characters.
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Tom Barker
Theatres & Staffing Manager (he/him)
Artistic Associates
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John Lightbody
Senior Artistic AssociateJohn is an actor, voiceover artist and freelance director. Among his many classical roles he has played Richard III, Benvolio and the Ghost of Christmas Present. He has delivered Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s workshops for over ten years, and most recently in the role of Senior Artistic Associate has overseen the devising of Teacher Workshops.
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Brian Mullin
Artistic AssociateBrian works as a writer, deviser and dramaturg. He studied Theatre at Yale and went on to research Elizabethan theatre at Oxford. He loves Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation's approach to Shakespeare, letting young people jump into the imagination of the world's greatest dramatist.
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Sheryl Malcolm
Artistic AssociateSheryl is a Theatre Practitioner, who has over twenty years’ experience as a facilitator, director, devisor, Theatre-In-Education actor and project producer.
Sheryl enjoyed her role as Participation Manager and Youth Director after graduating Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Sheryl has delivered programmes for the Young Vic, Donmar Warehouse and Marlowe Theatre.
Primarily her work is with young people aged 8-24 years and she loves witnessing pupils’ confidence develop whilst performing text.
Sheryl believes that the exploration of drama encourages creativity, empathy and curiosity.
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Iain Jones
Artistic AssociateIain is an actor, director and practitioner. As a director he has worked at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, Greenwich Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre and Edinburgh Festival. He was introduced to Shakespeare at school and loved it. “He's a great storyteller and takes us on adventures that are full of extraordinary characters.” His favourite character is Puck, because he has so much fun.
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Jacoba Williams
Artistic AssociateJacoba is an actor whose first Shakespeare performance was part of a Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival production of Taming of the Shrew in Melton Mowbray. Some of her more recent notable roles include portraying Perdita in The Winter's Tale at Shakespeare's Globe and Olivia in CBEEBIES Tweflth Night.
Jacoba is deeply passionate about making all forms of theatre accessible and inclusive, with a particular focus on Shakespeare's works. This passion was ignited during her time in Year 9 when her English teacher shyly explained the double entendres in Much Ado About Nothing.
Alongside her acting pursuits, Jacoba also has experience in devising theatre and directing for family audiences. She is eagerly looking forward to being inspired by CSSF teachers and students in her ongoing artistic journey.
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Jordana Golbourn
Artistic Associate (she/her)Jordana is a theatre maker and facilitator working with community artists. She has a decade of experience working with companies such as Almeida Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, and Old Vic Theatre. She is the director of Almeida Academy, a programme that gives 5 to 14-year-olds the opportunity to work with theatre professionals to devise and stage brand new plays.
Jordana has also trained with Oily Cart on making theatre for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
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Kate Hughes
Artistic AssociateKate (stage name Kate Middleton) is an actor based in London and originally from the West Midlands. She performs in theatre and on screen, and has a penchant for anything period.
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Richard Weinman
Artistic AssociateRichard is an Associate Director at the Lyric, Hammersmith, where he recently directed Passin’ Thru as part of the Evolution Festival of work by young people. He has been an Associate for the National Youth theatre and the National Theatre Connections project. He is interested in theatre as a way to social inclusion and works frequently with hard-to-reach groups such as NEET young people and young offenders.
Trustees
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James Dray
Chair of TrusteesJames is a partner at Brunswick, the strategic advisory firm. He helps to lead Brunswick's work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he completed a 12-month secondment leading communications in Europe and the Middle East. He has also worked with Wellcome Trust, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the Global Financing Facility (GFF). James earned a Doctorate as a Commonwealth Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he also taught politics. He is a former President of the Oxford Union and World Universities Debating Champion.
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Guy Davies
Vice Chair of TrusteesGuy is a chartered accountant, a trustee at the Social Business Trust and a trustee at the Hygiene Bank. Previously he was a partner and head of financing at Permira, an international private equity firm. He has been a trustee of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation since 2016.
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Dr Carol Homden CBE
TrusteeCarol is Chief Executive of Coram, a group of specialist children charities reaching 2.5 million children, families and professionals every year. Formerly a member of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, she served on the Adoption Leadership Board for seven years and is also a continuing member of the Children’s Interagency Group and the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Carol is Chair of the National Autistic Society, which operates seven specialist schools and multiple adult services and delivers national accreditation. Carol was awarded a CBE in 2013 for her contribution to services for children and families. Having started her career setting up print media enterprises in East Anglia as a freelance arts journalist and editor, she was previously Director of Marketing and Development at the University of Westminster, the first Director of Marketing and Public Affairs at the British Museum and Commercial Director for the Prince’s Trust.
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Dr Glenda Jones
Trustee -
Hester Lockley
TrusteeHester is currently Head of Trade and Strategy at the Department for Education.
Previously, she served as Head of Policy of the National Tutoring Programme and Head of Delivery for the North Yorkshire Opportunity Area. Hester has also worked as a teacher, including at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney Downs, east London, where she taught English and served in post as Head of Curriculum and EAL.
Hester joined the CSSF board in September 2023.
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Jeff Tijssen
TrusteeJeff is currently a Partner at Bain & Company where he leads their global FinTech practice.
He has had a long career in the finance industry and has advised many of the well-known fintechs as well as some of the largest financial institutions in the world. Prior to joining Bain he built and led a fintech consultancy.
Jeff also sits on the Board of Trustees at The Dutch Centre, an organisation focused on promoting Dutch culture in the UK and previously served as an Advisory Board Member for the social enterprise CodeFirst:Girls.
Jeff joined the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation board in March 2024.
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Jill Pay
TrusteeJill’s background is business management. Jill became the first female Serjeant at Arms in the House of Commons in 2008. Her passion is to help people to develop, grow and succeed, from primary school children struggling to learn to read through to female entrepreneurs finding their way in business and female senior managers seeking to join the Board.
Jill is Chairman of Trustees of the Coram Beanstalk literacy charity. She is a founder and an active member of Savvitas, a businesswomen’s network affiliated to Parliament. She chairs the Savvitas Senate.
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Suba Das
TrusteeSuba is an award-winning theatre director, producer and dramaturg. Previously he was Creative Director of Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of new writing company HighTide and Associate Director at Leicester Curve. He was a Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio and for English Touring Theatre. His many directing credits include work for the Young Vic, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Octagon Bolton, Rose Theatre Kingston, Nottingham Playhouse, Northern Stage and The Roundhouse. Suba is also a Trustee of the North Music Trust (Sage Gateshead).
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Vicki Wienand
TrusteeVicki is joint Series Editor of the Cambridge School Shakespeare Series published by Cambridge University Press. She has taught English in the UK and abroad and is now a freelance writer. Before joining the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation board in 2018, she was a trustee of two charities seeking to improve the mental health of young people.
More than
300,000
young people have taken part in the Festival
Our flagship project is the Festival - the world’s largest youth drama festival.
About our impactCoram SSF is a cultural education charity that exists to instil curiosity and empathy, aspiration and self-esteem, literacy and teamwork - giving young people the confidence to see that all the world is their stage.
Learn more about us
Shakespeare Schools Foundation
Telephone: 020 7601 1800