We aim to engage people who are underserved and underrepresented in arts and culture with empowering, educational work. This will be shared to an audience that reflects the community of the participants, as well as promoting a wider societal understanding of issues often faced in isolation.

Participants will develop thought provoking, awareness-raising and quality theatre performances with the support of our team. This will benefit individuals and their communities. We aim to explore creative processes on how arts and culture can raise awareness and promote dialogue around social issues and change.

Jude Haste

Jude runs Rank & File Theatre to provide creative and educational opportunities for socially disadvantaged groups. Jude has 25 years’ experience as a theatre maker working with underrepresented people and believes in the power of theatre to transform lives, discover potential and build social change. As the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Jude had to adapt her work with Reading Refugee Support Group to facilitate online workshops.

Alex Genn Bash

Alex has been employed in the Film & Television industry for ten years, working on feature films including those for Warner Bros and Working Title, television shows for the BBC & Channel 4, music videos, short films and documentaries. Over the last five years Alex has been increasingly focused on shooting & editing educational content; creating short films for charities, Outdoor Arts events and the Department For Education.

Yasmine Shamma

Yasmine focuses on contemporary poetry, and migration. Through writing, creative practice, and digital media, she engages with participants and public audiences. including a digital archive of Syrian migration, funded by the British Academy. Yasmine has worked with Jude offering refugees and asylum seekers a platform for exploring and sharing their experiences of displacement in poetry and performance.

Ira Putilova

Ira (they/them) is a Documentary Director and Editor, Podcast Producer and Writer. Since 2008, they have been involved in art activism groups and projects tackling issues around gender, immigration and sex work, including the Bad Table Manners collective. In 2021 Ira was selected for Grierson DocLab In Focus: Editing Scheme run by The Grierson Trust and Netflix. Ira is widely known for their political activism and support of non-binary and transgender community.