Who’s who at DIY
Meet the team of individuals who make up DIY Theatre Company!
Adam Leech
DIY Gamechanger
Adam is one of DIY's Gamechanger. He is also a member of DIY BUDS. Adam is a big fan of Manchester Storm Ice Hockey team. His family is very important to him.
Amy Carter
DIY Actor, Gamechanger and Board Member
Amy was told about DIY by a friend. DIY has helped her become more confident. She likes supporting the YES Drama Group on Thursdays at The Lowry. Working during lockdown in 2020, Amy achieved a Gold Arts Award with our support.
Angela Chadwick
DIY Actor and Gamechanger
Angela is a founding member of DIY. She has been with the company all the way through and still likes doing it. She says she’s never going to stop! She likes representing us at meetings and telling the rest of the company about what has been happening at the meetings. Angela also enjoys playing bingo.
Anna Ward
DIY Actor and Gamechanger
Anna likes wearing the DIY T-shirt. Anna loves working together as a team, as an actor and as a leader.
Becky Jolley
DIY Gamechanger
Becky is one of DIY's Gamechangers and a member of DIY BUDS. She loves singing, art and drama. Becky likes coming to DIY because she likes learning new things and meeting new people.
Cathy Rothwell
DIY Actor, Gamechanger and Vice-Chair of DIY's Board
Cathy loves all the Soaps – especially Corrie. She enjoys coming to DIY and her favourite part is doing performances. Cathy is a member of the core company and, as a DIY Gamechanger, leads workshops through our Leading Edge Programme.
David Austin
DIY Actor
David loves music and listens to all different kinds of music. David is a founder member of DIY and has appeared in all our performances. He enjoys touring and visiting schools because he likes to work with the children.
Charlotte Little
DIY Actor, Gamechanger and Chair of DIY's Board
Charlotte loves Lego – if she gets worried she does Lego to take her mind off things. Charlotte likes working with DIY because she likes learning new skills and working with different people. She also likes working with different organisations like Graeae Theatre Company and being involved in conferences like Creative Minds North.
Martin Riley
DIY Actor and Co-Chair of our Board
Martin works at HMG Paints three days a week. Martin thinks DIY is great. His favourite character is Samuel from “Don’t Call Me Babe!” because he likes singing and he enjoyed asking the audience where they wanted to go on holiday.
Mike Corfield
DIY Gamechanger
Mike is one of DIY's Gamechangers and also volunteers at our Tuesday night Youth Drama Group. Mike likes to go for walks, watch films and take photographs. He volunteers at You Can Community Club and is working as a visual arts mentor at Venture Arts. What he likes about DIY is being with his friends, meeting new people, working with different groups and learning new things.
Paul Traynor
DIY Actor
Paul is a member of the core company and of DIY BUDS. He likes playing the drama games. Paul also enjoys playing bingo at Top Club.
Robert Noble
DIY Actor
Robert likes playing bingo. He enjoys acting, playing with all the instruments and working with the props.
Scott Lawrie
DIY Gamechanger and Board Member
Scott enjoys helping out at Gamechanger sessions and helping people to achieve what they want to achieve. He likes going to college, going to church and seeing his friends when he can.
Sharron Casey
DIY Actor
Sharron likes finding out different information on the computer. She found out about DIY on the internet. Sharron likes coming to DIY because she likes joining in and meeting new friends.
Andrea Fanchette
Communications Officer
Andrea is proud to be involved with DIY and loves to see the inspirational work DIY does.
Andrea also works with other organisations who are doing inspiring work as a graphic designer, advisor and project evaluator.
Audrey Albert
Associate Artist: Visual Artist
Audrey is a visual artist and creative facilitator. She is from the African island of Mauritius and has Chagossian heritage. She works with digital, analogue and cameraless (making photos without using a camera) photography. She is interested in visual storytelling, in different narratives and perspectives, in people, their histories and stories. She facilitated online photography workshops with DIY in 2020 and is now a DIY associate artist. She loves DIY photography sessions as they are always colourful, creative and fun. Her experience with DIY has allowed Audrey to rethink her practice in terms of accessibility, equity and inclusivity.
Claire Hignett
Visual Artist
Claire is an artist and has known and worked with DIY Theatre Company and many of its members since its early days! Claire is a member of the board and supports the board members to ask difficult questions and understand the answers. She also runs the making for Theatre Courses. Claire makes art and grows vegetables and likes making a mess!
Clare Hillyer
Access Co-ordinator
Clare is delighted to be part of the DIY team, working alongside the staff and brilliant artists to ensure they can participate in their activities as fully as possible. Clare also works in further education supporting young adults with learning disabilities towards independence and employment.
Family time, music and the arts, cooking and running are some of Clare’s favourite things outside of work.
Daisy O'Brien
Social Media Specialist
Daisy (she/her) is a Marketing and Communications specialist working with different organisations across Manchester's vibrant cultural landscape. She loves being a part of Team DIY, sharing our incredible story and providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the wonderful work we do. Above all, Daisy is committed to championing inclusivity, creativity and access for all in the arts.
Di Critchley
Board Member
Di has been involved in DIY Theatre from the very beginning. First as a support worker and later as co-ordinator and occasional facilitator. Now she has welcomed the opportunity to remain involved with the company as a board member and feels she is able to use her skills and connections as a health and social care engagement and development officer for the local authority and NHS to support and advise the company on a range of issues such as accessible futures planning, creating easy read information and exploring total communication methods.
Elizabeth Todd
Emerging Artist
Elizabeth is a freelance drama practitioner with a BA in Theatre and Performance Practice who focuses on working with disabled and neurodivergent people. She has worked for the National Youth Theatre on a drama project in SEND schools.
Elizabeth loves working for DIY because of the friendly atmosphere and because she believes that the work DIY does is extremely important.
Fergus Ashcroft-Walsh
Finance Officer
After nine years training in accountancy practices, Fergus is excited to bring his skills to the finance department of DIY Theatre. After growing up participating in numerous local music projects, Fergus is passionate about providing support and guidance to organisations focusing on the arts and community.
Outside of the office Fergus likes performing music and spending time with his young family.
Georgia Affonso
Emerging Artist
Georgia worked with members of DIY to make our policies more accessible. She supports the visual arts sessions on Thursday mornings and leads DIY BUDS sessions on Thursday afternoons.
Georgia also works as a script writer and theatre maker.
Georgia loves working with DIY because every session is fun, creative and full of energy!
Hilary Easter-Jones
Associate Artist: Film Maker
Hilary is a filmmaker who has worked with DIY Theatre Company since 2011. Over the years she has followed DIY and recorded the work we do in schools, the performances we have shared. More recently Hilary has been a part of the journey as we all negotiate the world of staying connected online.
Jade Williams
Emerging Artist
Jade loves being creative and performing. She is a multidisciplinary artist with experience in dance, drama, and creative writing facilitation. She believes that we all have an instinctive creative nature and is inspired by working with young people and creatives from all backgrounds. Jade started working with DIY Theatre in 2021 and has been supporting the Friday Leadership Group. Jade has really enjoyed getting creative with them.
Jenny Harris
Board Member
Jenny is very happy to be on DIY's board. Having worked with DIY for 14 years she says that to her DIY is like being part of a very happy family. Jenny believes that the work DIY does is extremely important and crucial to continuing to hear the voices of learning disabled actors in the theatre world. So she wants to help to find ways to better what the company does and help DIY to continue on their journey.
John Leyland
Business Director and Company Secretary
John joined DIY after 10 years working at the Arts Council. He wants to help DIY to continue to grow and develop so we can keep doing our amazing work long into the future. John enjoys all different kinds of music, and spending time with his dog, Mylo the whippet.
Mary O’ Neill
Leading Edge Coordinator
Mary is the Leading Edge Coordinator and creative support for the Tuesday group at DIY. She loves being part of the team and is continually moved and inspired by the work the company produce. Mary is also a community arts worker, outdoor arts project coordinator and artist. On occasion you might find her performing at an arts festival or in a parade...like the time she was a giant rabbit doing magic tricks from a massive hat...
Molly Steadman
Gamechangers Leadership Coordinator
Molly began working with DIY’s Friday Leadership Group and DIY BUDS. She is now DIY's Gamechangers Leadership Co-ordinator. Molly first met DIY when she wrote about them as a student and is really happy to be welcomed back to DIY to support their amazing work. Outside of DIY, Molly loves dancing and going to the theatre!
Nerissa Cargill Thompson
Associate Artist: Designer
Nerissa is a Visual & Community Artist working on both performance and non-performance projects. Originally trained in Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent and recently graduated from MA Textile Practice from Manchester School of Art. She works closely with DIY members, using design within show development as well as designing sets and costumes for performances.
Philip Harland
Emerging Artist
Phil finds working with DIY an absolute joy as everyone is friendly and ready to get stuck in to explore new ideas. Phil is a trained Theatre Facilitator and Technician with an MA in Applied and Community Arts and BA in Theatre. He began working with DIY as a student and loves finding ways of combining the various Theatre disciplines to make sessions fun and enjoyable.
Sarah Atter
Associate Artist: Musician
Sarah loves cooking (and eating), trying to do DIY and having lots of sleep! As a musician, she works with people from many different backgrounds, and always enjoys a new challenge!
Sophie Coward
Emerging Artist
Sophie is a Manchester based actor-musician with a love of all things multi-sensory. If you ever need to find her, she's usually tangled up in aerial silks! Sophie has absolutely loved getting to know the Young Leaders at DIY and boogie-ing out with them each Monday!
Sue Caudle
Creative Director
Sue has been DIY's Artistic Director, and now Creative Director, almost since DIY began. She loves working with all the creative people at DIY. It’s such an exciting place to work because DIY members are always coming up with so many wonderful new ideas and plans.
Sue loves walking and travelling across the UK and beyond in her little blue camper van.
DIY Patrons
Jenny Sealey MBE
DIY Patron
Jenny Sealey has been Artistic Director of Graeae since 1997. In 2009, she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Honours and in 2012 Jenny co-directed the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. She also won the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award and in 2018 was named in The Stage’s top 50 most influential figures in UK Theatre.
"I love being patron of DIY. The commitment, camaraderie and care with the company means the work is authentic, left curve and all embracing.
Theatre should be for everyone and DIY demonstrate this with chutzpah and pride."
Chris Gascoyne
DIY Patron
Chris is better known as Peter Barlow in Coronation Street. We are very pleased to have him as our patron!