Trustees

Dave Moutrey is  Director of Culture at Manchester City Council, taking on the role full time in April 2024 having been seconded to the role on a part-time basis since 2018. He is responsible for advising the council on policy and strategy for culture and working closely with the Cultural Leaders Group on joint working and other collaborative initiatives. Until March 2024, he was Director and Chief Executive of HOME a purpose built multi art form venue that opened in May 2015.  He conceived and led both the merger of Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company and the £25m capital project to create HOME which has attracted almost 1m visits per year since opening. Dave was awarded a Doctor of Arts honoris causa by the University of Salford is a Fellow of the RSA, a member of the Chartered Management Institute, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.  He is also an advisor to the British Council and holds a number of non-executive roles on not-for-profit boards. Dave Moutrey became Chair on 21 February 2022.

Vicky’s career spans both the commercial and charity sectors. Having spent nearly 15 years leading charities, she is currently enjoying a series of roles as interim CEO, most recently for national advocacy charity POhWER and cross-sector collaboration body WIG (the Whitehall & Industry Group). Previously, she led ACEVO, the network of civil society leaders for over five years, joining from CharityComms, the membership network for communications professionals in UK charities, where she was director for seven years. A former magazine journalist, editor and publisher, Vicky worked at Haymarket Publishing, the UK's largest privately owned publishing company for 16 years during the nineties and noughties, including a stint launching a new title in New York. She then enjoyed six years as an independent publishing consultant, offering management consultancy, product development and marketing services to a range of clients, before moving to the charity sector. Vicky loves reading, cooking, gardening and travelling. She is a keen theatre, cinema and concert-goer. She was awarded an OBE for services to charity in 2022. Vicky Browning became a Trustee on 1 April 2024.

Anna spent her early career in Scotland managing front of house operations for ATG and Glasgow Life across their portfolio of cultural venues. Anna became freelance in 2012 when she managed a London 2012 Olympic venue, followed by leading the development and operation of a new build competition venue for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games.For the last ten years she has been providing strategic leadership for clients undertaking significant new build and refurbishment projects within the Arts. Previous clients include, The Guardian News and Media Group, The National Theatre, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Northamptonshire Council and The Factory International. More recently Anna acted as Project Director for the RIBA-award winning Mountview Academy of Performing Arts’ new home in Peckham, and for the last two years has been leading the Dunard Centre project, the UKs first Nagata / Chipperfield designed concert hall which will become a flagship venue for the Edinburgh International Festival. Anna also sits on the committee of Edinburgh’s Royal High School project to develop Thomas Hamilton’s grade A listed building into a new performance space. Anna has a keen interest in architecture and is the co-founder of an award winning, sustainable accredited architecture practice alongside her husband. Anna became a Trustee on 29 April 2024.

James has been Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate Theatres and Northampton Filmhouse since 2013 and is a Non-Executive Director of Spirit of 2012 and Talawa Theatre Company. Previously he’s been Associate Director at the New Vic Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, the National Youth Theatre and London’s Theatre503 and held roles as a Franco-British Young Leader and Fulbright Fellow. He has directed, produced, and toured work to several hundred theatres, opera houses and festivals across the UK and abroad, with his productions winning Olivier, The Stage and UK Theatre awards. James Dacre became a Trustee on 21 February 2022.

Suba Das is an award-winning director, producer and dramaturg, brought up in the North East of England before reading English at Cambridge. He was Creative Director of the iconic Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres and previously Artistic Director and Chief Executive of HighTide, one of the UK's leading new writing theatre companies. Prior to HighTide, Suba was Associate Director at Leicester Curve, overseeing all artist development and community engagement; and Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio and English Touring Theatre. Suba's other directing credits include the world premiere production of Ravi Shankar's only opera Sukanya for the Royal Opera House and London Philharmonic Orchestra; and for the Young Vic, The Roundhouse, Northern Stage, Nottingham Playhouse and Bolton Octagon. Suba is passionate about access to theatre buildings and cultural activities for audiences of all backgrounds across the UK and he is also a trustee of the North Music Trust (Sage Gateshead); and the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. Suba Das became a Trustee on 21 February 2022.

Liam is Executive Director and CEO at Theatr Clwyd, the biggest producing theatre in Wales, taking up the post in 2016. During his time the organisation has increased its annual turnover from £5m to £7.2m, won UK Theatre, Olivier, and Stage awards for their work, and progressed an ambitious and essential £50m Capital redevelopment of the 1970’s Grade II listed building in Flintshire. The theatre has also been recognised for leading the way on social impact and has major partnerships and social prescription models in place with the NHS, Social Services and numerous housing associations BCUHB, runs William Aston Hall, a 1000-seat concert venue in Wrexham, as well as Theatr Clwyd Music Trust which delivers music lessons to over 70 schools and 3000 young people each week. Before joining Clwyd Liam was Associate Producer and Capital Development Associate at York Theatre Royal; General Manager and Producer at Sheffield Crucible Theatres; Community Producer on the York Mystery Plays 2012 production; and set up two companies – The Factory Theatre in London and Sprite Productions in Yorkshire. Liam is Chair of Creu Cymru, the development agency for theatres, arts centres and theatre producers in Wales; sits on the Business Advisory Board for the North Wales Growth Deal; the Strategic Advisory Group for the North East Wales Investment Zone; and the Advisory Group for the UK wide Access Scheme, All In. Liam became a Trustee on 1 April 2024.

Stephanie Hall is a barrister specialising in town and country planning at Kings Chambers. She lives with her family near Leeds but works across England and Wales. Stephanie represents both local authorities and developers at planning appeals and in the Courts. She has particular experience of large schemes and major infrastructure projects, sometimes involving theatres and very often involving works to or in the setting of listed buildings. Stephanie appears in the list of top-rated planning junior barristers, is a member of the Planning and Environment Bar Association, the Compulsory Purchase Association, the Parliamentary Bar Mess and the National Infrastructure Planning Association. Stephanie Hall became a Trustee on 21 February 2022.

Annie Hampson is a Town Planner who prior to March 2020 was the Chief Planning Officer at the City of London. She has 40 years’ experience at a senior level within Planning Authorities involved in a great range of development schemes and in repurposing and refurbishing many listed buildings. She has given a wide range of talks and presentations and has experience in judging, negotiation and decision making. She is the Chairman of the London Diocesan Advisory Committee which has responsibility for over 600 Church buildings, many of which are listed and where Access and new needs lead to change. She was awarded an OBE in 2018 for her services to Planning in London. Annie Hampson became a Trustee on 14 September 2020.

Dave is our Boardroom Apprentice. Dave is a civil servant at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities where he works to build engagement with communities impacted by unsafe cladding. Previously he has worked to support victims of modern slavery, promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. Before entering the Civil Service he worked at a streetwear social enterprise and spent a few years teaching primary school children. He lives in Surrey with his partner and dog Rupert. In their spare time they enjoy walks by the river, skiffing and going to the theatre. Dave joined our Board in January 2024 as part of the Boardroom Apprenticeship Programme. 

Tracy Ann Oberman is an actress , writer and theatre creator. She studied drama at Manchester University and is an an alumni of Central School of Speech and Drama. Tracy Ann has had an extensive career both on stage and screen. She has been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and has worked extensively across the country's regional theatres  and in the West End. Tracy Ann recently made British UK theatre history playing the first female, Shylock in  the hugely successful Merchant Of Venice 1936 which toured the country and transferred into the Criterion Theatre Piccadilly. She is passionate about theatre creativity and making the theatre experience exciting, enjoyable and  accessible for all. Tracy Ann Oberman became a Trustee on 1 April 2024.

Lucy Osborne is an award-winning set and costume designer based in London. She works internationally across the UK, Europe and United States, specialising in new writing and musical theatre. Current productions include a new production of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret for Gothenburg Opera and a new musical The Osmonds which is currently touring the UK throughout 2022. Lucy is also a co-founder of studio three sixty, working with performing arts venues to design and regenerate buildings which enrich people’s lives and empower users.  studio three sixty were recipients of the Stage Awards “Theatre Building of the Year” for their design of Paines Plough’s pop-up theatre ROUNDABOUT. Lucy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Editorial Board for the International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (ITEAC) 2022.  Through Inspiring the Future she works with young people in schools to share career pathways into theatre. She is a passionate advocate for inclusive design in theatre architecture. Lucy Osborne became a Trustee on 21 February 2022.

Sara is Chief of Staff to the Group CEO at Aviva plc, a leading Insurance, Wealth and Retirement business in the UK, Ireland and Canada. Sara has almost twenty years’ experience in executive advice, corporate affairs and political consultancy. Previous roles include Director of External Affairs at the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Associate Director and Edelman and Chief of Staff to the CEO and Strategy Adviser to the Chairman of Network Rail. Sara has also worked for the UK Government as Special Adviser to two consecutive Environment Secretaries. Sara co-authored A Portrait of Modern Britain with Rishi Sunak at Policy Exchange in 2014 and was researcher to Professor Alison Wolf for her book The XX Factor: How Working Women Are Creating a New Society. Sara is also a Trustee of the National Centre for Social Research.Sara studied Modern History and Politics at The Queen’s College, Oxford, then went on to train in classical voice at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has performed across the UK at many of the country's great regional theatres. Sara became a Trustee on 1 April 2024.

Truda Spruyt is Managing Director, Culture at Four Culture, working with a range of clients across the arts from the International Booker Prize to the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. She has over twenty-five years’ experience of devising and executing integrated communications strategies, working with clients to define key messages, evaluate brand values and raise profile. She is Chair of the Philosophy Foundation and co-founder of Borough Book Bash. Truda became a Trustee on 7 October 2019, and was re-appointed on 2 September 2022.

Michèle Taylor is Director for Change at Ramps on the Moon, having run her own business as a Disability Equality strategist and trainer since 1992. She has been a key part of the Ramps on the Moon endeavour since its inception, supporting arts organisations to enrich the stories they tell and the ways they tell them by elevating the place of disabled people in the mainstream performing arts. Michèle has been working with cultural and heritage organisations over more than 30 years to embed systemic and structural change to ensure that their practices, policies and premises are open to disabled people. She has been the access consultant on a number of award-winning buildings, and she contributed to the second edition of Theatre Buildings, A Design Guide (ed. Margaret Shewring, 2024). She is an accredited coach, registered psychotherapist, and has an MA in fine art photography. In January 2022 her work was recognised when she was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List for services to disabled people and theatre. Michèle Taylor became a Trustee on 1 April 2024

Katie Town is Executive Director of Theatre Royal Wakefield, a Grade II* listed Frank Matcham theatre in West Yorkshire. She has led the theatre since the end of 2015, taking it through a process of rapid creative and organisational change, including building and opening a new extension. Katie previously worked as General Manager for the National Theatre’s Learning Department. Originally qualifying as a non-practising barrister, Katie decided a career in the arts seemed more interesting, initially working at the Royal Opera House and then in a number of smaller arts organisations, including Candoco Dance Company. Katie Town became a Trustee on 14 September 2020 and is also Vice Chair.