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WORKSHOP LEADERS
Wiebke Acton
Wiebke is a performer and theatre artist based in England and Germany. Her twenty‑year career spans devised physical theatre, immersive site‑specific performance, and theatre for young audiences. She is an associate artist at Globe Berlin, where she regularly performs Shakespeare in both German and English. As a drama teacher and workshop facilitator, she has worked across academic, artistic, corporate, and early‑years education contexts. Currently a final‑year PhD researcher at the University of Leeds, Wiebke draws on her transnational performance practice to explore what it means to create theatre across borders.
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Jennifer Birch
Jenny joined Calderdale Theatre School in 2002 as a student in Year 7. When she left CTS she studied Drama at Liverpool John Moores University, graduating in 2014. Since then, she has been performing across the country in numerous childrens productions, including Alice in Wonderland and Cyril the Squirrel. She has a passion for puppets, and is behind all the magnificent puppets you may have seen in recent CTS productions. It is safe to say, she is mad about puppets.
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Alison Field
Alison is an ex-student of Calderdale Theatre School. She studied Text and Performance at RADA and King’s College, London. Since then, she has taught Drama and Theatre Studies in a wide variety of educational and community settings. Her work has involved directing plays for the National Theatre Connections programme; teaching LAMDA/Trinity exams and leading dance projects. For many years Alison performed and collaborated in community theatre projects in Surrey. Throughout her career, she has written and adapted text for performance, as well as scripts for film shorts. Alison has extensive experience of making Drama provision for neurodivergent students and young people with SEND.
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Robert Garrett
Rob trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As a theatre actor he has worked at Bolton Octagon, Royal Exchange and Library Theatre in Manchester, and Derby Playhouse, amongst many others. Favourite parts played include Orsino in ‘Twelfth Night’, Antipholus of Ephesus in ‘Comedy of Errors’ and the Ghost/Player King in a production at Lancaster Castle. Most recently he appeared as Jeremy in ‘Posh’ for Beacon Actors. On Television he appeared as Sir Thomas Wyatt in ‘Elizabeth R’ and in the series ‘Family at War’ as well as films and plays made for television.
For many years he worked as a voice teacher at Bretton Hall campus of Leeds University teaching all aspects of voice and speech training. He has also worked for theatre in education companies delivering workshops, in addition to education companies at for Harrogate Theatre, Theatr Clwyd and Bolton Octagon. He is particularly interested in the vocal development of young people. He has written three plays for Calderdale Theatre School; ‘Golden Voyage’, ‘Island of the Mighty’, and most recently ‘The Monkey King’.
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Ben Healey
Ben studied theatre at Huddersfield University and has been an active writer and director since. He is the founder of local theatre group Grim North Theatre; a company that specialise in avant-guarde and experimental theatre forms.
Ben works within the education department at Eureka! the National Children’s Museum. As part of the team he devises content for the public performances and also trains the front of house staff in delivering workshops and shows, storytelling and spontaneous engagement.
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Karen Stuart
Karen is a North‑based actor and drama facilitator who brings physical theatre, imagination and ensemble play into every session. Drawing on training with David Glass and Lecoq‑influenced practice, she works with Calderdale Theatre School’s secondary groups to develop expressive movement, character creation and collaborative theatre‑making. She is passionate about helping young people discover their voice and create bold, original work.
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Laura Ramsay
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Persia Babayan-Taylor
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