Our Team

Nadia is an actor and filmmaker who studied Drama at Hull University and trained with the National Youth Theatre. Her screen credits include Panic! (BFI Refugee Week), Neo Nahda (BFI Flare, London Short FF second prize 2024), EastEnders (BBC), Pusher (Vertigo Films), and other UK and US productions.

Sam is an actor, educator, director and playwright. An East Londoner who has worked in South East London for over 20yrs in FE to help underrepresented young people into drama school and the creative industries. Sam’s approach is to inspire, motivate and galvanize young people into believing and achieving their goals.

Lin Coghlan is from Dublin. She travelled to England in search of work as a teenager and eventually found her way into the arts by training at the Rose Bruford College. Alongside her work in conventional theatre spaces including the National Theatre, The Bush, The Soho Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic,she has always maintained a commitment to working with and alongside marginalised and disadvantaged communities.

Michael is an Actor, Writer and Workshop Facilitator who originally met Jim in 2003 through Blue Sky Arts and Media, a New Deal regeneration initiative in South Kilburn for which Jim designed the curriculum. He subsequently joined the Playing UP course at the NYT and created the part of Jamal in the production of INSIDE.

Jill became an associate artist in 2018. She joined PLaying ON after being a participant on a project at the Albany theatre, She is now a practioner working in mental health settings. She also provides peer mentoring and pastoral support. She joined the Young Vic neighborhood voices writing programme in 2019 and has completed her first full length play. Jill enjoys performing at spoken word events.

Lucy Richardson is a director, dramaturg and educator.  Her work focuses on giving a platform to those under-represented in the theatre and in society. It spans professional theatre work and large-scale participatory projects.  Recently she has made work with ex-offenders for Clean Break, refugees for Sanctuary Voices, and women with lived experience of mental ill health for Southwark Women’s Forum. She has become adept at working on zoom.

Hannah is a director/actor/writer. As a director, she is currently working on a new play to be performed in the Chichester Showroom. She directed the brilliant political show for kids, Kidocracy by Keith Farnam and the critically acclaimed The Burning Tower in association with Bush Theatre. She has worked extensively for Lyric Hammersmith including on their ground-breaking START programmes. She has delivered on theatre projects in both Rochester and Feltham YOI alongside the Artistic Director of Playing ON, Jim Pope.

Lucy  Shaljian is an actor, drama practitioner, workshop leader and training consultant with over twenty years experience devising and directing actors and non actors in theatres, schools, colleges, prisons and the NHS. Currently delivering work across the UK for Leap confronting conflict; creatively managing conflict within diverse sectors including schools, charities, councils and care home settings. Lucy is passionate about using drama to explore and transform lives .