Culture critic and broadcaster David Benedict read drama at Hull University and spent ten years as an actor and director. Now the UK critic/columnist for Variety, he joined The Independent in 1993 as a daily arts columnist subsequently becoming associate arts editor and theatre editor. He was arts editor of The Observer and has written for the Wall Street Journal Europe and every British national daily and Sunday broadsheet bar The Telegraph. He is a founding editor of theatre broadcast website www.theatrevoice.com. He appears regularly on BBC radio and his TV work includes writing and presenting BBC2’s documentary profile of choreographer Matthew Bourne and a film on Rufus Wainwright and Verdi for The Culture Show.

Andrew Dickson has been the Guardian’s arts editor since 2005, responsible for commissioning art, architecture and stage coverage, as well as editing the paper’s theatre blog. He studied English at Cambridge university, later returning to specialise in Renaissance literature. He has written a book, The Rough Guide to Shakespeare, a new edition of which has just been published by Penguin (2009), and contributes regularly to the BBC on theatre and classical music.

Bonnie was born in Chicago Illinois. She studied with David Mamet in Chicago and Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio. Over twelve of her plays have been produced by BBC Radio, the last being “Marilyn and Ella” in March 2008. Her latest play “She Twirls Pistols” is for the Theatre La Virgulie in Turcoing, France and will open in September 2009. She has won a Verity Bargate Award for Best New Play. Bonnie also sits on the Academic and Artistic Advising Board at RADA.

John E McGrath is the first Artistic Director of the new National Theatre Wales, where he will be developing a wide range of work with a focus on location, engagement, innovation and internationalism. From 1999-2008 John was Artistic Director of Contact, Manchester’s award-winning space bringing new theatre to diverse young audiences. As a director John has recently worked with hip hop theatre artist Benji Reid (b like water), with poet Lemn Sissay (Storm and Something Dark), on a multi-media collaboration with writer Kaite O’Reilly and visual artist Paul Clay (Perfect) and with Contact Young Actors Company on the theatre installation Close Up. Prior to his time at Contact, John trained and worked in New York for several years, including a stint as Associate Director of leading experimental company Mabou Mines. His book, “Loving Big Brother: Performance, Privacy and Surveillance Space” was published by Routledge in 2004. He was the Co-Founder and Chair of PANDA, the Performing Arts Network and Development Agency. In 2005 he was awarded the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Cultural Leadership Award.

Executive Director, Royal Shakespeare Company

Vikki Heywood was appointed as Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2003. She is a Governor of the Company and a member of its Board. The company has a turnover of £30 million per year, employs 700 staff and produces over 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford upon Avon. The RSC regularly performs in London and tours the UK and abroad. The company is also undertaking a £112.8 million building project to transform its theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon. Prior to this, Vikki was Joint Chief Executive of the Royal Court Theatre, the country’s foremost theatre for the development of new writing. During that time she was responsible for overseeing the £20m redevelopment of that theatre and producing over 100 world premiere productions in London and on Broadway. She is a board member of the Society of London Theatre and Warwick University and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is also a member of the Chartered Management Institute. In October 2007 she received the Vitalise Midlands Woman of Achievement Award.During her career she has led a wide range of theatre companies, having trained as a Stage Manager before moving into theatre management. She has advised the Arts Council and other stakeholders and arts boards and has been Vice Chairman of both the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and The Young Vic Theatre.

Associate Designer, Royal Shakespeare Company

While studying Biology and then History of Art at Cambridge University, Tom designed over 30 student productions. He then went onto a 2 year post-graduate course at Slade School of Fine Art. This was followed by six months assisting on Peter Brook’s production of the Tempest in 1990, before starting a freelance career. Tom was appointed RSC Associate Designer in 2003. Since then he has been involved in the design of the Courtyard and the on going collaboration with Bennetts Associates on the Redevelopment of the RST. RSC designs include: The Broken Heart, Spring Awakening, A Patriot for Me,Much Ado About Nothing, The Spanish Tragedy, Bartholomew Fair, Measure forMeasure, Troilus and Cressida, A Month In The Country, A Midsummer Night’sDream, Romeo and Juliet, Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3, Richard III, The Tempest,Hamlet, King Lear, The Pilate Project, Twelfth Night, Solstice, Postcards from America 2006 Complete Works Season: The Histories – Shakespeare’s 8 history plays performed by the same acting ensemble – were the first shows in the RSC’s new theatre space, The Courtyard Theatre. They went onto a sell-out run in a specially designed auditorium within the Roundhouse and led to Tom being nominated for 2009 Olivier Awards for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design, ultimately winning Best Costume Design with Emma Williams. 2009 Ensemble: As You Like It; The Grainstore; The Drunks.

Production Manager, Old Vic Theatre

Artistic Director, Library Theatre

Artistic Director of the Library Theatre Company, Manchester since 1987. Recent productions include the regional premiere of Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, and a revival of Stanley Houghton’s Independent Means. His production of Waiting for Godot won the 2008 Manchester Evening News Award for Best Production. Other productions at the Library include Private Lives, Frank McGuinness’s Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (winner 2007 MEN Award for Best Production), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Price, and Beyond Belief – Scenes from the Shipman Inquiry. Previously, he was Artistic Director at Derby Playhouse (1980-7) and Chester Gateway (1976-80), and the first director of Birmingham Rep’s Studio Theatre.

Artistic Director, Kneehigh Theatre

Emma is the Artistic Director of Kneehigh and for them has directed The Red Shoes (for which she won Best Director 2002 in the Barclays TMA Theatre Awards); The Wooden Frock (nominated for Best Touring Production 2004, TMA Theatre Awards); The Bacchae (winner of the TMA Best Touring Production 2005), Tristan & Yseult, Nights at the Circus (a Lyric Hammersmith production in association with Kneehigh Theatre), Cymbeline (in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company), A Matter of Life and Death (National Theatre), Rapunzel (co-produced with Battersea Arts Centre); Brief Encounter (West End) and Don John (in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company & Bristol Old Vic).

Associate Director (Learning and Participation), Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Steve has trained as a teacher and as an actor. In 1986 he founded Language Alive! and Catalyst, two of the region’s leading educational theatre companies. He has also worked as a writer and producer for BBC Education, lectured at universities in the US and Australia and was Head of Arts for Birmingham City Council from 2001 to 2003. Steve has an MA in Arts Management and a doctorate in Arts Education. He is a board member of Punch Records, St Paul’s Community Development Trust and Birmingham LGBT Community Trust and is Chair of TYA England and Bright Space Ltd.

Community Engagement Officer, Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Selene’s role is to engage with Birmingham’s diverse communities and communicate the work of The REP to new audiences. Her audience development function takes many forms from working closely with families with very young children to developing youth projects and supporting marketing activity. She also has a strong focus on developing disabled audiences and is member of the Ukan (UK Access Network) steering group. Selene is one of a number of REP staff involved in planning for a significant capital development with the new Library for Birmingham.

Principal, Studio Seilern Architects LLP

Studio Seilern Architects LLP (SSA) was established in 2006. SSA deliver imaginative high quality architectural solutions using combined experience and credentials to complete projects within budget and on schedule. Christina Seilern set up SSA after 10 years as a Director at Rafael Viñoly Architects (RVA) where she became the founding Director of the RVA London office, which grew in 6 years to a staff of 50 architects, and a construction value in excess of US$1B. Christina Seilern was responsible for the design and delivery of all of RVA’s key European buildings, the most recently completed being the critically acclaimed Curve Theatre and Performing Arts Centre in Leicester.

Chief Executive, Leicester Theatre Trust

Ruth Eastwood is Chief Executive of Leicester Theatre Trust, a post she took up in August 2006. She came to Leicester from Poole where she managed a £9m capital development project alongside an organisational change programme. This saw Poole Arts Centre transformed into Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts, the largest arts centre outside London. Apart from a year in the oil industry, her career has been spent in the arts in touring, presenting and producing theatres and arts centres within the subsidised sector. She has worked on the small scale with Hull Truck and the large scale with the Royal National Theatre, as well as for Bradford Theatres, Darlington Arts and Splash, a community theatre company. She has experience of promoting international arts, visual arts, puppetry and film. Her first Lottery funded capital project was the David Machs Train, a larger-than-life brick sculpture that celebrates Darlingtons railway heritage.

Design Director, Keith Williams Architects

Keith Williams is design director of Keith Williams Architects. The London based firm, which he founded in 2001, is twice winner of the prestigious BD Public Building Architect of the Year in both 2006 and 2008, and has won more than 20 major design and construction awards.Keith Williams is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, and sits on the National Design Review Panel of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. His major projects include the Unicorn Theatre (3,650sqm), London 2001-2005, Wexford Opera House (7,235sqm) 2005–2008, Clones Library and County Library HQ (1,500sqm), Ireland 2004-2008, Athlone Civic Centre (4,200sqm), Ireland 2001-2004, the new District Museum, Chichester (1,500sqm), the Long House, London 2000-2005, Black Prince Road (10,000sqm+) a 20+ storey mixed residential tower in London, and the New Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (4,850sqm).A major monograph on the firm’s project is in preparation and its work has been published worldwide.

Co-Director, Real Ideas Organisation CIC

Having worked with children and young people for a number of years, moved around a lot, and learnt from all his experiences – from photographer to raisin washer, play schemes to policy advisor, university in Oxford to Vancouver, regeneration to environmental action – Matt found his place and helped set up the Real Ideas Organisation, believing that there surely have to be better ways to make real and long-lasting change happen for children.The Real Ideas Organisation is a pioneering social enterprise that provides programmes, products and services to help young people around the world realise their potential, design their own future, develop their creativity, incubate their own social enterprises, and make significant change happen for themselves and others.

Head of Visitor Services, Wales Millennium Centre

Leonie Wallace is responsible for the delivery of customer service standards across the front line team. As Head of the Visitor Services department, Leonie leads and manages the areas of Ticketing and Front of House. Prior to coming to Wales Millennium Centre in 2004, Leonie was Front of House Manager for the King’s and Festival Theatres in Edinburgh. She originally trained in technical theatre and has worked in various areas of theatre including stage management and press administration for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Theatre Director, Belfast Grand Opera House

John has been a theatre and concert hall manager since 1986, starting at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Since then he has managed Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, the Anvil Concert Hall in Basingstoke, the Alhambra Theatre and St. George’s Concert Hall in Bradford, and is currently Theatre Director of the Grand Opera House in Belfast. John took up post at the Anvil just as the foundations had been laid, and steered it through the building process and the opening, to the end of its first year. He moved to Belfast in 2003 as the Grand Opera House Trust was about to appoint architects for the £9.4million foyer and backstage extension, which opened in 2006. Having originally trained as a teacher, he has a great interest in educational theatre and founded Gazebo Theatre-in-Education Company (now celebrating its 30th year), and Twisting Yarn Theatre Company. He has been a representative member of the Theatrical Management Association since 1989, and a member of their Council since 2003. He is a member of the TMA Industrial Relations Committee and chair of the TMA / BECTU (management / union) Negotiating Committee.

Designer, Studio Myerscough

Morag Myerscough established Studio Myerscough a multi-disciplinary design practice in 1993 and has a proven track record in the integration of graphics within the architectural environment having produced many award winning schemes, most recently Westminster Academy which won the 2008 Design Week Award for Wayfinding and Environmental Graphics. The building has won the RIBA award for ‘London Building of the Year’ and shortlisted for the Stirling Prize.

Morag has also worked with architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for over 15 years on various projects, recently completing Kentish Town Healthcare Centre. This work has also includes the 4 year refurbishment programme for the Barbican which included the new wayfinding, which was completed in 2007 and won the Design Week Award in 2007.

Artistic Director, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds

Following a career as an actor, writer and director which saw him undertake such diverse work as playing a Welsh policeman in The Bill, write episodes of one of the worst series ever screened by the BBC called Trainer and fulfil a long term ambition to play Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, Colin became Artistic Director of the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds in 1996. During his tenure, this incredibly valuable piece of this country’s built heritage has undergone a £5.3 million restoration project. Colin now leads an internationally significant new project to restore the Georgian Drama repertoire to its rightful place in the canon.

Artistic Director/CEO, Graeae Theatre

Jenny has directed all Graeae’s productions since 1997. She has developed a unique style of incorporating sign language and audio description as artistic aesthetics within her productions. ‘peeling’ by Kaite O’Reilly Diary of An Action Man by Mike Kenny, Bent by Martin Sherman and Blasted by Sarah Kane are key examples of a new cutting edge theatrical language which re defines our notion of accessible theatre.Whiter Than Snow by Mike Kenny with Birmingham Rep is currently retouring this year along side Graeae’s biggest production to date – the new Graeae home. After 30 years of nomadic existence Graeae will move into an all purpose fully accessible rehearsal space, offices and creative hub in Shoreditch.

Director, Haworth Tompkins

Steve Tompkins is a director of Haworth Tompkins architects in London. He was responsible for projects for the Royal Court theatre, the Young Vic, the Egg children’s theatre and Ustinov studio in Bath, the North Wall arts centre in Oxford, the Almeida Kings Cross and Gainsborough Studios theatres, the Regents Park Open Air Theatre and the National Theatre Studio. He is currently working on performance projects with the National Theatre, Aldeburgh Music, the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres, the Bush theatre, BAC and Kneehigh theatre.He is Visiting Professor of Architecture at the University of Greenwich.

Save Waltham Forest Theatre Campaign

We are sixteen year old twin boys, just finished our exams for our AS levels and living in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. We are extremely passionate and interested within our community and also theatre! November 2007 we set up the campaign to save the only theatre in Waltham Forest, which is due to be demolished by the council by 2010. We have gained support from many people such as; Kevin Spacey (Artistic Director, Old Vic), MP’s, Artistic Directors, Theatres Managers and many more! Our new incentive is to set up a community organisation, Stage Services, where we supply theatrical equipment to Schools, Colleges youth groups & community groups to boroughs in London. This includes a learning programme which gives young people new and exciting opportunities!