CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM

Deborah McAndrew

Writer

Deborah is Co-Artistic Director at Claybody Theatre.

Writing for theatre includes: Bright Lights Over Bentilee, Song of the Sytch, The Card, The D Road, Hot Lane, Dirty Laundry, Digging In, Ugly Duck (Claybody Theatre); The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester); Robin Hood and the Major Oak (Derby Theatre); The Chester Mystery Plays 2018; They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!, Hard Times, Cyrano, An August Bank Holiday Lark (winner UK Theatre Award and Manchester Theatre Award for Best New Play 2014); The Grand Gesture, A Government Inspector, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Vacuum, The Bells (Northern Broadsides); Anna of the Five Towns, Flamingoland (New Vic Theatre); Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol (Hull Truck Theatre); The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist (Octagon Theatre, Bolton); One of Each, Till the Cows Come Home, Beyond the Veil, Losing the Plot (Mikron Theatre) and King Macbeth (Reveal Theatre Company).

Conrad Nelson

Director

Conrad is a critically acclaimed director, actor and composer with a vast body of work in theatre, television, film and radio. He is Co-Artistic Director at Claybody Theatre.

His acting work includes title roles in Richard III, Henry V, and he also played Iago opposite Lenny Henry in Othello. Conrad’s directing work includes productions for Royal Court Liverpool, Hull Truck Theatre, Bolton Octagon, Chester Storyhouse and the New Vic Theatre.

In 2019, Conrad directed Cyrano for the St Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, Ontario, Canada and in 2024 was nominated as Best Director at the UK Theatre Awards for his production of One Man, Two Guvnors. Conrad enjoyed a 25 year association with Northern Broadsides Theatre Company, where he was an Actor, Composer and Resident Director until 2019.

Lis Evans

Designer

As Resident Designer for the New Vic, Lis has designed over 140 productions including Costume designs for: The Little Mermaid, The Three Musketeers, The Company of Wolves, The Nutcracker: A Christmas Fairytale, Alice in Wonderland, Tom, Dick & Harry (and at Alexandra Palace); The Prince and The Pauper, Beauty and The Beast (twice); The Wind in The Willows, Treasure Island, Astley’s Astounding Adventures, The Snow Queen (UK Theatre Award: Best Show for Children and Young People); Robin Hood & Marian, The Hundred and One Dalmatians and A Christmas Carol (twice).

Set & Costume designs for: Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Leap In The Dark, Marvellous (and @sohoplace); Coppelia – A Mystery, Hoard: Rediscovered, Two, Much Ado About Nothing (Northern Broadsides co-production, and international tour); Playhouse Creatures, The Pitmen Painters, Around The World in 80 Days (and at the Royal Exchange; on a UK tour; in London, New York and Florida; winner of the Cameo Page to Stage Award); Dial M for Murder, Cyrano (co-production with Northern Broadsides); The Mountaintop, Talent, Diana of Dobson’s, The Hoard Festival, Dracula, Merry Wives, I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire!, An August Bank Holiday Lark, Stones in His Pockets, Talking Heads, Proof, and Spring and Port Wine.

Lis has also worked in collaboration with the New Vic Education department on Tale Trail to Coppelia and the outdoor Woodland Camp, and with Appetite on the Newcastle Common pop-up shop project in Newcastle town centre.

Other theatre credits include: The Canterbury Tales, Merry Wives, Romeo and Juliet, Vacuum, The Tempest (Northern Broadsides UK and China Tour) and design, painting and making various productions in Nottingham, Manchester, Bradford, Edinburgh and London.

Lis contributed to the National Life Stories collection for the British Library’s sound archive. Costume drawings from various New Vic Productions are currently on display on the New Vic Front-of-House lampshades.

James Atherton

Composer

For the New Vic: The Company of Wolves, Alice in Wonderland, Marvellous (and @sohoplace); Tom, Dick & Harry (and at Alexandra Palace); Beauty and The Beast, Coppelia - A Mystery, Hoard: Rediscovered, The Prince and The Pauper, Astley’s Astounding Adventures, Treasure Island, Around The World in 80 Days (and at the Royal Exchange; on a UK tour; in London, New York and Florida; winner of the Cameo Page to Stage Award); Dracula, The Snow Queen (UK Theatre Award: Best Show for Children and Young People); Peter Pan in Scarlet, Kiss Me Quickstep, Robin Hood & Marian, The Hoard Festival, The Borrowers, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Stones in His Pockets, A Christmas Carol, Phoenix From the Flames (Olympic torch relay); Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Theatre credits as Composer / Musical Director include: Chasing the Wind (Oldham Theatre Workshop); When We Started Singing, A Tiger’s Tale (M6 Theatre); Prom!, When We Built A Rocket Ship (Oldham Coliseum); The Secret Of Christmas Eve, Hansel and Gretel (Live@TheLibrary Oldham); The Visitor’s Book (Hope Mill Theatre); House Mother Normal, The Man Without A Past, Harvest, The Giant Jam Sandwich, The Tiger’s Bones (New Perspectives – National Tour); Ramshackle House, Bedtime Stories and Tamburo (Upswing at Stratford Circus).

Television credits as Composer include: The History Of Christianity, Tales From the National Parks, The Lives of Gandhi, Around the World in 80 Faiths (BBC); Survivors, Kenny Everett: Licence to Laugh (ITV1); The Unseen Eric Morecambe (Channel 4); Roger to the Rescue (Cosgrove Hall); Colleen’s Secrets (Channel 5); All in the Game, starring Ray Winstone (Film4).

James is also the Artistic Director of the renowned Oldham Theatre Workshop.

Daniella Beattie

Lighting and Projection Designer

As Resident Lighting Designer at the New Vic Theatre for over 120 productions in-the-round, credits include:

Lighting & Projection Design: The Little Mermaid, Big, Big, Sky, Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt, The Last Quiz Night on Earth, The Company of Wolves, The Haunting, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Leap In The Dark, The Nutcracker: A Christmas Fairytale, Alice in Wonderland, The Killing of Sister George, Marvellous (and @sohoplace); Beauty and The Beast, The Prince and The Pauper, The 39 Steps, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Heart, Brassed Off, Much Ado About Nothing, The Wind in the Willows, Votes for Women, The Pitmen Painters, Dial M for Murder, The Snow Queen (UK Theatre Award: Best Show for Children and Young People); Peter Pan in Scarlet, Robin Hood & Marian and Dracula.

Lighting Design: Tom, Dick & Harry (and at Alexandra Palace); Coppelia – A Mystery, Astley’s Astounding Adventures, Table, Treasure Island, Bell, Book and Candle, The Borrowers, Ghosts, Inherit The Wind, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Gaslight, Stones in His Pockets, Blonde Bombshells (with Oldham Coliseum); The Thrill of Love (with St James Theatre); A Fine Bright Day Today, Alfie (co-production with Stephen Joseph Theatre and Oldham Coliseum); Far From the Madding Crowd, Alice in Wonderland, And a Nightingale Sang, The Glass Menagerie (with Oldham Coliseum); The Admirable Crichton, Peter Pan, Desire Under the Elms, Bleak House, Copenhagen, Alphabetical Order, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wicked Lady (Winner, Best Lighting Design at the TMA Awards 2009; Bouncers (John Godber Company) and Cyrano (Northern Broadsides).

Projection Design: The Three Musketeers.

Other theatre credits include: Macbeth (Queens Theatre Hornchurch); Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest (Northern Broadsides); Behold Ye Ramblers, Yes Yes UCS, Ragged Trousered Philanthropist, We are the Lions Mr Manager, Dare Devil Rides to Jarama (Townsend Productions); Man Up, Voyagers, You Are Here (Restoke); Ramshackle House (Upswing); Peter Pan, Dick Whittington (Imagine Theatre) and The Winter’s Tale (Staffordshire University).

Outdoor Arts: 24 doors No 2 and No 14 (Outside); Down the Rabbit Hole (Appetite) and Litten Trees (Fuel Theatre).

Damian Coldwell

Sound Designer

Theatre credits include: Ladies Down Under, Ladies’ Day (New Vic Theatre and Bolton Octagon); Delicate (Jacksons Lane, Figur Teatret Stamsund, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Touring); Stewart Lee Snowflake / Tornado (Leicester Square Theatre, Southbank and Touring); Bombers Moon (Trafalgar Studios); Hound of the Baskervilles (East Riding Theatre); 4000 Days (Park Theatre); Diary of a Football Nobody (Nottingham Playhouse); Oleanna (Lakeside Arts) and Beastie (Lone Twin).

Television credits include: Stewart Lee Snowflake / Tornado (BBC 2); Starstruck, John Bishop Show (BBC 1); Bad Move (ITV); Jack Dee’s Helpdesk (BBC 2); Comedy Gala, Stand Up for the Week (Channel 4); Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley! (DVD); Kevin Bridges, A Whole Different Story and Alan Carr: Spexy Beast.

Other credits include: Composer CP Games 2015 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Perrier Award Winner 2000 Otis Lee Crenshaw and the Black Liars, Music and Sound awards composer nominee (Sky Atlantic); Tol’able David, 1921 Silent Movie, Live Score Performance (Barbican and touring).

Damian trained at Nottingham Playhouse and Nottingham Trent University.

Beverley Norris-Edmunds

Movement Director / Choreographer

For Claybody Theatre: A Christmas Carol, The Card, Bright Lights Over Bentilee and The D Road.

For the New Vic: The Hounds of The Baskervilles, The Little Mermaid, The Grand Babylon Hotel, A Matter of Life and Death, The Three Musketeers, One Man, Two Guvnors, A Leap in the Dark, The Nutcracker: A Christmas Fairytale, The Card, Alice in Wonderland, Marvellous (and @sohoplace); Tom Dick & Harry (and at Alexandra Palace); Beauty and the Beast, Coppelia - A Mystery, The 39 Steps, The Prince and The Pauper, Handbagged; Much Ado About Nothing and Cyrano (co-productions with Northern Broadsides); Around The World in 80 Days (at the Royal Exchange, UK tour; London, Broadway New York and Florida; winner of the Cameo Page to Stage Award); Astley’s Astounding Adventures, Playhouse Creatures, Treasure Island, The Snow Queen (UK Theatre Award winner); Peter Pan in Scarlet, Kiss Me Quickstep, I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire!, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Borrowers, A Christmas Carol, Where Have I Been All My Life, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Anna of the Five Towns, Laurel and Hardy, The Wizard of Oz, The Glee Club, Stones in His Pockets, Dancing at Lughnasa, Sweeney Todd, Oliver, Amadeus, Stepping Out, Privates on Parade, From a Jack to a King, Don Giovanni, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet and Moll Flanders.

Other choreography includes: The Worst Witch - Vaudeville Theatre West End and UK tour (Olivier Award winner for Best Family Show 2020); Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby (Storyhouse Chester); Hard Times, For Love or Money, A Winter’s Tale, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Lisa’s Sex Strike (Northern Broadsides); Romeo and Juliet, Treasure Island, The Tempest, Strange Tale (Imaginarium Theatre Company in association with Shakespeare North Playhouse); The Man Without a Past (New Perspectives Theatre Company) and Wolf Red (Tmesis Theatre Company).

Over 50 productions for Oldham Coliseum including: Blues in the Night, Laurel and Hardy, Stepping Out, Sweet Charity, Oh What a Lovely War and the first actor Musician version of Chicago (winning an MEN Theatre Award for Best Ensemble)

Over 50 productions for The Royal Court Liverpool including: The Peaceful Hour 1 and 2, Scouse Christmas Carol, The Vernons Girls, A Thong for Europe, Girls Don’t Play Guitars, Scouse Pacific and Our Day Out the Musical.

Touring: Return to the Forbidden Planet and Carmen.

Television credits include: Disney’s The Evermoor Chronicles, The Reckoning, Coronation Street, Butterfly, Hollyoaks, CBeebies’ The Magic Door, Sunny D, Fernando Torres Nike Commercial, September Song and O Jerusalem (feature film).

Beverley has also worked on many productions for the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Bolton Octagon, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Liverpool Empire, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, Hull Truck, Haymarket Basingstoke and Harrogate Theatre.

Anji Carroll CDG

Casting Associate

Anji trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre school. Twelve years later she side-stepped into a three year apprenticeship as a Casting Director, becoming one of the first members of the then newly formed Casting Directors’ Guild of Great Britain - C.D.G. Her training alongside, now retired Di Carling, mainly comprised of TV drama series and one-offs including: World Production’s BAFTA TV award winner This Life (Series 1, 1996 and 2, 1997) and Children of the New Forest (1998). On departure from Di, Anji found herself at LWT for two years as their Casting Director on London’s Burning (32 episodes); The Knock (4 x 90 minutes). Later work includes: Russell T Davies’ first ever episode of The Sarah-Jane Adventures: Invasion of the Bane for BBC 1, comedy drama series The Cup for Hartswood Films / BBC 2 and over 50 episodes of The Bill (Thames TV / Fremantle.)

Feature films include: Papadopoulos & Sons (MM Films); West Is West, Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution (Assassin Films) and 10 Swords and the Moon, 2.0 Lucy (Shopfloor Films).

Theatre credits include: over 85 shows for the New Vic Theatre, including: The Company of Wolves, Marvellous (and @sohoplace); Tom, Dick & Harry (and at Alexandra Palace); the award-winning Around The World in 80 Days (and the Royal Exchange; UK tour, New York and Florida; winner of the Cameo Page to Stage Award); The Snow Queen (UK Theatre Award: Best Show for Children and Young People); The Princess and the Pea (co-pro with Upswing and Unicorn Theatre - also at Unicorn and the South Bank Centre, London).

Other theatre credits include: Macbeth (The Duke’s Theatre Company); Pirates Love Underpants (Curve Leicester); Cinderella (Derby Theatre); Henry I (RABBLE Theatre, Reading, Winchester, Covent Garden); Guy Fawkes (York Theatre Royal); My White Best Friend (North for Eclipse); The Worst Witch (Olivier Award winner, Vaudeville Theatre West End & National Tour); Precious Little Talent (Best Play at the London Theatre Festival Awards -Trafalgar Studios).

Anji has worked on multiple shows with Storyhouse, Hull Truck, Royal & Derngate, New Perspectives, Birmingham Old Rep, Salisbury Playhouse, Northcott Theatre, Ludlow Festival, Bristol Old Vic, Theatre In The Quarter and Shooting Fish.

Nick Haverson

Physical Comedy Director

Theatre credits include: One Man, Two Guvnors, Amadeus, Sweeney Todd, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Buddy’s Son (New Vic Theatre); Charlie & Stan (UK / QM2 / China Told by an Idiot); The Government Inspector, The Cat and the Canary (Chichester Festival Theatre); Love’s Labour’s Lost & Won (Much Ado About Nothing) (RSC Stratford & Haymarket London); Too Clever By Half (Royal Exchange Manchester, Told by an Idiot); Ben Hur (Watermill Newbury); The Devil and Mr. Punch (Improbable, Philadelphia USA / Barbican UK) 1984 (Northern Broadsides); Low Pay? Don’t Pay! (Salisbury Playhouse); The Lost Voice (Southbank Centre); The Venetian Twins (Octagon Theatre, Bolton); Ruby Moon (Northern Stage): Satyagraha (Improbable at London Coliseum / Metropolitan Opera House, NY); Theatre Of Blood (Improbable at The National Theatre); The Hanging Man (Improbable US tour & Sydney Opera House); And The Horse You Rode In On, Beauty & the Beast (Told by an Idiot); The Pirates of Penzance (Orange Tree, Richmond); The Solid Gold Cadillac (Garrick); By Jeeves (Duke of York / Lyric) and The Magic Carpet (Lyric Hammersmith).

Television credits include: Scott & Bailey; Tales from the Old Bailey; The Mimic; Thank God You’re Here (series); Ashes to Ashes, Spooks, New Tricks, Casualty, Head Over Heels (series, for which he also recorded the title song); Murder Rooms - The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes, Sunday; A Fatal Inversion, Last Days of Ashenden, The Bill, Redemption, Devices and Desires, Absolutely True and Wyrd Sisters (The Worst Witch 2).

Film credits include: Matriarch, Muppets Most Wanted, Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, Hilary & Jackie, Susie Gold, The Tales of Despereaux (animation); Gulliver’s Travels, Men Who Sleep in Cars, Original Skin (BBC short); Gli Zii (short) and Sherman (short).

Radio credits include: Hilda, The Barchester Chronicles, Two to Tandem, Men Who Sleep in Cars, By Jeeves (BBC Radio 4) and The Edge (BBC Radio York).

Nick trained at LAMDA.

Kim Wright

Intimacy Director

Theatre credits for Intimacy include: Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt (New Vic Theatre); Strategic Love Play (Dallas International Theatre Festival); Pippin the Musical (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Bad Girls the Musical (Trinity Laban); Virtuous (Sheffield Theatres); The Queen of Quex Road (Bread & Roses Theatre); Grease the Musical (Trinity Laban); Either (Performers College); Red Pill (Lion & Unicorn Theatre); ARTIST|MUSE (Omnibus Theatre & Edinburgh Fringe) and Lysistrata (British American Drama Academy).

Theatre credits for movement include: ITCH (Komola Collective); The Musical Medea (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Storytelling (National Opera Studio); Shakespeare in Nature (Globe Education / Globe Theatre); Electra (Royal Central School of Speech & Drama); Needle, Thread & Whiplash (Corbett Theatre); The Tempest (Royal Central School of Speech & Drama) and KatzenMusik (Royal Central School of Speech & Drama).

Kim trained at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama.

David Phillips

Production Manager / Producer

David is a highly experienced Producer, Lighting Designer, and Production Manager.

He started his career in theatre in 1994 in his native Leamington Spa before joining Derby Playhouse in 1999, following on with stints at Nottingham Playhouse, Curve and New Wolsey, Ipswich.

He has toured and designed both nationally and internationally, opening productions as far away as Hong Kong and Connecticut. David has worked extensively as a freelance production manager and producer in the subsidised sector, with a specific focus on subsidised midscale touring and the diversification of the theatre workforce. He brings vital experience in delivering access, through his work with Ramps on the Moon and Deafinitely Theatre.

Jane Bailey

General Manager

Jane is General Manager at Claybody Theatre.

She has a wealth of experience within the charitable sector; previously working as Finance Manager for a local charity for several years and as a Church Treasurer where she managed the finances of an £800,000 Heritage Lottery Fund Project. Her responsibilities within these roles have included grant management, financial recording, preparation of Year End accounts, implementation of policies and compliance, and management and maintenance of organisational assets. Jane was also sole proprietor of a local Estate and Lettings Agency, financial consultant for a financial planning company as well as previously working for a major High Street Bank.

Liz Nelson

Company Stage Manager

Liz is a recent graduate of the Theatre Arts Course at Derby University and has been working as a freelance Stage Manager ever since.

Liz is returning to Claybody, having worked on previous productions such as Song on The Sytch, Bright Lights Over Bentilee and A Christmas Carol.

Liz has also worked with Derby Theatre on a regional tour of Of Mice and Men, at The New Vic Theatre on their Tale Trail Christmas Shows, Assistant Producer on The Queen's Shoulders and has recently started working with Restoke as Assistant Director on their Connections show, Ride or Die.

Debbie Harlow

Deputy Stage Manager

Debbie has been a Freelance Stage Manager since 2011. She has worked with and stage managed several shows for The John Godber Company and Theatre Royal Wakefield, Curve Theatre Leicester and Northern Broadsides. In early 2022, Debbie took a step into the technical world of theatre, taking a job at The Belgrade, Coventry as a full time Technician, before taking a step back from the industry when she became a mum in 2023.

She has been back freelance stage managing since 2024, working with Queens Theatre, Hornchurch and the National Theatre Partnership before Panto 2025/2026 at The Theatre Chipping Norton.

This is her first show working with Claybody Theatre and she is delighted to be part of the team.

Cathie Powell-Davies

Wardrobe Manager

Cathie has worked in theatre and the wider creative sector since 2000. With a background in community and carnival arts her theatre career began as a dresser at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent.

She has worked in production and running wardrobe at Salisbury Playhouse on numerous productions including Handbagged and The 39 Steps.

As Head of Wardrobe Cathie has toured extensively across the UK and Internationally on various large scale musicals including Titanic the Musical and Officer and a Gentleman. Most recently she has been Wardrobe Technician at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme where she worked as sole dresser on the premier stage adaptation of The Grand Babylon Hotel.