The residency is a chance to get back into the room with other creative people, have stimulating conversations, work skills you haven’t used for a while, or even develop new ones, in a supportive environment.
An opportunity to get both body and mind geared up to launch yourself back into your career that has potentially been on hold for the last year.
As part of the residency, the participants will also attend this year’s Departure Lounge Festival at Derby Theatre.
Meet the Participants
L-R Sam Beckett, Tracey Briggs, Chris Conway, Stacey Devonport, Emily Howlett, Mark Jardine, Donna Mullings and Claire Pring
Sam Beckett
Sam Beckett Jr. is a theatre maker and academic living and working in the East Midlands. Exploring equity and identity, Sam makes work from an autobiographical perspective incorporating music and movement whenever possible. Disrupting the hegemony is Sam’s passion.
Tracey Briggs
A working actor with over 35 years experience in the industry, who likes telling brilliant stories, folk singing and dancing. Particularly loves being part of female-driven new writing projects and theatre that effects change.
Played everywhere from tiny village schools to 1000-seater theatres throughout the UK. Last seen working at Soho Theatre for Tamasha Theatre Company. Kicked out of school aged 15 with a spelling age of 7 and a reading age of 9 and the dyslexia superpowers of great imagination and much determination.
Chris Conway
I am an East 15 trained actor, based in Nottingham. Like many in this industry, I have felt extremely out of practice this last year and I am looking forward to sharing a space with like-minded creatives, dusting off old skills, learning new techniques and sharing ideas.
Stacey Devonport
Hi everyone, I’m Stacey. I’ve worked as an actor since 2008, dipping my toe into film, motion caption, and voiceovers but mainly touring theatre shows. I also teach yoga and hope at some point to mix this with mindfulness and theatre/acting to help performers build confidence around the audition process.
Emily Howlett
Emily Howlett is a Derby-based actor/director who also works in BSL consultancy. She has a Hearing Dog called George, some children and many plants. Emily’s recent directing work includes Treasure Island/Jungle Book with Derby Theatre.
Mark Jardine
I have been a professional actor for over 30 years, acting in a range of productions including rural touring shows, musical theatre tours, plays, TV and film.
In between acting gigs I’ve worked as a solo and a band singer, Murder Mystery and Comedy Dining performer, voice over artist, stand up comedian and dancer. I’ve also done some directing and workshop leading.
Donna Mullings
Donna is an actress who has worked with both Deaf and Integrated mainstream theatre companies. Her Deafinitely Theatre work includes Something Else (UK tour), Love Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare’s Globe), Children of the Greater God (Jackson’s Lane Theatre) and Vagina Monologues (Cochrane Theatre).
Her other theatre work includes: Treasure Island (postponed due to Covid-19), Macbrew and Pulse (Derby Theatre), The Who’s Tommy (Ramps on the Moon), Baa Moo Yellow Dog (Half Moon Theatre), Cinderella’s Sister and The Crane (Red Earth Theatre, Derby), Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol, Hansel and Gretel, Murder Mystery (Real Life) and An Unfortunate Pregnancy (3D Drama Pantomime, Derby).
Television, presenting and film work includes: Magic Hands (CBeebies), Deaf Funny (Eyewitness Media), Supersonic (Nealth Film), Domestic Abuse (SignHealth), ITV Tyne Tees Television, SignPost (Newcastle) and Remark! (London) Dance work includes Def Motion (Reims Clin d’Oeil Festival, France), Incloodu Festival (London) and WoW Festival (Black Country)
Claire Pring
Claire is a dance practitioner mainly working within primary education – working with students to foster their creativity, supporting primary teachers to develop their confidence in delivering dance, and with dance artists working in this context to help them to improve their teaching skills.
The thing I have learnt through the past 18 months is how much I enjoy (and have missed) working with real people… particularly those with a different experience to mine.