Adam is a participatory theatre maker, learning his craft as an actor/teacher and youth theatre leader. Since 2000 he has developed as an organisational leader at Greenwich and Lewisham Young Peoples Theatre, Half Moon Theatre and London Bubble. Adam is a member of the Cultural Learning Alliance advisory panel.

Nurturing Speech Bubbles from a local project to a national programme has been the most rewarding thing in Adam’s career. Speech Bubbles uses all the instincts of theatre making to provide children with a joyful creative space where they can develop their own unique communication.

Lizzie is a visual artist who has been working on projects across different art forms for over 20 years. She has a BA (Hons) in Creative Arts from University of Birmingham, graduating in 2003 and has worked in the arts ever since.   She has experience in the charitable sector in project management, event management, support work and business administration.  Lizzie is enjoying supporting everyone involved in Speech Bubbles projects in her role as General Manager and is committed to our work to support children to develop their communications skills in a fun and relaxed ways.

Following an earlier career in acting and musical theatre, I feel lucky to have found a second love in Speech and Language Therapy. Both careers allowed me to pursue my passion developing communication skills, sharing stories, and making connections with people. My clinical specialism is using a total communication approach that incorporates storytelling and drama techniques. I'm currently Principal SALT, leading on Clinical Excellence and Creative Innovation, for a Multi Disciplinary Team Service working with children in schools across London. I was drawn to supporting Speech Bubbles as we are aligned in our passionate commitment to drama and storytelling as a powerful tool to develop children's speech, language and communication. For young people who struggle in this area, Speech Bubbles programmes has proven outcomes boosting self- esteem and confidence, creative thinking, social participation along with communication skills. I'm very excited to be part of their storytelling journey. Alongside my therapy work, I'm part of a large family who also enjoy music and performing. I love travelling, cooking, and soaking up London’s theatreland.

I am a Junior Social Impact Advisor and champion of creative approaches for learning and development. I am excited to be joining the Board of an organisation so deeply committed to supporting children and so genuinely passionate about amplifying young people’s voices.

My relationship with Speech Bubbles has grown from being a close neighbour - literally just across the road, to now being on the board of trustees.

I have really enjoyed the development of this relationship and it was a very natural step to go along with them on the next part of their adventure, if only to pay them back for allowing me to play the role of a parakeet!

It is incredibly satisfying to be able to apply the various skills I have learnt throughout my career in finance and pension trustee work and find that they are still of use.

I am a theatre director and creative arts practitioner, and have been delivering Speech Bubbles in Tunbridge Wells for nearly a decade, always accompanied by my trusty mascot, Badger (a lion, of course). In 2022/23, we ran Speech Bubbles in 69 schools, benefiting over 1,200 children each week.

As Creative Director and Deputy CEO of Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, I oversee our youth theatre, participatory activities and the programming of our beautiful building - a converted Decimus Burton church. I am also a trustee and youth theatre director of The Oast Theatre, Tonbridge, the group I was a member of as a teenager.

There, I experienced first-hand the difference the arts can make to children's communication and confidence. Now, I love seeing the positive impact Speech Bubbles and youth theatre has on the children and young people I work with each week.

I am proud to be a trustee of Speech Bubbles and to help support the programme as it reaches even more children.

I am passionate about supporting young people and children. This has been at the centre of my career for the last 7 years, something I am immensely proud of. I currently work in the Access team at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and am an actor in my spare time, so I know first-hand the great joy that drama brings us. I am excited to join Speech Bubbles’ Board of Trustees, to help bring that joy to more children, and see them tell their stories with more confidence, creativity and imagination.

I am an experienced teacher and leader in primary education who is passionate about supporting artistic creativity as a vehicle to overcome physical, mental and emotional barriers to children’s learning. I have been in education for 27 years.

Amie has been a Speech Bubbles Practitioner since 2018, and has worked with young people in drama and theatre for 20 years. 

She’s also a writer, theatre maker, and the director of Fun Palaces; a campaign that aims to put arts and culture at the heart of communities across the UK. 

She loves working on Speech Bubbles, and getting to spend time each week diving into to an imaginative space, exploring children’s stories and getting to play and be silly. 

Matt has been a passionate Speech Bubbler for 10 years, as both a practitioner for Peoplescape Theatre in Manchester and now managing North West Drama’s cohort of schools across Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Tameside. He is a firm believer that all children and young people have a right to experience drama that inspires learning and drives forward a creative and humanising curriculum.

He was a primary teacher for 10 years, and now works across the areas of theatre making, performance, drama for learning and producing. He is the Creative Producer of North West Drama alongside his freelance work - and also teaches yoga. 

Stasha Dukic is an actress, theatre maker and drama facilitator. She has been delivering Speech bubbles sessions since 2021 and has been working with Trinity Theatre, Immediate Theatre, Half Moon Theatre and Speech Bubble CIO.

Currently she is a Playground artist with Playground, Kent where she performs for babies in libraries. She is also a facilitator at Little Angel Theatre and Polka Theatre. Stasha has her own theatre company - Jump Rope Theatre where they create work for and with children and young adults.

Alison is proud to have been involved in Speech Bubbles since the start many years ago! She has a specialism in creating Speech Bubbles practice in SEND settings and loves being part of inclusive creative spaces where playful interactions can happen. She is also joint Creative Director of Peoplescape Theatre who are a franchise partner for Speech Bubbles in Manchester.

Kirsty is a Rose-Bruford trained performer and drama facilitator who specialises in working with and for children. She loves to play. Sensory theatre, visual storytelling and puppets make her excited. Kirsty’s drama practice is all about shining a light on unheard voices. She is founder and Associate Performer at Squelch, who was mentored by Speech Bubbles.

Since joining Speech Bubbles in 2021 with her silly, bird puppet, Rainbow, she has relished in igniting the imaginations of her Speech Bubbles groups and helping other Speech Bubbles practitioner’s grow. It has been a privilege to share the Speech Bubbles ethos to education and drama practitioner’s alike in London and beyond.

Jenny Harris is a freelance drama practitioner based in Manchester.

She has worked as part of the Speech Bubbles team since 2017.

She has delivered Speech Bubbles CIO for M6 Theatre Company in Rochdale and now delivers evaluation sessions as well as doing supervisions, which she loves.

She loves Speech Bubbles because it places the child and their stories at the heart of the work. It’s hugely empowering for children with a range of communication needs.

Jenny is proud to be part of the Speech Bubbles family!

Shermaine is an interdisciplinary artist and educator deeply engaged in participatory practices. Over the past two decades, she has contributed to the cultural and educational sectors, devising and delivering authentic artistic experiences and immersive projects for both Primary and Secondary audiences. Her aim is to empower young individuals to discover their voices, emphasising the presentation and curation of outcomes generated by participants.

Within her practice, she leads workshops and projects in dance, theatre, and visual arts. She delivers teacher training sessions, develops classroom resources and provides guidance on educational initiatives. Her passion lies in recognising the transformative potential of the arts to unite communities and individuals, as well as advocating for the integral role of creativity in education.

She adores being a Speech Bubbles practitioner, where witnessing the transformation in communication through play and drama for young people is remarkable!

@shemyslocs

Flo has been delivering Speech Bubbles since 2016 across London. Currently she delivers with Immediate Theatre in Hackney and for Speech Bubbles CIO in Lambeth. She is also a Speech Bubbles associate and has led training and supervision visits. Every year she loves watching children gain confidence, work together and use their imagination in a playful environment.  Flo believes Speech Bubbles really does transform the lives of the children and school staff involved in the project, by giving everyone a voice.

Rebecca Burgess is a comic artist and illustrator working in the UK. They have both written and illustrated several award winning YA and children’s books, and are particularly passionate about sharing their own personal experiences of autism in the form of fun and emotional stories. Outside of drawing and cuddling their cat, Rebecca also loves playing RPGs with friends, going on deep dives into history and growing vegetables in their humble Bristol flat. 

Rebecca felt drawn to Speech Bubbles due to both their personal experiences with autism, and their professional work around communicating difficult inner feelings through art.

https://www.rebeccaburgess.co.uk/

Amelia Bird is a Designer and Director specialising in visual theatre. 

Amelia is a freelance artist, previously working with London Bubble Theatre on their programme of socially engaged theatre projects for children. Prior to that she was the Artistic Director of touring theatre company Gomito Productions.

There is nothing like watching children tell stories with freedom, imagination and independence. That is what Speech Bubbles help them to do, and that is why I support them!

I am an artist, creative producer and university Programme Manager. As a former Speech Bubbles Practitioner - I have witnessed and seen evidence of the transformative power of Speech Bubbles and what it provides for children with communication needs through the use of story-telling and imaginative drama. I am thrilled to now be part of the team of trustees that will be supporting the development and growth of Speech Bubbles in its exciting new phase, as it expands the programme supporting young children with communication needs in educational settings across England.

I am delighted to be part of the Speech Bubbles Advisory team and to have seen the project grow and enrich children's lives over the years. Eve Bearne and David Reedy describe spoken language as" the bedrock of children's personal, social, cultural, cognitive, creative and imaginative development,' and what could be more important than that?

Supporting young people, increasing access & inclusion within the arts, and removing barriers is a huge part of my life. I'm delighted to be part of the Speech Bubbles advisory group and look forward to further supporting the organisation's wonderful work.

I've been teaching for 45 years and often concerned with those whose voices are rarely heard, and I have never experienced a more effective approach to confidence building, involvement and the motivation to speak out than Speech Bubbles.

Participating in drama was one of the main influences that led me to my vocation: Speech and Language Therapy. It is a huge responsibility and honour to be part of the advisory group and support Speech Bubble's development.

As formerly a SENCO in one of the Southwark schools that pioneered the wonderful Speech Bubbles programme, and who subsequently ran it in person for several years, I had first-hand experience of its positive long-term impact, on the confidence, expression and engagement of the children, on the relationships between the children and the adults supporting them, as well as on the sense of self-worth of those adults. It also gave us great joy and became the high point of the week for us all!

This is why I consider it a privilege to be counted a member of the Advisory Group.

In my role as Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion in an inner-city primary school, my special interest in Speech Bubbles developed because I have had first-hand experience of the massive positive impact the programme has on our most vulnerable pupils over the last four years. Speech Bubbles improves pupils' access to learning opportunities by improving their resilience for learning and communication skills. It's always a joy and pleasure to see how the pupils thrive following their involvement in the programme.

There is nothing more powerful than a child that is given free rein to explore their innate creativity. Through the Speech Bubbles intervention children use the modality of drama and storytelling to express themselves in a safe space. It's incredibly exciting to be a part of the advisory group and see the direct impact they will have on the children and schools they operate in.