Meet The Team
Credit: Arvind Mistry
Cheryl Martin
Artistic Director
Cheryl became Artistic Director of Red Ladder Theatre Company in January 2024. Alongside her writing and directing, Cheryl has supported writers and practitioners at Contact Theatre, Traverse Theatre Edinburgh and Oldham Coliseum, and worked with Community Arts Northwest on a series of community plays. In 2015 she co-founded LGBTQ+ Global-Majority performance arts company Black Gold Arts. In addition to being an Edinburgh Fringe Total Theatre assessor and judge, Cheryl was also Co-Artistic Director of Manchester’s grassroots Global-Majority-led publisher and writer development company Commonword and is Co-Director of Manchester Pride’s Candlelight Vigil.
Contact: cheryl@redladder.co.uk
Credit: Rachel Illsley
Chris Lloyd
Executive Producer
A Red Ladder employee of over 10 years, Chris is still in constant awe of the talent he has to work with at the company. Lloydy stumbled across Red Ladder after stints at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Rosehill Theatre in Cumbria, three years in the south of Spain and ten years in London at Theatre Royal Stratford East and The Shaw Theatre in Euston.
Never happier than when sitting in his parlour counting his pennies Chris occasionally emerges, blinking, into the theatrical spotlight for opening nights, launches, free lunches and end of tour thrashes.
Contact: chris@redladder.co.uk
Credit: Alice Barber
Alice Barber
Creative Producer & Programmer
Alice is a producer, theatremaker, fundraiser and writer; she joined Red Ladder in 2019. She started life with Slung Low in 2016, later founding feminist theatre company Unsung Collective and co-running Front Room Productions for a number of years. Recent freelance work includes teaching Masters sessions at Leeds Conservatoire, producing the R&D of ‘Fishing Net Soul’ for artist Letty McHugh, and fundraising for Silent Uproar, where she is currently also Interim General Manager. Her latest script was shortlisted for the Kay Mellor Fellowship.
Alice’s main focuses at Red Ladder are artist development and programming of shows and activity on the Red Ladder Local circuit. She can usually be identified in the wild by her very loud trousers.
Contact: alice@redladder.co.uk
Credit: Ruth Saxton
Ruth Saxton
Marketing Manager
Ruth’s career-crazy-paving started in London doing development, acquisitions and marketing for an international film company. A Leeds lass, she returned home in the early noughties to retrain as a primary school teacher and AST in creativity. Whilst teaching she became Chair of the National Association for the teaching of Drama and a freelance theatremaker. She left teaching to join Eureka! The National Children’s Museum‘s for their 25th anniversary, later curating the digital Spark gallery. Most recently she was Community Director at Slung Low.
Ruth joined Red Ladder in late 2023 to help shout about the shows and get bums on seats. She works part-time as she’s also writing a children’s novel and caring for her lovely mum.
Contact: ruth@redladder.co.uk
Credit: Tom Blackband
Tom Blackband
Technical Manager
Tom’s first show for Red Ladder was Big Society at City Varieties. He has since provided technical assistance on many of Red Ladder’s projects and enjoys the ever changing challenges. Tom has had a varied career including touring with youth theatre shows, providing sound systems for bands, touring across Europe with jazz bands, doing lighting and sound design for pantomimes, dance shows and theatre productions, and production management for various theatres and theatre companies.
Contact: diecastbox@gmail.com
Credit: Bob Hamilton
Chris O’Connor
Social Media Associate
Chris is a professional playwright who has written for Red Ladder, and organisations such as Leeds Playhouse and BBC Radio. His work has covered a range of topics such as radicalisation, masculinity and the migrant crisis. He also co-hosts the Mantality pocast, and is a proud member of the Effective Altruism movement deducting 10% of his pre-tax income to charity and becoming the first UK Artist of Impact. Chris teaches writing and supports organisations with their social media, websites and marketing.
Contact: hello@chris-oconnor.co.uk
Credit: Simon Hulme
Chris Bond
Press & PR
Chris Bond is a freelance journalist, writer, ghostwriter, lecturer and PR consultant. He worked at The Yorkshire Post for 22 years, including four years as features editor, leaving in 2022. He is a successful author having written the authorised biography of Yorkshire artist, Ashley Jackson – Ashley Jackson: An Artist’s Life; and taken part in numerous literary events, including the Bradford Literature and Ilkley literature festivals, Leeds Big Bookend and Settle Stories.
During a journalistic career spanning more than two decades he has covered a wide variety of stories ranging from 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, to the Great Yorkshire Show and the Leeds Festival. He has also interviewed countless famous names, including Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Michael Palin, Sean Bean, Alan Bennett, Jenny Agutter, Tony Bennett and Eddie Izzard.
Contact: cpbond73@gmail.com
Credit: Dick Bonham
Dick Bonham (Co-Chair), Co-Director of Trouble at Mill Events
Dick is a Producer, Programmer and Theatre Director based in Leeds. He is currently Co-Director of Trouble at Mill Events, who run The Old Woollen in Farsley, West Leeds. Its eclectic programme, the culmination of over a decade of work in the area, includes comedy, theatre, music, spoken word and literature. Along with Gloria Lindh he was also a founder member of touring theatre producers LittleMighty, who have toured work nationally and internationally with award-winning artists and companies such as Unfolding Theatre, Fidget Theatre, Silent Uproar, and Testament. For many years LittleMighty shared an office with Red Ladder.
“I’ve had connections with Red Ladder in different capacities for over a decade, so it’s an absolute pleasure to be part of the board and become an advocate for their brilliant work, which plays a vital role in the ecology of theatre in the north, and indeed further afield.”
Credit: Cathy Brennan
Cathy Brennan, Assoc. Professor of Psychological & Social Medicine
Originally from the other end of the M62, Cathy has made Leeds her home – drawn back to the north after a period of exile down south. By day, Cathy is an academic at the University of Leeds where her work focuses on the contribution of social and environmental factors to public mental health. When not at work she is a keen footballer (more enthusiasm than skill) and believes in the power of football as a tool for social action. Highlights include defying the FA ban on mixed gender football to win the Mondiali Antirazziti cup in 2006 and playing a solidarity match against the Palestinian women’s team in their National stadium in 2014.
“Red Ladder make high quality theatre with wit and heart that challenges and inspires in equal measure. The vision of Red Ladder resonates with my core values and I was excited and honoured to join the board in 2021”
Credit: Dawn Cameron
Dawn Cameron, Researcher and Evaluator
Dawn is undertaking a PhD at the University of Leeds examining ‘race’, place and community engagement in the context of Bradford, UK City of Culture 2025. She is also a self-employed researcher, project manager and evaluator working primarily in the creative arts, heritage and cultural sectors as a director of her own company, Cameron& Ltd. Examples of work include the completion of a piece of thematic research entitled ‘How diverse are we, really?’ for Arts Council England, and evaluations for the Royal Literary Fund, Opera North, Jamaica Society Leeds and Opal 22. She has a particular interest in storytelling approaches and in interrogating the ways in which notions of co-production are operationalised in project delivery. She is interested in projects which seek to deliver social and cultural change and which enable individuals to engage in creative practice.
“I’ve long admired Red Ladder’s work and look forward to working with Cheryl, the team and my fellow Board members as we head towards the Company’s 60th birthday.”
Credit: Coralie Datta
Coralie Datta, Community Development Worker
Coralie works at Space2 where she is a bit of a Jack of all trades, from overseeing the fire heritage project to running community sewing groups as well as stage managing and on a journey to becoming a Producer. She also has a background in photography and curation, so is new to navigating the performing arts world. Coralie has a passionate background in activism and sees art as a way of starting conversations and explaining complex topics. Outside of work, Coralie can be either found at her sewing machine, creating her next outfit or outdoor swimming.
“I believe that creativity is a positive tool for social change. Red ladder creates brilliant theatre for the people, with the people and brings it to the people.”
Credit: Sunny Bank Mills
Fiona Gell (Co-Chair)
Fiona is the Communications Director at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley with extensive experience in marketing, communications and events management. Her passion is literature and she is the founder member of the Leeds Big Bookend and Northern Short Story Festival which exists to promote the Leeds literature scene in all its forms. She is a partner and founder member of Leeds Lit Fest. She has worked tirelessly and in a mainly voluntary capacity to create a platform where local writers can showcase their work alongside national and international writers, and to shout about literature in the city. She has run hundreds of events and dozens of festivals and has helped scores of writers at all stages of their careers to further their dreams and ambitions.
“My association with Red Ladder started way back in 2012 as a volunteer and I’m still here today!.I have a passion for Red Ladder and the work it does. I share its philosophy of community, social change and global justice. I continue to support and champion the company wherever and whenever I can and I am very proud to be its Co-Chair.”
Credit: Paul Graham-Bell
Paul Graham-Bell, Programme and Production Manager
Paul Graham-Bell is the Programme and Production Manager for backstage and theatre design training within Luminate Education Group, managing qualifications for Leeds City College and University Centre Leeds for learners aged from 16 to adult learners. He has fostered a range of industry sponsorships and partnerships with local venues, producers, and suppliers to enrich the training offered and to provide outstanding facilities. Before moving into teaching, Paul worked as a Technical Stage Manager and a Theatre Electrician for Harrogate Theatre, English Touring Theatre, M6 Theatre and Contact Theatre.
“I joined the board to repay the kindness and generosity Red Ladder has shown to our students over the years. This is a company full of heart and ambition and I’m looking forward to pitching in any way I can.”
Credit: Deborah Kelly
Deborah Kelly, Chief Executive Officer
Born and bred in Manchester with Irish heritage, Deborah has lived in West Yorkshire for 30 years, working in Leeds for six. She is the CEO of BITMO which provides housing management and community development services to the tenants of Belle Isle, Leeds. Aside from work, she spends her time running (slowly), embroidering, reading and going to the theatre. Stories have been a constant in her life, from first visits to the library and the first school trip to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
“For me, Red Ladder is about social change, pushing for it, creating it and showing it, and I am beyond excited to be a part of the organisation, and offering whatever I can. I met Red Ladder as a result of the amazing work they deliver in Belle Isle which gives our community the opportunity to experience what I love so much, live performance of brilliant work.”
Credit: Ruth Crafer
Tyler Pickles
Tyler Pickles is the Founder and Creative Director of Rebel Roots Theatre Company. A working-class lad from Pudsey, Leeds, Tyler created the company with the ambition of amplifying working-class voices, supporting local spaces, and creating work for graduates and unrepresented talent. Tyler graduated from Leeds Conservatoire in 2023, and has since starred as ‘Liam’ in the Channel 4 series ‘Dreamers’, and has worked with the likes of Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company, as well as Emmy Award winners.
“I joined the board with the ambition of helping new artistic voices truly thrive in West Yorkshire, boosting the Leeds arts scene with this next wave of artists.”
Credit: Martin Plock
Martin Plock
Born and raised in Dundee, Scotland, Martin has been Leeds-based for over a quarter of a century now. Initially drawn to the LS6 band scene, he filled the ranks of a few acts on guitar & occasionally singing. After 17 years in retail finance, Martin switched careers and for the last 8 years has worked for an arm’s length government body. Collaborating with their supply chain to help deal with challenges around improving safety, encouraging innovation, and helping them to meet targets on social value and protecting the environment. He is still connected with music, actively gigging as a singer-songwriter around Yorkshire and continues to support the local arts scene as much as possible.
“Red Ladder really inspired me when I saw their presentation of “Taxi” and I took the opportunity shortly after to attend the “Red Grit” acting course. I found it a wonderful experience that taught me a lot about myself, during a period of change in my life. I am excited to join the board, to offer my broad experience and be involved in a Theatre company that can mean so much to our wider community.”
Credit: Richard Rhodes
Richard D Rhodes, Writer
Richard has been mentored by Paines Plough as a playwright and by Bradford Producing Hub as a producer. He is a member of New Writing North’s Bradford Script Hub and was mentored as a screenwriter by Screen Yorkshire. His material has been produced by Leeds Playhouse and Freedom Studios. He has projects in development for television. As vice-chair of Studio at Bingley Little Theatre, he devised and produces ITCH, a series of scratch nights with a playwright development programme to nurture new writing. As a board member of Script Yorkshire, he is keen to foster opportunities for writers to grow their art. Richard is a former Head Teacher and school governor. He is also co-chair of Rainbow Home (NE England), a charity dedicated to supporting LGBT+ asylum seekers.
“I first became aware of Red Ladder when I saw their powerful production of ‘Sanctuary’ in 2024. I had only recently moved back to my native Bradford, after 35 years of life in the south-east of England, and was drawn to Sanctuary’s themes of immigration, asylum and refugees. The production was captivating and it motivated me to strive for equivalent excellence in my own work. When I saw the callout for Board members, I knew this was a company I would love to be associated with, such is their passion and dedication. I am delighted to be part of it.”
Credit: Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson, Artistic Director & Joint Chief Executive
Paul has been Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive at The Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) in Scarborough since 2016. Following an MA in Directing at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Paul was awarded a directing bursary at the Manchester Royal Exchange. He then took up post at The National Theatre, working across Trevor Nunn and Nick Hytner’s tenures, before becoming Artistic Director at Theatre503. He has helped make SJT a more outward-looking, inclusive and civic organisation and helped transform its creative engagement and artist development work, winning UK Theatre Awards. He established and co-wrote a BA (Hons) Acting degree and founded Scarborough Fair. He is a hugely experienced theatre director, including West End and Off West End, and has developed new plays for some of the world’s leading theatre companies, most recently directing a feature film, And Then Come the Nightjars.
“I was delighted to have been asked to join the Red Ladder board in 2025. I’ve always admired their work and share their ethos around social justice and community and I am proud to be their advocate.”
Credit: Lizzie Coombes
Anna Turzynski, Arts Director
Anna is the new Arts Director at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, Leeds. She oversees the gallery, shop, artist studios and incredible events programme across the mills. Previously, a Senior Producer at LEEDS 2023: Year of Culture, Anna produced signature projects including The WOW Barn, The Awakening & The Gifting. She spent ten years working as a freelance producer in Leeds and her expertise lies in cross-artform producing and bringing work to unconventional spaces. Anna has always championed making arts and culture more accessible to people.
“I believe Red Ladder has been making a vital contribution to Leeds for the past 50 years and I want to make sure it continues to do so for another 50.”
Red Ladder has just finished recruiting new members for the board (February 2025). If you would like to be considered in future, please email: recruitment@redladder.co.uk
