Meet The Team
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
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
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-runnig 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
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.
Contact: ruth@redladder.co.uk
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
Chris O’Connor
Social Media support
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
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
Janet Alexander, Theatre maker (Vice Chair)
Janet Alexander is a freelance theatre maker based in Leeds. Initially from a youth and community work background, Janet became d/Deaf as a young adult and has worked within Deaf and Disability Arts movements. She has most recently developed work with and for local museums, bringing hidden histories to life and is currently developing a theatre piece exploring the Rock Against Racism movement of the late 70’s to early 80’s. Janet trained and worked with Red Ladder in the 1980’s before studying with founder members in Newcastle.
“I have followed the company’s work over many decades, and I feel a strong connection to its history and ethics. It is such an exciting and innovative company to be involved with and it’s a great honour to be a board member and to have an opportunity to contribute towards Red Ladder’s future.”
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.”
Cathy Brennan, Associate Professor of Psychological and 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 womens 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”
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 alongside Emma McDowell.”
Craig Jefferies, CEO Albion Electrical Wholesalers
Craig joined the Board in September 2016 and is joint MD of Albion Electric Stores Limited, an electrical wholesale company based in Leeds. He graduated with a degree in Accounting and Financial Analysis from Newcastle University and over his working career has worked firstly with KPMG, then The London Stock Exchange and finally with Albion Electric.
“I’ve always been interested in the arts and one of the driving influences for moving to London after graduating was to see more theatre. I was introduced to Red Ladder through Pheonix Dance who have a storage arrangement with Albion Electric Stores Limited. I bring to the Board 30 years of financial experience along with 20 years of commercial understanding. I live with my partner in Pateley Bridge surrounded by 20 chickens, 2 Alpacas and a cat.”
Beccy Owen, Musical director & Sound designer
Beccy is a musician, writer, performer, musical director and sound designer. She has worked with Red Ladder as a musical director and performer since Promised Land in 2012, including the sold-out, five-star adaptation of Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children (2018) and the return of the popular play-with-music ‘We’re Not Going Back’ (2024), which marks 40 years since the miner’s strike (a show with personal resonance as Beccy’s dad was a miner) and tells the story of community resistance from the perspective of three sisters.
“I am delighted to have been asked to join the board of trustees in Winter 2022, having been a passionate member of creative teams for over a decade. I bring my lived experience of being a freelance artist who also happens to be queer, disabled and neurodivergent.”
Anna Turzynski, Producer LEEDS 2023
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 is always seeking new members who are interested in the future activity of the company, if you would like to express an interest please email: chris@redladder.co.uk
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