ANDREW MUIR - CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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Michael-David McKernan
Andrew Muir’s plays include Anniversary Sweet (Finborough Theatre), Push (Union Theatre, Time Out Critic’s Choice), Gaugleprixtown (Edinburgh Festival and Studio 42, New York), Double Sentence (Soho Theatre), Green Grass (Union Theatre), Gold Dust (Soho Theatre), The Session (Soho Theatre and Inis Nua Theatre Company, Philadelphia and published by Bloomsbury), Take On Me (Dante or Die production & UK regional tour), Sacrifice (Soho Theatre), Look Up (Royal National Theatre, Connections and published by Bloomsbury), and The Heart at the Centre of the World (Paines Plough/Lighthouse/Roundabout).
Andrew’s latest piece, HOW ABOUT NOW (Moonwalking Bear Productions, Hannes Langolf), premiered in Bologna, Italy before embarking on an international tour where it has so far played in China, Belgium and UK.
Andrew’s first feature screenplay, HOW SOON IS NOW, won the International INRED screenwriting award and most recently was shortlisted for the UK Film Festival Screenwriting Award. His short film, FAMILY MAN, starring Adam James and Rupert Penry Jones and produced by Tara Fitzgerald was an official selection for both Manchester and Tarragona Film Festivals and premiered at Tribeca, New York.
Andrew has worked extensively with young people over the last fifteen years, writing and directing over 20 original large-scale productions for students on various performing arts degree programs around the country. He is currently mentor playwright for Royal National Theatre Learning Department and mentor on MA/MFA Scriptwriting at Central School of Speech & Drama.
MARK SANDS - CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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Michael-David McKernan
Mark Sands studied at the University of Warwick and trained at East 15 Acting School. He has worked extensively as an actor, writer and producer. After drama school, he became co-director of Angels Theatre Company, performing in The Footballer’s Wife (Riverside Studios) and Come Dancing (Old Red Lion Theatre). He also co-wrote and appeared in two trilogies for the company: Celebs (Old Red Lion) and Headstorms (Etcetera Theatre). Other acting credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Duke of York’s), Don Juan (Southwark Playhouse), The Dance of Death (White Bear), Boyfriends (Film) and Body Story (TV, Channel 4).
In 2002, Mark became Director of Development and Administration at Studio Theatre, programming three seasons annually of drama, music, and dance for young audiences. In 2006, he joined Deafinitely Theatre as Executive Director, helping produce work at Shakespeare’s Globe, Soho Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, Park Theatre, and on national tours.
He co-founded The Blueprint Theatre Company in 2009, acting in and producing acclaimed productions including This Story of Yours and Women Laughing (Old Red Lion), and later producing the 5-star Frozen (Park Theatre, 2015). In 2014, Mark co-founded Ardent with Andrew Muir, launching with the 5-star Flowers of the Forest (Jermyn Street Theatre).
DAVID HARRIS - CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
David Harris was originally a Stage Manager and Company Manager working in repertory theatre and on musicals, pantomimes and touring productions. He is a qualified Company Secretary and MBA and was Business Manager at Company of Angels (now Boundless Theatre), Finance Manager at Told by An Idiot and Business Manager at Simon Spencer Productions. He was a Board Member of the Dramaturgs’ Network and worked on drafting the freelance contract for dramaturgs that has been adopted by the Independent Theatre Council. He was joint winner of the 2023 Elliott Hayes Award for an outstanding achievement in dramaturgy.
Outside the theatre industry, David has been the Chief Executive of human rights law firm Bindmans LLP, Company Secretary for an Independent Publisher and a specialist in the strategic development of charities.
As a volunteer, David has been Chair of the Governing Body of inner city primary school, a trustee of the Family Planning Association, the Chair of Trustees of the Family Planning Association Pension Scheme, an Executive Committee member of the Legal Practice Management Group, a Member of the Law Management Section of the Law Society, and a Committee member of marketing and business section of Waterloo Quarter – a local authority business improvement district in London SE1
THOMAS MASON - TRUSTEE
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DAN SELLICK - TRUSTEE
Dan is a general manager and producer who is currently working for Playful Productions. Having joined their team in 2023 he has been general manager on The Unfriend at Wyndham's Theatre, The Artist at Theatre Royal Plymouth and Macbeth at The Harold Pinter, as well as working on various developing productions across various stages. Prior to joining Playful he worked in the production department of The Really Useful Group, working on the West End productions of School of Rock, Phantom of the Opera and Cinderella as well as the international productions of Starlight Express in Bochum, The Phantom of the Opera Mandarin Language tour and Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat UK and Australian Tours. He previously worked with The Shakespeare Schools Festival and produced immersive theatre across London.
Dan has a degree in History from Queen Mary, University of London which he finds little use for on a day-to-day basis but very useful for a pub quiz. Having accidentally made a relatively successful go of working in theatre, despite having no connections to the industry when he moved to London, he is keen to ensure that future generations of artists, producers and theatre lovers have an opportunity to make a career in this industry regardless of their background, and is delighted to be able to support the next ten years of great work from Mark and Andrew.
GIGI PACIFICO - TRUSTEE
Gigi Pacifico is a creative and results-driven manager with a passion for theatre, community engagement, and accessibility in the arts. She is currently the Assistant Centre Manager at Workspace Fuel Tank, where she oversees operations, events, and community partnerships, managing a £50k monthly budget and coordinating multiple teams to ensure seamless service delivery. Prior to this, she was Assistant Manager at General People, where she played a key role in driving revenue, developing training programmes, and launching CSR initiatives that connected local organizations with much-needed resources.
Gigi’s background in theatre spans both management and creative roles. She holds a BA in Contemporary Theatre from Bournemouth University and has worked as a Social Media Manager for Ardent Theatre Company, successfully engaging audiences and expanding the company’s reach. She first joined ARDENT8 as a member in 2019 and is thrilled to return as a trustee, championing greater representation and accessibility within the arts. Passionate about elevating working-class voices in theatre, Gigi is committed to breaking down barriers and ensuring the next generation of artists, producers, and theatre lovers have the opportunities they deserve.
JULIET KNIGHT - TRUSTEE
Juliet Knight is an Artist and Educator. As an actor she trained at Rose Bruford Drama School and has worked for many companies including The Globe, DV8 Physical Theatre company, Bill Kenwright and Sadlers Wells. Screen credits include BBC Eastenders and more recently He woke to Deflating News with Butthead Films. Her repertoire of Theatre Directing has covered the past 25 years, including a cast of 50 in NYT’s “Zigger Zagger" at Wilton’s Music Hall to “Cardboard Dad” an intimate two hander with Theatre Cmyru.
She started directing with Stella Duffy's "Prime Resident" at Soho Theatre combining authentic performance with a highly executed physical language. She went on to work with Tanika Gupta and made a twice returning sell out show of "White Boy" at Soho Theatre. Michael Billington reviewed it as “A triumph of modern theatre going where liberal theatre is yet to dare”. A personal highlight of this production was taking it to the Home Office and engaging in the discussions around knife crime policy. This also led her to work for Clean Break Theatre Company, making work with and for incarcerated women.
She specialises in new writing, collaborating with writers in the rehearsal room to make current, playful and political work. Excitingly she has recently written her own play STORM; first developed at The NT Studio it went on to receive Arts Council funding and performed at Southwark Playhouse. Currently she is Senior Lecturer and Course Leader on a contemporary and cutting-edge new course BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen at The University of East London.
CHAMA AIMABLE-KAPUMPA - TRUSTEE
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