Guiding and supporting the theatre makers of the future…
Guiding and supporting the theatre makers of the future…
The future of theatre depends on young people. They are the theatre makers and theatre goers of tomorrow. MGCfutures reaches out to people of different ages and backgrounds, providing information, guidance and support through mentorship, the Bursary scheme, online resources, workshops and participatory activities. It is also committed to enabling young people to visit the theatre who might otherwise not be able to do so.
MGCfutures is a charitable organisation, utilising the skills and experience of the Michael Grandage Company and governed by a Board of Trustees. MGCfutures Education Associates, Dominic Francis and Samantha Lane, develop workshops and online materials to support theatre-goers to get the most out of their experience, especially those visiting a theatre for the first time.
MGCfutures is also supported by the charity's patrons: Dame Judi Dench, Dawn French, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Daniel Radcliffe, Sir Simon Russell Beale, Sheridan Smith OBE, Aidan Turner, David Walliams OBE and Ben Whishaw.
‘…it gave me the opportunity to watch fantastic shows, which I wouldn’t have been able to afford to watch,
let alone be lucky enough to meet the cast and get invaluable advice from the creatives involved.’
Baker Mukasa, MGCfutures Participant
To find out more about our work, and how you might get involved, you can contact us via our Education Associates at info@mgcfutures.com
Paule Constable is a multi award winning lighting designer working in theatre and opera across the world. One of the few women working at a senior level in this area she is a huge believer in supporting the development of a more diverse theatre community and in finding ways to make the theatre work to a more sustainable model.
Jerry is one of the inaugural Trustees of MGCfutures and has been supporting the charity since its inception in 2013. Jerry is a solicitor and works with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP in London.
Joan has a background in private client wealth structuring, succession planning and family offices. She brings extensive experience in strategy, managing businesses and people. Joan is Trustee of London Catalyst, a Board member of The Queen’s Club and Middlesex Tennis and a Fellow with SportsAid.
Kate is the Director of Kate Morley PR - a specialist theatre public relations company working across both the subsidised and commercial sectors. In addition the company also represent a number of creative professionals across the film, television and theatre sectors, steering their media profile both in the UK and internationally. Kate worked with Michael for his entire tenure at the Donmar, before joining him as he began MGC in 2011.
Kate joined the Board in 2015 and as a mother of two school age children she is committed to providing theatre and opportunities within the arts to the next generation of theatregoers.
Anthony is the inaugural Chairman of MGCfutures, supporting the charity since its inception in 2013.
Anthony is a Chartered Accountant, and a senior partner at entertainment specialists Nyman Libson Paul, where he sits on the firm’s management committee. He advises a large number of clients in the theatre, film and television industries, and lectures and writes from time to time on theatre finance and related tax issues. He spent 7 years as a committee member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Entertainment & Media Industry Group.
Sir Ralph is the Director of the Farmington Institute. He was Principal of Harris Manchester College in the University of Oxford (1988-2018) and a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford (2010–2018). He is an Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge and is the MacWilliams Fellow in Divinity at the University of Wales, Trinity St. David. He is the Chair of the Kalisher Trust, Chair of St Benet’s Hall, University of Oxford, Trust, Chair of the Westminster College Trust, and a trustee of several other charities. He is Ecumenical Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and a former Chairman of the University of Oxford Faculty of Theology.
Abi is an award winning British-Armenian writer. She has written plays for stage, digital and podcast; and is developing work for television and screen. She is passionate about making theatre more accessible and diverse for both audiences and practitioners, with particular focus on MENA+ creatives and those of a lower socio-economic background. In 2018 Abi was awarded an MGCFutures bursary which enabled her to travel to Yerevan, Armenia in order to research and write her play Mountain Warfare. Without the bursary she would not have been able to do this.
Andrew started his career as a theatre manager in the West End. After working as a Producer in Glasgow he joined Siobhan Davies Dance as Executive Director where he raised more than £4 million to deliver the award winning Siobhan Davies Studios in Elephant and Castle, London.
Following this Andrew worked as a freelance fundraising consultant with a wide range of clients before taking roles with Forma Arts and Artichoke. He joined MGCfutures in 2018.
Education Associate
Dominic has been Education Associate of MGCfutures since 2012, co-ordinating a range of activities and events, including writing all of the Behind The Scenes Guides for the MGCfutures website. He has worked as a freelance theatre practitioner for over fifteen years, specialising in writing, producing and facilitation, and is currently Creative Producer for Deafinitely Theatre. As a facilitator he has worked extensively throughout the UK and abroad, for both the National Theatre and the British Council, and continues to work for the Donmar Warehouse and Ambassador Theatre Group. From 2008 to 2011, Dominic ran the National Youth Music Theatre, producing shows at Hull Truck, the Vanbrugh Theatre and Village Underground. His plays have been staged at the Traverse Theatre and toured the UK.
Education Associate
Samantha’s 17 year career thus far spans both the world of theatre and the world of education. She is currently Artistic Director of Little Angel Theatre. Prior to this, she was Director of Projects at the Almeida Theatre for eight years. As a, Samantha has also worked extensively as a Freelance Director, Project Manager and Facilitator for a number of arts organisations, in the UK, Canada and Singapore, working with a wide age range of people, from age 7 to 70, as well as running the Education Department of the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch. Samantha is also author of Directing Theatre with Young People: A Guide to Staging Plays with Young Casts which includes exclusive interviews with Annabel Arden, Michael Attenborough, Matthew Dunster, Richard Eyre, Robert Icke, Indhu Rubasingham and Lyndsey Turner.
Samantha is qualified to Masters level in Text and Performance (Kings and RADA), where she focused on a Directing pathway. Her first degree was in Theatre and Performance at the University of Warwick. Samantha is also a trained teacher (PGCE / QTS), and taught English and Drama, both in a state secondary comprehensive and at an Independent school.