The core acta staff team are based in the acta building in Gladstone Street, Bedminster
Ingrid Jones
Associate Director
Ingrid originally worked for the company as a freelancer in 1993, whilst also working as a youth worker and teacher. She has directed numerous community plays over the years, along with developing and directing acta youth theatres.
More recently, Ingrid’s work has been more focused on adult groups in particular working with migrant women.
She has been involved in various European projects and key to our training programmes; enabling her to share her experience, knowledge and enthusiasm for making community theatre.
Contact: ingrid@acta-bristol.com
Oliver Jones
Director
Oliver joined acta in January 2021 having spent 7 years as Director of Creativity Works. He has previously worked for organisations such as Cambridge Junction, Trestle, and The Theatre Royal Plymouth, specialising in creative learning, youth theatre and community theatre.
He has been an associate director of the National Youth Theatre for over 20 years, most recently leading their work in Saudi Arabia. He has worked extensively as an actor and a director nationally and internationally, and has also taught at a number of Universities and drama schools, including East 15 where he designed and delivered a course on political theatre.
Oliver is also a fellow of The School of Social Entrepreneurs.
Contact: oliver@acta-bristol.com
Bertel Martin
Finance and Operations manager
Bertel joined the Company in March 2022. He began his arts career as a writer and workshop tutor before moving into freelance arts project management and co-ordinating Bristol Black Writers Group. After this, he worked as an arts administrator for Bristol Old Vic, then as arts manager at Kuumba Centre before deciding to set up City Chameleon as a publisher and producer of poetry and spoken word events and theatre. Bertel has also worked as the Director of the Plymouth International Book Festival.
At acta, Bertel is responsible for the financial management of the company and acta’s premises. Bertel has always been involved in making arts accessible to audiences and creating opportunities for people to participate and engage with arts for pleasure, personal development and as a career.
Contact: bertel@acta-bristol.com
Rosa Martyn
Communications Coordinator
After a few years of working in various roles in the visual art sector across Bristol, Rosa joined the acta team in January 2022. Rosa’s main role is communications – working on acta’s social media, website, and newsletter (and more!) but will also be on hand at shows to welcome you.
Rosa is really passionate about giving everyone the chance to create, and is always honoured to hear people share their stories. In her spare time, Rosa is part of a group helping people form bands.
Contact: rosa@acta-bristol.com
Rosalie Pordes
Projects Director
Rosalie joined the Company on a Foundation post, in September 2013, at the end of which she became a permanent core team member. Born in London, Rosalie studied Drama at the University of Exeter where she discovered a passion for community theatre. Outside of her degree she volunteered with the theatre company Magic Carpet and supported a PHD student in her project Vital Spaces.
Rosalie has led many projects at acta and currently directs the international Rapport company alongside co-Director and acta associate Hiba.
Contact: rosalie@acta-bristol.com
Sara Snook
Creative Producer
Sara joined acta in 2017 with dreams of changing the world, one inclusive arts activity at a time. Now, in her role as Creative Producer, Sara is able to put those dreams into reality; developing collaborative projects that celebrate the lives and stories of individuals from all walks of life.
After graduating from University of Sussex (BA Hons Drama & Spanish), Sara worked at Battersea Arts Centre on the Family Theatre and Heritage Team. Moving to Bristol in 2016, Sara started a freelance career leading various Youth Theatre workshops at theatres in the area, as well as building their very own “Easton Youth Theatre” with the legendary Tamsin Buckley-Bell.
Contact: sara@acta-bristol.com
Our acta Associates are a team of people who have completed a professional development course with us, and continue to work closely with us on projects devised by themselves.
Aqeel Abdulla
Aqeel is a lecturer in Drama at the University of Exeter, and an acta associate.
After finishing his PhD in Drama in 2016, he developed an interest in community theatre, especially with refugee and migrant communities in the UK. This led to a foundation year with acta between 2017-2018.
After learning about facilitation at acta, mainly under the mentorship of Ingrid Jones, Aqeel went on to establish his own community theatre company in Exeter, Yalla Arts, in 2019. He continues to collaborate with acta and fellow associates on different projects, both in Bristol and Exeter.
Hiba Elhindi
Born in Sudan, Hiba moved to the UK in 2014. Since childhood, she has always been passionate about drama, arts and creative writing. She used to take part in primary schools theatre shows and create sketches in French language and perform them later at university.
Hiba has been involved with acta since 2017 as a participant, audience member, trustee on the board and very recently as a foundation drama worker. She first joined acta as a participant in Redcliffe Stories that ended up with the show Dream On, as well as stepping in to join the ladies from refugee women of Bristol in their show The Woman Next Door, and performing and directing plenty of other shows too.
Jody Cook
Jody has lived in North Bristol all her life, in Lockleaze. Drama has always played a big part in her life. From a young age she would perform for her family and make up plays, and this carried on throughout school life.
Drama is her big passion, and she is very lucky that she passes this down to the children of Lockleaze at her local school. Jody joined the acta team back in September 2016 when she became the new recruit for the foundation drama work post. She now facilitates three projects with children and adults in Lockleaze.
Mohamed Jama
Mohamed first started working with young people as a Learning Support Assistant mentor when he finished an MA Intercultural Communications at the University of the West of England in 2013. Born and raised in Djibouti, he came to England in 2002 and has been living in Bristol since. He is proud to call Bristol his home, and is a parent governor at Victoria Park Primary School in Bedminster.
Mohamed first started working at acta as a Foundation Drama worker, where he was excited to learn more about the theatrical world, working with the adults groups from Ashley Community Housing and Borderland as well as one young people group from Bedminster.
Tracey Harvey
Tracey is originally from Birmingham and has been living in Bristol since 2001.
First introduced to acta in 2011, Tracey has participated in a huge number of different groups and has performed in many shows including Goblin Silver, Gas Girls and Sisters.
Tracey was thrilled to become part of the acta core team in September 2015, when she became the new Theatre Bar Assistant. In September 2016, Tracey joined the acta Foundation scheme as a Drama Worker, and is now one of our wonderful acta associates.
acta is steered by an active committee of people who volunteer their time to help guide us. Our trustees are responsible for the overall direction, strategy and vision of the charity.
Jeanette Bain Burnett
Jeanette loves harnessing creativity to bring social change. She’s currently Executive Director, Policy and Integrity for Sport England, part of the team leading the organisation’s vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. Jeanette enjoys working in the intersection of wellbeing, culture and social change.
Previous roles include Director of Participation at the Trussell Trust, Assistant Director for Communities and Social Policy at the Mayor of London and Director of the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD). Jeanette has been a part of the boards of People Dancing, Jackson’s Lane and arts depot in North London, where she served as vice chair.
Rob Marshall (Treasurer)
Rob joined the board in 2024 as treasurer with nearly 20 years of finance experience across various fields and industries, and has been a Chartered Global Management Accountant since 2013.
He uses his skills and knowledge to help bolster acta’s financial resilience.
Rob was first involved with acta as a participant in a school-based programme in south Bristol as a teenager, and has since utilised the confidence gained from this programme throughout his career.
Ruth Cochrane
Ruth became involved in acta both as a community worker based in the centre of the city and as a parent. She has links with diverse community groups across Bristol, in particular the Somali community in and around Hannah More Primary School, where she retains a part-time role as a community consultant.
Ruth is interested in widening participation and building links across and between communities – through all sort of activities, including adult learning, sports, and creative arts. She has experience in community development, funding and project development. Ruth is also an enthusiastic musician and plays several instruments.
Kerrie Schaefer
Kerrie first visited acta in 2010 to see Hooyo Ma’aan (The Day I Became A Woman) produced by Rotterdams Wijktheater and subsequently engaged with acta overseas, at the International Community Arts Festival, in Rotterdam (in 2011).
Originally from Australia and now an Associate Professor of Drama at Exeter University, Kerrie has knowledge of the participatory/community cultural sector, and brings this experience to acta’s Board, for which she has been a trustee for five years.
Kerrie’s academic research on acta has focussed on acta’s production of the Gas Girls and the Malcolm X Elders Theatre Company’s Ticky Picky Boom Boom, as well as acta’s Cycle of Engagement.
Shirin Mawji
Shirin is a Bristol based pharmacist keen on all things healthcare, theatre and community. As a child of Ugandan Asian refugee parents, she understands the importance of equal opportunities for all in helping individuals and groups feel empowered, integrate into the societies in which they live, and excel.
Shirin is passionate about theatre, and believes her engagement with it has had profound effects on her confidence, public speaking, critical thinking, sense of self, and empathy for others; and more. Aside from her interest in theatre, Shirin’s knowledge of healthcare and experience working in the community makes her a great addition to our board.
Nerys Jones
Nerys is Commercial Operations Director at Clifton College. She has degrees in History and Broadcast Journalism from the University of Sheffield and a background in PR and Public Affairs, working for clients including Singapore Airlines and Tourist Board, technology giant 3M, and later on as a marketing manager, for Welsh building society, Principality.
She’s spent the ten years up until 2022 at the National Trust, where, over that time, she has managed two portfolios in North Wales before moving to the South West and taking on Tyntesfield, Leigh Woods and Clevedon Court. She has developed a strong passion for modern relevance, participation and theatricality in culture and heritage amongst diverse audiences and has worked with artists and film companies to bring history and nature to life for audiences of thousands.
Olivia Lamont Bishop
Olivia first came to acta to volunteer for the REACT Festival in 2018 and this ignited her drive to work alongside refugees, asylum seekers and those with insecure immigration status in the UK. Now she researches theatre about migration, completing her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London and working at Borderlands Bristol as a Mentoring Manager for displaced people in Bristol.
Before joining Borderlands, Olivia worked in community theatre for organisations like the Kiln Theatre, the Arcola Theatre, the International Community Arts Festival in Rotterdam and Youth Theatre Arts Scotland. She is also a Visiting Lecturer at Royal Holloway and the Project Coordinator for the Migrant Dramaturgies Network. This is Olivia’s first trustee position and she looks forward to supporting acta’s work in Bristol.
Daniel Palmer
Daniel works as a Talent and Inclusion Consultant at a Bristol-Based social enterprise. Daniel will help us bring underrepresented groups into the space and build partnerships with community groups. He will also help us expand on our commercial side, helping us future-proof as an organisation.
As a local resident and father from a background underrepresented in the space, Daniel sees the value of the arts, not only as an industry sector, but as a vessel for change. Daniel is looking forward to assisting us champion diverse voices through storytelling and give a voice to those who often aren’t heard. Daniels want the arts to be seen as a place for all, irrespective of background and acta to be a leader in this space.
