Champion

Christina Berriman Dawson - plays Sheila

Recently appeared in The Little Mermaid, Newcastle Theatre Royal.

Christina has worked in theatre throughout the region, nationally and internationally.

TV and film includes: George Gently ,The Magdalene Sisters and The Hunt for Raoul Moat.

Christina won ‘Writer of the Year’ award in the Journal Culture Awards 2024.

Jack Robertson - plays Billy

Jack wrote and starred in his own BBC short 'Where It Ends' which was nominated for a BAFTA.

Starred in Gerry & Sewell at both Live Theatre & Theatre Royal Newcastle.

He also created an ensemble sketch group 'Metroland Comedy'.

Selected by The Guardian as a 'Top 10 Pick' to watch at the Fringe.

Daniel Zareie - plays Azeem

Dani Zareie is currently training at Newcastle Theatre Royal's yearlong actor training course Project A, during which he has performed in the critically acclaimed Gerry and Sewell. In addition to this as part of Project A he has performed in Berkoff’s The Bow of Ulysses as well as Dennis Kelly’s Orphans. He also performed Northern Stage’s ‘Am I Alone in This’ as part of Northern Stage’s Young Company. During his academic studies, he has performed in Stags and Hens by Willy Russel, Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman and The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh. This is Dani’s first professional contract and he is delighted to be making his professional debut at Live Theatre.

Ishy Din - Writer

Ishy Din is a critically acclaimed playwright and screenwriter whose work spans stage, television, film, and radio, often drawing on his unique experiences and cultural background.

Ishy is currently an Associate Playwright at the Royal Court. He is under commission to both the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Kiln Theatre in London. Ishy was a writer on 'Silence' a play about the partition of India for Tara Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse. His play 'Approaching Empty', a co-production between Tamasha, The Kiln, and Live Theatre, premiered at The Kiln Theatre in January 2019 before embarking on a national tour. In 2016, 'Wipers', a Leicester Curve/Watford Palace/Belgrade Theatre co-production, explored the untold stories of South Asian soldiers during World War I and toured extensively. Ishy’s monologue for Company TSU was featured in the double bill 'Beats North', which played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014 and toured the UK. His breakthrough play 'Snookered', produced by Tamasha, Oldham Coliseum, and The Bush Theatre, toured in 2012 and ran for four weeks at The Bush Theatre in London. The play won the Best New Play award at the Manchester Theatre Awards in 2013. Ishy also served as the 2012 Pearson Writer in Residence at the Manchester Royal Exchange.

Jack McNamara - Director

Jack has been Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Live Theatre in Newcastle since 2021. Productions for the company as director include: 'Saint Maud', 'The Bounds', 'The Cold Buffet', 'We Are The Best!', 'One Off'. Previously he was Artistic Director of New Perspectives in Nottingham, where productions included: the multiple award-winning 'The Fishermen' (West End, Home Manchester, BBC Radio 3, British Council Showcase); 'The Lovesong of Alfred J Hitchcock' (Off Broadway); 'The Boss of it All' (Soho Theatre/ Offie Nominated);' Darkness Darkness' (Nottingham Playhouse) and first national tours of plays by Athol Fugard and debbie tucker green among many others. Recent freelance work includes 'Shy' by Max Porter (Southbank Centre) starring Toby Jones and Ruth Wilson. He directed the epic audiobook 'Voice of the Fire' by Alan Moore starring Maxine Peake, Mark Gatiss and Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods.

Amy Watts - Designer

Amy watts is a recently returned North East, Set and Costume Designer. Graduating from Wimbledon College of Art with a BA (Hons) in Theatre Design and since has worked over a decade in the industry on a wide variety of different projects.
Designer: 'Peter Pan and Wendy' (Durham Gala); 'The deep', 'Stones in his pockets' (Eastern angles); 'Three Acts of Love', 'Good Timin', 'West End Girls' (Live Theatre); 'Bat with no Bite', 'Hound of the Baskervilles' (Northern Stage); 'Much ado about nothing' (Creation Theatre); 'Hedda Gabler', 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' (Reading Rep); 'Rapunzel', 'Jack, Mum and the Beanstalk', 'Princess and the Frog' (Hull Truck); 'The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary' (Jermyn Street Theatre ); 'The Unlocked Door' (Seaton Delaval Hall with ‘The November Club’); 'The Wasp' (Customs House); 'Hound of the Baskervilles' (East Riding Theatre); 'The Remarkable Robin Armstrong’s Extraordinary Christmas Adventure' (Hexham Theatre); 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow' (UK Tour); 'Story Project Rage', 'Romance and Resolution', 'Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night', '12 Poems of Emily Dickinson' (Arcola Theatre); 'Grand Hotel',' Lend me a Tenor', '9 to 5', 'King of Hearts' (London School of Musical Theatre).

Matthew Tuckey - Sound Designer

Matthew is a Sound Designer and Sound Artist working across theatre, music, installation, podcast and film. He is also a board member for the Association for Sound Design and Production.
His recent work as Sound Designer includes: 'Champion', 'Saint Maud' (Live Theatre); 'The Bounds'' (Live Theatre and The Royal Court); 'Festen' (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama); 'Love It If We Beat Them' (Live Theatre in association with Emmerson & Ward); 'The Sorcerer’s Apprentice' (Northern Stage); 'Josey' R&D, 'Repeat Signal', 'Lost Found and Told: New Tales for Northumberland' (November Club); 'Wolf!' (Kitchen Zoo in association with Northern Stage); 'joey' (gobscure in association with Greyscale Theatre); 'Floorboards', 'Trolley Boy', 'Walter' (Alphabetti Theatre).
His work as Associate Sound Designer includes: 'Macbeth' (English Touring Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre); 'Underdog: The Other Other Brontë' (Northern Stage and National Theatre); 'Under The Sea' (Tiny Dragon Productions); 'You Heard Me' (Luca Rutherford); 'A Christmas Carol' (Northern Stage); 'Oh No, George!' (Can't Sit Still); 'Stella' (Filskit Theatre).
His work as Sound Artist includes: 'The Rime' (multichannel immersive installation); 'An Audio Diary in Binaural, January 2021' (digital piece for headphones); 'South Bend' (05-06/20) (digital EP); 'Fed Up', Foodbank Histories Project (digital piece for headphones for Newcastle University Oral History Unit & Collective).

Drummond Orr - Lighting Designer/Production Manager

Drummond has over 40 years’ experience as a theatre electrician, technical manager, lighting designer and production manager. In that time, he has toured nationally and internationally. Lighting design credits include: 'Motherland', 'Captain Amazing' (Live Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe); 'Cilla and Me', 'Iris', 'My Romantic History', 'Tyne', 'The Prize', 'Nativities', 'Harriet Martineau Dreams of Dancing', 'The Cold Buffet', 'Three Acts of Love', 'Saint Maud' (Live Theatre); 'The Bounds' (Live Theatre/Royal Court); 'The Red Lion' (Live Theatre/Trafalgar Studios); 'Cooking With Elvis' (Live Theatre/Assembly Rooms); 'Wet House'  (Live Theatre/Hull Truck/Soho Theatre); 'A Walk On Part' (LiveTheatre/Soho Theatre/Arts Theatre); 'The Girl in the Yellow Dress' (Market Theatre, Johannesburg/ Grahamstown Festival/Baxter Theatre, Cape Town/Citizens, Glasgow); 'Educating Rita' (Theatre by the Lake/David Pugh and UK Tour).