Staff

Professor Sean McNamara

Principal and CEO

Sean joined LIPA in 2021 as Principal and CEO, succeeding co-founder Mark Featherstone-Witty. Since then, he has successfully overseen a complete revalidation of the Institute’s curriculum, the launch of the 2023-26 Strategic Plan, including the creation of LIPA’s six Strategic Pillars: Excellence, Equity, Environment, Empowerment, Employability and Entrepreneurship and is the driving force behind LIPA’s move to gain New Degree Awarding Powers (NDAPs).

Before joining LIPA, Sean was Head of Guildford School of Acting (GSA) and has extensive leadership, management, teaching and curriculum design experience. Joining GSA in 2010, Sean’s roles included Director of Learning & Teaching and Head of Undergraduate Studies before he was appointed Head in 2016. Sean trained in Musical Theatre at the Guildford School of Acting and has an MA in Actor Training from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Sean is chair of the UK’s professional body for conservatoire training, The Federation of Drama Schools (FDS), chair of trustees for the LIPA Multi Academy Trust, an executive board member of GuildHE, a founding member of the Alliance of Musical Theatre Conservatoires (AMTC) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Will Hammond

Director of School of Performance

Will has worked in theatre, TV, film and radio. Having worked across mediums and platforms, Will can support students to become adaptable. His credits include the BBC, Lime Pictures, Greenwich Films, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Paines Plough, Frantic Assembly and Soho Theatre. Will has won the High Sheriff Award for New Writing from the Stephen Joseph Theatre, judged by Sir Alan Ayckbourn. He co-wrote the musical Kate and the Devil, which was shortlisted for the Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Award 2015. He feels it is important for actors to cultivate their own independent approach to acting in preparation for sustainable careers.

Tim Pike

Interim Director of the School of Music

Tim studied music at Breton Hall College starting on oboe but switching to bass guitar midway through. He is a multi-instrumentalist playing bass guitar, guitar, keys, saxes and double bass.

After graduating he embarked on a career as a session musician and teacher. As both a music-reader and improviser, Tim has performed in theatres in the UK, recording sessions in London, playing for theatre shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and many jazz gigs. He was invited to teach at two of the institutions that he had previously studied at, and teaching became the dominant passion. After completing his MA in 1994, Tim began full-time teaching at LIPA in 1995. Since then, as well as teaching, Tim has mainly focused on jazz gigs on bass guitar for pleasure. He also turned his hand to other varied projects including the pre-production and recording of music played at The Beatles Story exhibition, to performing with China Crisis, and editing the music manuscript for Bill Bailey’s songbook. He can currently be found playing bass in two big bands (one with a weekly residency), and also holding the bass chair at the Liverpool Jazz Club’s monthly sessions.

Jon Thornton

Director of School of Creative Technologies, Design and Enterprise

Jon started by helping out in studios, and studied the UK’s first BTec in Music Technology. While studying, he gained experience in TV audio before moving on to a post-production facility (sound to picture). Jon continued working there until he began lecturing. He regularly writes for Resolution, a leading audio magazine, which keeps him up to date with the latest equipment and thinking. Having worked in different areas of the audio industry, he is able to spot where skills and knowledge crossover, which informs his teaching. Jon believes that students need to learn by doing things, but also by understanding why they are doing them.

David Fletcher

Chief Operating Officer

David is a qualified accountant and, before joining LIPA, worked on audit, assurance and consultancy assignments for global professional services firms BDO and RSM.  His client portfolio was predominantly in the education sector, but he also worked with a variety of other organisations to improve operational efficiency. 

As LIPA’s Chief Operating Officer, David is responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of LIPA’s finance, HR, estates, IT, technical and productions teams. He also works closely with colleagues across LIPA’s wider learning family and is responsible for the Environment strategic pillar. Through this he is a passionate member of the Environmental Sustainability Group (a.k.a. Green Team). David is proud to be able to work with incredibly talented and devoted colleagues.

Outside of work, David likes to spend time with his family. He is enthusiastic about sport and is a keen runner and footballer. He enjoys travelling, walking, socialising with friends and is a trustee of the Lancaster University School of Mathematics.

Corinne Lewis

Director of Marketing & Student Recruitment

Prior to joining LIPA, Corinne worked in marketing and PR in the sectors of leisure and recreation, inward investment and Higher Education. While working at Aston University, she won two national Higher Education marketing awards.

Corinne joined LIPA in 2000 as its first Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment. She is responsible for the leadership and management of teams in:  Marketing strategy and communications (including brand and reputation management, digital communications, public relations and event management); Access and schools and colleges liaison; International student recruitment and Alumni relations.

She feels privileged to be part of a creative community, where staff are so passionate about encouraging all students here to grow, experiment and succeed and is thrilled to play her part in sharing the amazing stories of our students, staff and alumni.

Michael Mercer

Director of Students

Mike has worked in the Higher Education (HE) sector for over 25 years, having previously served in the Royal Navy. During his HE career he has worked at several universities across all areas of student service. Prior to joining LIPA in 2021 he was deputy registrar at UCLAN.

As LIPA’s Director of Students Mike leads the professional services teams that look after student administration, covering the student journey from admissions right through to graduation, including student wellbeing and disability. 

Mike is passionate about equity in HE provision and has been part of government equality working groups. He loves the energy and creativity of the LIPA community and enjoys seeing as many student productions and performances as possible.

Mike is the current vice chair of the Association of Higher Education Professionals, the organisation for Professional Services Staff in Higher Education. A huge Strictly Come Dancing fan, Mike took part in LIPA Come Dancing in 2023 and 2024.

Sarah E. Baker

Head of Dance

Sarah trained at the Quinte Ballet School and the National Ballet School of Canada and has an MA in Choreography. She has performed across Canada and also studied, taught and choreographed in America and Israel in addition to the UK. Sarah has choreographed dance and musical theatre productions for the Bloomsbury and Cochrane theatres in London. She collaborated with composer Stefano Curina on Flood performed at The Place in London and presented her own live and screen-dance work at other dance theatres in London. Sarah understands the demands of the profession and believes it’s important to learn discipline in the classroom and self-discipline out of the classroom but to maintain a sense of humour to achieve a healthy balance. She encourages each student to be individual and follow their own journey.

James Thorne (1)

Head of Sound Technology

James has over 15 years of experience working as a freelance audio engineer. During that time, he has worked professionally across a variety of different disciplines spanning audio post-production for film and TV, live sound & events and working in large format recording studios.

James has worked with Grammy, BAFTA and Brit award-winning clients and understands the technical rigour and inter-personal skills that are required to be successful operating at this level. He has over 10 years of experience teaching in higher education, having worked at a number of Universities and obtained a post-graduate teaching qualification in 2018. 

This blend of real-world experience coupled with a deep understanding of higher education pedagogy means that James can support his students throughout their University journey and on to having successful careers of their own.

Dr Helen Davies

Head of Music (Academic)

Helen is a popular music researcher. Her key research interests are gender and sexuality, music education, music and visual creativity, music in everyday life and ethnographic research. Her doctoral thesis, ‘Music in the everyday lives of young teenage girls’ (University of Liverpool, 2011), is based on ethnographic research in domestic and school settings in Merseyside. More recently, she has researched gender related issues for young musicians studying on popular music higher education courses and/or in early career. Since 2019, she has collaborated with the organisation UK Music on their research into diversity in the UK music industry. Currently, she is researching visual creativities for musicians. Helen is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), and an editorial board member of IASPM Journal.

Helen is responsible for the design and delivery of all academic and popular music studies modules on LIPA’s music degrees and foundation courses, including supervision and day to day management of a small teaching team. In these modules, students are encouraged to critically analyse their own and other musicians’ practice and explore aspects of popular music culture and industry that are relevant to them. Helen brings her research interests and scholarly experience to all aspects of her teaching.

Selected outputs

Book chapters

2022 

‘How do I look? The importance of visual analysis for musicians in popular music higher education.’ In D. Walzer (ed.) The Handbook on Music Business and Creative Industries in Education. Sheffield: Equinox.

2021 

‘Because I’m a girl’: exploring experiences, practices and challenges relating to gender and sexuality for female musicians in popular music higher education.’ In R. Mathias (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Women’s Work in Music, pp.26-35. London: Routledge.

2019 

‘Preparing for the ‘real world’? Exploring gender issues in the music industry and the role of vocational popular music higher education.’ In C. Strong and S. Raine (eds.) Towards Gender Equality in the Music Industry. Education, Practice, and Strategies for Change, pp.29-44. London: Bloomsbury. 

Journal articles 

2019

‘Gender issues in the music industry and popular music higher education: Exploring the experiences of young musicians.’ Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica special issue: Music as a social phenomenon – theoretical concepts and empirical inquiries, 20/2, 211–227. 

2013

‘Never mind the generation gap? Music listening in the everyday lives of young teenage girls and their parents.’ Volume! La revue des musiques populaires, 10/1, pp. 229-247. 

Conference presentations 

2022 

‘Technological change, visual creativities, and popular music higher education.’ International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK & Ireland Branch Biennial Conference. University of Liverpool, 31 August-2 September. 

‘UK Music Diversity Report 2020: the data behind the report and actions.’ UK Music - Music Academic Partnership Symposium. Online, 26 May. 

2018

‘Preparing for the ‘real world’? Exploring the role of music education in addressing gender and sexuality issues experienced by young popular musicians.’ Association for Popular Music Education conference. Middle Tennessee State University, 24-27 June. 

2017 

‘Young musicians, gender and sexuality: researching the issues in an educational context.’ 1st Symposium of the LGBTQ+ Music Study Group. Edge Hill University, 27 May.

Dr Steve Davies

Head of Filmmaking and Creative Technologies

Steve is a filmmaker with nearly 20-years’ worth of industry experience, working on documentaries and network dramas. He’s creative director of his own production company, filmcafe, which has worked with clients such as the BBC, NHS and McDonalds including unique immersive imaging systems for both ultra-high resolution markets and mobile platforms. His PhD is in virtual reality video, concentrating on user-centred approaches to media creation and consumption by exploring interactions with media in virtual environments.

Before joining LIPA, he worked in universities across Wales, lecturing in television, filmmaking, cinematography and digital media.

Keith Mullin

Head of Department: Management; Music Department: Subject Leader Professional Practice & Music Business

MA, PGDip, FHEA Course Leader  

Keith is a member of Liverpool band The Farm and works as a freelance music professional. The band’s first album reached number one in the UK and they continue to perform at festivals and UK venues. He has also managed bands and artists, and co-owned independent labels Honey Records, Produce Records and recently Vile Entertainment. Keith was also a member of The Justice Collective achieving the 2012 Christmas number one with their recording of He Ain’t Heavy, He’s, My Brother, working with Guy Chambers, Sir Paul McCartney, Mick Jones from The Clash, Robbie Williams and former Spice Girl Mel C.

With over 30 years’ experience in the music industry, he has acquired a knowledge and experience of the industry’s management structures and common business practice which he passes on to his students. He uses a mixture of approaches and methods to ensure that learning feeds into career-focused development for musicians and artists.

With an MA in Music Industry Studies, and PGCert in higher education teaching, he has mentored and taught numerous musicians who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the music industry as songwriters, managers, A&R managers, live music industry media and digital marketing professionals. He continues to maintain relationships with many professional entertainment companies, publishers, record labels, agents, managers, promoters. In addition, he has performed with numerous experienced artists such as, Mick Jones (The Clash), Paul Heaton, Suggs, David Bryn, Susan Vega, Fun Lovin Criminals, Happy Mondays, Take That, Eurasia, Clean Bandit, Madness, The Stone Roses, Beverly Knight, Lightening Seeds, BA Robinson, New Order, Peter Hook & The Light and many other high-profile artists. More recently he worked alongside Rob Sloman as associate producer, composer and music director for the documentary Howard’s Way, the documentary currently features on sky documentaries.

Keith teaches a broad range of subjects across the disciplines of music and management, music industry and business, professional practice, research skills, practical project, work, live music and events, performance techniques and coaching. Keith’s industry knowledge and experience permit a relevant contribution to teaching and learning across multiple disciplines.

Keith possesses an extensive portfolio of professional experience having worked in the music and creative industries for 32 years. Working as a successful artist/entrepreneur since 1989 to the present day, has assisted in acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of music industry conventions and contemporary business practices. Enabling the application of music industry insights and practices within educational settings. Professional experience in Keith’s view is “an integral part of preparing students for a profession, through linking theoretical studies to deliberate practice and their learning”

Publications

What is a good higher education teacher? "Am I what I say I am?" Published 2017-04-18 LJMU Innovations In Practice

Hillsborough Justice Tour 2012 - The John Robb Diary, Book, Chapter Contribution

Music releases

Albums

Spartacus (1991)

Love Sees No Colour (1992)

Hullabaloo (1994)

Pastures Old and New (1986)

Spartacus Live (1991) 

Groovy Times (1991)

Best of The Farm (1998) 

The Very Best of The Farm (2001) [compilation] Back Together Now! Live (2006) All Together with The Farm (2007) [live album] Singles.

Keith’s songs have featured on 90-compilation albums

Singles

Hearts and Minds (1984)

Steps of Emotion (1985)

Some People (1986)

Body and Soul (1989)

Stepping Stone / Family of Man, Groovy Train, All Together Now (1990)

Sinful! (Scary Jiggin' with Doctor Love) with Pete Wylie, Don't Let Me Down, Mind (1991)

Love See No Colour, Rising Sun, Don't You Want Me, Love See No Colour (re-mix) (1992)

Messiah, Comfort (1994)

All Together Now (Everton FA Cup Final version) (1995)

All Together Now 2004 (feat. SFX Boys Choir) (1994)

David Salter

Head of Acting

David is an award-winning theatre director and acting teacher.

Previously he has taught and directed at a number of drama schools including RADA, Mountview, Rose Bruford College, Drama Centre, The American Academy of Performing Arts, New National Theatre Drama Studio, Tokyo and the Manchester School of Theatre, where he led the Acting Programme. 

David attended the Director’s Course at the Royal National Theatre Studio and has directed productions across the UK and internationally, including Brecht’s The Life of Galileo at the Studio Theatre, Washington DC. David was associate director to Peter Stein on David Harrower’s Blackbird at the Edinburgh International Festival, to Howard Barker on his production of Scenes From An Execution at the Barbican and on numerous productions at the Almeida Theatre including Richard II with Ralph Fiennes and the world premiere of The Shape of Things with Rachel Weisz and Paul Rudd.

publications

Contributor to ‘Actor Trainers on Acting: For The Twenty First Century’ Edited by Professor Anna McNamara for Routledge (upcoming)

Dan Sanders

Head of Music (Creative & Technical)

MMus SFHEA Subject Leader, Music Production, School of Music 

As a self-employed music professional, Dan delivered projects with major and indie labels for 15 years before joining LIPA full-time. Day-to-day negotiation with A&R, artist management and label executives plus a practice-based understanding of music rights shaped Dan's experience, allowing him to pick up multiple platinum sales awards for his production work along the way. Dan now looks at how the new generation of music entrepreneurs can meet the challenges of a changing music industry.

Sheryl-Lynne Valensky

Head of Theatre and Performance Design and Production Technology

Sheryl-Lynne has over 20 years of experience in stage management. Specialising in Musical Theatre and Circus she worked for Cirque Du Soleil for 10 years as artistic director, assistant artistic director and general stage manager, touring internationally with five shows. Sheryl-Lynne's other stage management credits include Disney Presents The Lion King and Phantom of The Opera, both in Toronto as well as numerous music and award ceremonies both live and broadcast. An experienced educator, she has previously worked at Guildford School of Acting and East 15 Acting School.

Sheryl-Lynne teaches the roles of stage manager, deputy stage manager and assistant stage manager. As Head of Department, she works closely with production teams to help ensure the quality of shows and performances is maintained and that it is the students who are driving the production process. 

Sheryl-Lynne's extensive and varied experience enables her to bring a unique perspective to her teaching, highlighting to students how they too can create their own individual career path that matches their passions and strengths. Her international work means she is well equipped to give insights into practice outside the UK and highlight global opportunities. 

Andrew Waldron

Head of Musical Theatre

Andrew Waldron (he/him) is an experienced practitioner and educator specialising in Musical Theatre. After training at Italia Conti, Andrew progressed into performing within the Musical Theatre sector with work taking him across the world. His performing credits include Mack & Mabel, 9 to 5, Cabaret, Follies, A Chorus Line, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Happy Days – A New Musical, Annie, and The Sound of Music. Andrew’s performing career introduced him to some of the world’s finest and most innovative creatives.

Alongside his performance career, Andrew delivered masterclasses for drama schools and theatre companies, as well as directing and choreographing many projects and productions. He subsequently continued his studies completing a further degree at Middlesex University and an MA in Theatre at University of Surrey. Andrew is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a Fellow of Advanced HE (FHEA).

Andrew has taught at several drama schools including Mountview, Performers College, and Urdang. Prior to his role at LIPA, Andrew worked at Italia Conti for eight years where he was Deputy Head of the School of Musical Theatre and Dance. Here he supported the development of their undergraduate provision including validation of various BA (Hons) and Cert HE courses and producing multiple industry facing performances and events.

Stuart Crowther

Programme Leader: BA Acting

Stuart (they/them) is an actor, writer, director and drag/performance artist. They trained as an actor at LIPA and completed their postgraduate studies at the University of Manchester and Rose Bruford College. They have appeared in cabaret, fringe theatre, West End productions, TV and film and are an Associate Artist with both All Things Considered Theatre and Threedumb Theatre. Previous work has been seen at the Royal Exchange, Square Chapel, Ambassadors Theatre (West End), Battersea Arts Centre, Unity Theatre, Pleasance (London and Edinburgh), Oldham Coliseum Open Air Theatre.

Most recent credits include - as a writer: Notre Dame de Paris (The Space, Isle of Dogs), DISCO(n)TENT (All Things Considered), as a director: Killer Queen (Sodomite, Hidden, UK tour), Gruesome Playground Injuries, as a performer: Spectrum (Amazon Prime), algebra (Unity Theatre, UK tour). They have taught at several institutions and universities throughout the UK and are a member of LIPA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Stuart’s work focuses primarily on the actor as an individual and the unique perspective each person brings to their work on a role. They encourage students to feel empowered through the use of active imagination and engagement with play and make-believe, whilst remaining committed to ‘telling the story’.

Stuart’s career has run the gamut from performing in squats and with political collectives, through to appearing in the West End and in film. They have worn many a hat and donned many a costume, and, because of this, Stuart has a broad understanding of how industry meets artistry. Stuart is committed to passing on the necessity for the actor/performer to develop their own unique voice and to stay true to the stories they want to tell.

Alan Pearce

Programme Leader: BA Acting (Screen & Digital)

Alan has worked as an actor for 20 years; in live performance at The National Theatre for Nicholas Hynter and in the West End for Rupert Goold; on film in Star Wars: Rogue One; Darkest Hour with Gary Oldman; on TV in Black Mirror and in season 2 of His Dark Materials. Alan has taught screen acting for 10 years at LAMDA and UCA, gaining a PGCert in Arts education in 2018; writing and directing over 15 short films for training actors.

Yusuf Khamisa

Programme Leader: Acting (Contemporary Performance)

Yusuf is an award-winning actor and director celebrated for his work in London’s West End and regional theatres. His directing credits include Children of Killers at Soho Theatre, The Accordion Shop at the National Theatre, and New Labour at Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.

Originally from Salford, Yusuf trained as an actor at London’s ArtsEd, graduating in 2008. Over the years, he has built a distinguished career as a teacher and leader in artist training, having taught at prestigious institutions such as ArtsEd, LAMDA, Mountview, and RADA. Yusuf’s dedication to fostering emerging talent is reflected in his senior leadership roles, including Associate Dean, Head of BA, and Equality, Inclusivity, and Diversity Manager.

Beyond teaching, Yusuf has contributed significantly to the arts sector. At the Lyric Hammersmith, he played a pivotal role in the Young People’s Programme, and as Development Director at IRIS Theatre Covent Garden, he drove innovative initiatives. A passionate advocate for equality, inclusivity, and diversity, Yusuf has designed and led transformative training programmes across multiple industries.

Currently, Yusuf advises Factory International (MIF), facilitates creative projects, and serves as a trustee for ThickSkin Theatre Company. His commitment to storytelling and inclusive practices continues to shape the cultural landscape.

Shóna Lanigan

Programme Leader: BA Acting (Musical Theatre)

Shóna Lanigan (BA Hons, MA, PGCLTHE, FHEA) is a highly experienced teaching fellow, specialising in singing for musical theatre. Her extensive training includes studies at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Rose Bruford College, and University College Cork, providing her with a strong foundation in both performance and academic disciplines. Over the years, she has collaborated with some of Ireland and the UK’s most celebrated musicians and bands, supporting major acts such as Janelle Monáe, The Overtones, and Fatboy Slim.

Shóna's career spans a wide range of media, including studio recordings, radio broadcasts, and televised performances on RTÉ and BBC. She has captivated audiences at renowned festivals such as Boomtown UK and Electric Picnic Ireland, and has performed at many prestigious venues across the UK and Ireland including The Aviva Stadium in Dublin and The Ulster Hall in Belfast. In addition to her teaching career, Shóna continues to work as a professional session vocalist and vocal arranger for clients all over the world.

Her dedication to teaching and her significant contribution to LIPA's musical theatre courses were recently recognised with LIPA's Teaching and Excellence Award - Principal’s Excellence Award 2024. Shóna remains passionate about both performance and education and plans to commence her doctoral studies in musical theatre in the very near future.

Paul Halgarth

Programme Leader: Theatre & Performance Technology

Paul has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, working as a lighting control programmer, production electrician, technical manager, lighting designer, and re-lighter. As a qualified electrician, he also specialises in building bespoke electrical systems for props and installations. Paul has worked across a wide range of live performance genres and scales, collaborating with some of the industry’s leading theatre companies, lighting designers, and creative teams.

Notable recent freelance work includes Lighting Programmer for Journey of a Refugee by Theatre-Rites with Agudo Dance Company (LD: Mark Doubleday); Site Power Manager for Green Space Dark Skies by Walk the Plank; Lighting Programmer for Mozart's La Finta Semplice by Classical Opera (The Mozartists) (LD: Mark Doubleday); and various work for Manchester International Festival, including The Welcoming Party by Theatre-Rites, The Nico Project (LD: Paule Constable), and Tree (LD: Jon Clark).

His academic interests include the use of light as a creative and communicative element in live performance, the relationship between scenography and the spectator, and the influence of technology on performance. As a lecturer at LIPA, he teaches lighting specialism modules, focusing on contemporary industry practices in lighting design, control, electrics, and production. He supports students in their lighting roles across a range of institute productions, mentoring them through the creative and practical challenges of designing and realising live performance. He is also the module leader for the Professional Career module, where he works with students to develop the skills, knowledge, and professional portfolios needed to build sustainable careers in the creative industries.

Caroline Martin

Programme Leader: MA Acting

Lois Maskell

Programme Leader: Theatre & Performance Design

Lois has been shortlisted for the Linbury Prize for Stage Design and was a finalist in the BBC Design Vision competition. Recent collaborations as a set and costume designer include Action Transport Theatre, 20 Stories High, Royal Exchange in Manchester and the BBC comedy series The Mighty Boosh. In 2012, her site-specific designs for renowned company dreamthinkspeak were selected to represent UK design for performance in an exhibition at the V&A Museum in London. She believes that giving students the freedom to learn is essential for them to develop new skills. Her continued professional practice ensures her teaching is current and reflects industry standards.

Toni Bate

Programme Leader: MA Costume Design & Making

After graduating from Liverpool’s prestigious Mabel Fletcher course in 1994, Toni worked for many years as a costume maker, tailor and wardrobe supervisor for theatre, film and television. Theatre credits include the Olivier Award-winning Shockheaded Peter (Albery Theatre, London) as well as work for Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres, Theatr Clwyd, Contact Theatre, Manchester, Dukes Theatre, Lancaster, Leeds Playhouse and Derby Playhouse. TV and film credits include Gormenghast (BBC), The Lost Prince (BBC), Pride & Prejudice (Joe Wright), Revengers Tragedy (Alex Cox) and Vanity Fair (Mira Nair).

Prior to returning to LIPA to develop and lead the MA Costume Making programme Toni was a costume construction lecturer on the BA (Hons) Costume with Textiles degree at the University of Huddersfield. Other further and higher education roles include head of wardrobe, wardrobe supervisor and costume maker at LIPA, specialist costume technician at Edge Hill University, costume lecturer at The City of Liverpool College and costume designer and wardrobe supervisor at Arden School of Theatre in Manchester. Toni is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Toni is an active researcher in the field of costume construction. Her most recent research focuses on historical theatrical costume with an emphasis on reconstruction and the social history of costume making. Her masters by research examined the development of textiles, decoration and embellishment for period costume interpreted for live performance, while other publications have explored the development of allegorical theatrical costume from the Middle Ages to the early European court masques, the concept of the costume store as a living archive and the implications of using historical dress as performance costume.

Publications

Bate, T. (Pending). Ce N'est Pas un Costume: The Absence of the Object in HistoricalCostume Research. Culture Costume and Dress: Proceedings of the 2nd International conference.

Bate, T. (2020). All That Glitters: The Use of Contemporary Textiles in the Interpretation of Period Costume for Theatrical Performance. TEXT: For the Study of Textile Art, Design and History, Vol 46. 

Bate, T. (2017). From Morality Play to Court Masque: A Study of Allegorical Performance Costume from Medieval Dramas to Secular Theatre of the Seventeenth Century. The Journal of Dress History, 1(1).

Bate, T., & Garland, L. (2015). Precious? Journal of Writing in Creative Practice: Re-Writing the Archive, 7(3).

Andrew Hall

Senior Lecturer

Andrew trained at the Royal Ballet School, where he worked with choreographers and artists including Violette Verdy, Jennifer Jackson, Matthew Hart and David Bintley. He spent the duration of his professional career with the Hamburg Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet under the direction of John Neumeier. Andrew believes that classical ballet training is fundamental to supporting a dancer’s development in other dance styles, and loves seeing how his students apply their ballet training across other techniques. He is also a trained Body Control Pilates® teacher.

Chris Layton

Senior Lecturer

Chris has over 20 years of experience as a live sound engineer and specialises in providing practical solutions for complex and challenging acts. He has toured extensively with artists including Prodigy, The Pogues and Chumbawamba. Chris’ experience means he understands both the technical and the equally important non-technical skills needed to work and succeed in the industry. Chris feels that it’s vital to develop a solid understanding of underlying principles before learning to apply these to a range of situations. He relates theoretical concepts to actual projects, allowing students to collaborate, problem solve and gain hands-on experience which reflects real-world production environments. In 2013, Chris won the PRG award for outstanding achievement in education at the inaugural Technical Theatre Awards (TTA), which celebrate the UK live entertainment industry’s backstage professionals.

Steve Parker

Senior Lecturer

Steve’s professional career includes production, songwriting, remixing, session playing, engineering, mixing, arranging and composition. As a writer and producer Steve worked in partnership with Pete Waterman for over a decade, developing projects and achieving releases on all major record labels (BMG, Sony, Warner, EMI, Universal, Jive/Zomba) and working on music projects for national TV and live events. Steve has achieved numerous top 40 singles and albums, attaining 11 platinum album sales. As a remixer, credits include well-known names such as Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue along with many more underground artists, achieving numerous number 1 dance chart positions. Steve believes that listening to and analysis of a wide range of material, coupled with a solid theoretical understanding is key to broadening your understanding of songwriting and of production and arrangement. His extensive experience helps students develop the practical skills and the work ethic and judgment required for a professional career.

Steve leads sessions in songwriting and in music production, delivering lectures, practical workshops, seminars and one-to-one sessions. He takes a practical task-based approach to teaching and developing skills and holds dear the belief that being able to realise your songs and musical ideas as effective demos is vital for any musician working in the music industry today.

Steve’s professional industry experience informs all aspects of his teaching, experiences such as working to deadlines, making decisions, understanding commercial briefs, analysing and understanding unfamiliar styles of music, and being able to realise commercially viable products are central to the experiences he tries to create for students. Steve is acutely aware that while you’re not always fortunate enough to work on what you want, what you create still has to be musically effective.

Mark Atherton

Lecturer

Mark works as an engineer and producer for artists requiring further production work on their material. Mainly focused on electronic music, the majority of his work is in desktop audio. Mark has worked with labels including Soulfuric Recordings, Defected and Ministry of Sound and artists such as Joe Roberts and Melanie Williams. He feels that understanding how to get the most from today’s multi-functional music production programmes are key to helping artists realise their creative aspirations. Having spent 15 years in music production, Mark believes in showing students the possibilities first, then allowing them to shape these possibilities around their own projects.

Liz Carlisle

Lecturer

Liz has worked in the arts and cultural industries in Liverpool since graduating as one of eight people with a BA Hons in Performing Arts with a specialisation in Arts Administration (at the time this undergraduate programme at Leicester Polytechnic was the only one in the UK that specialised in arts management). Having started her career booking and managing 40 tours per year for a local community theatre company she soon became the go-to arts manager in Liverpool, working with Merseyside Arts (the local office of Arts Council), Merseyside Dance Association (a forerunner of Merseyside Dance Initiative), Hope Street Ltd, The Centre for Arts Development Training, Kaboodle Theatre, Loudmouth Mime Theatre, Fun Promotions Theatre Company, Pegasus Puppet Theatre, The Association of Theatres on Merseyside and then becoming Administrative Director for Urban Strawberry Lunch (USL).

During her work with USL Liz helped the organisation transition from a partnership to becoming a Ltd Company and Charity status and secured annual funding from Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council, all whilst moving from a solely managerial role in to becoming a performer, composer, and workshop/education leader too; booking, managing and appearing in tours of Singapore, Malta, Cyprus, France, Belgium and Ireland as well as working across the UK in a variety of site specific and arts venues. Her work also included many TV and Radio appearances (live and recorded, including 2 for Blue Peter which resulted in being awarded a Silver Badge!) Her professional experience includes fundraising and financial management, client and stakeholder liaison and relationships, marketing, tour booking and management, business and operational planning, lighting operator, driver, marketing and PR, roadie, performer, composer and arranger, artistic direction and much more.

Whilst working with USL Liz was involved with the transformation of Liverpool’s Bombed Out Church from a no-go zone to an open air venue hosting an exhibition by Yoko Ono and performances from big name acts including The Kooks, (British) Sea Power, Clinic and John Head; leading her to develop venue management skills including Front of House, Health and Safety, Licensing, Programming and more. She was also involved with the opening of Capital of Culture 2008, appearing on the roof of St George’s Hall with Ringo Starr.

In 2014 Liz moved into the field of community development working with adults who were isolated for a variety of reasons, helping them to build an independent support organisation before moving to another role working with adults in crisis (housing or financial) and helping them build skills and competencies to prevent the cycle of crisis recurring. During this time Liz was also the Participation Coordinator for 20 Stories High theatre company and volunteered with some large-scale projects including Liverpool Lantern Company’s spring festival and the World Athletics and International Para Athletics Championships.

Liz has been teaching at LIPA since 2012, has a PG Cert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. As much of Liz’s professional work has taken place in unusual and ‘found’ spaces as well as in traditional theatre and community settings she brings her practical experience to the front and centre of her teaching, believing that developing an understanding of all aspects of producing and managing a performance or project helps create the most effective managers.

Liz teaches Live Events and Performance Management, Raising Funds and Managing Finance, and Music, Entertainment, Theatre and Events in the Contemporary World; as well as working as a supervising tutor across several other modules. She also leads on LIPA Enterprise – a scheme to award small grants to student and alumni enterprise projects undertaken outside their studies and post-graduation.

Matthew Dudley

Lecturer

Matthew has taught on and led professional training and degree programmes for over 15 years. After studying at Trinity College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he performed in the UK and in Europe. Matthew has taught voice, text and singing at several respected training institutions, including Guildford School of Acting and Italia Conti, and has delivered workshops throughout the UK for organisations such as Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the British Voice Association. He is a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and has taught on the certification programme in Los Angeles. His teaching is influenced by his study of classical and contemporary voicework, and incorporates movement work, mindfulness and concepts taken from his study of psychotherapeutic modalities.

Jamie Fitzgerald

Lecturer

Over the last 20 years Jamie has worked across almost every facet of theatre, productions, and live events. As a scenic construction and construction project management specialist, Jamie is passionate about delivering  training that bridges the gap between time honoured processes and the very latest technological developments. 

Jamie’s recent professional work includes, workshop managing projects for end clients such as Gucci, Rolls Royce, Puma, and Bentley. Special collection launches by Yayoi Kusama and Pharrell for Louis Vuitton. Red-carpet events for Apple TV and BBC as well as immersive experiences for Secret Cinema. 

Academically Jamie holds both a BA in Contemporary Art and a PGCE in Design and Technology. Between 2016–2022 he ran the scenic construction workshops for Guildford School of Acting. Since 2020 he has been the external examiner for Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s foundation degrees in both Scenic Construction and Scenic Art. 

For Jamie, working in theatre and live events provides the perfect vehicle for making cool stuff in a creative and collaborative environment. He aims to share this passion for his chosen industry with his students while helping them explore the many transferable skills that his specialism has to offer.

Kay Hilton

Lecturer

Kay originally came from a dance performance background, moving into choreography in the days of Stock, Aitken and Waterman and then into show production for UK and International theatre, film and television. She produced and choreographed corporate fashion and trade shows for companies such as Clarks, Adidas, All Sports, Warrior Sports, Asian Sound Radio, Argos, Flannels, House of Fraser and Manchester Fashion Week. Kay is a founding director of KMC Agencies (London and Manchester) and has placed dancers with artistes such as Kylie, Cher and 50 Cent tour and also in UK and International (Hollywood) blockbuster films.

Dr Dori Howard

Lecturer

Dori is a popular music researcher and writer. She is one of fewer than 100 people in the world to hold an MA in the Beatles, Popular Music and Society, and she has a PhD in Popular Music. Her key research interests are the Beatles and Liverpool, genre studies, and popular music ethnography. More recently, her research focuses on gender and embodiment in popular music.

 Dori is a public speaker on the Beatles and other popular music topics and has been consulted in online, print, and television media considerations of popular music, including BBC World News. She is a member of the International Association of Popular Music (IASPM UK and USA).

Bob James

Lecturer

Bob has over 30 years of music industry experience including working in publishing, record labels, management, digital and other areas of exploitation of intellectual copyright. During this time, he has built up a strong network of contacts in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Germany and Asia as well as the UK.

Bob was founder and former CEO of Music House, which was the UK’s largest and most successful independent music promotions company. It worked with most of the UK and Europe’s largest labels and artists on club, radio, TV and international promotions.

He left Music House in 2002 to set up Asylum, managing the careers of various song writing and production teams including DEEKAY Music in Copenhagen and has through strategic co-writing and artist development built relationships with most of the major songwriters and producers worldwide. His writing and production credits have been responsible for over 60 million records sold. 

Artist management included a selection of platinum selling acts, including Misteeq, and he has developed acts that have involved Randy Jackson (American Idol) and Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac). 

Bob was instrumental in the negotiation of the first ever digital deal with Universal Records and has done ground-breaking deals for his artists involving major brands, including Motorola.  

Still an active manager, Bob’s roster of artists includes Kelvin Jones (gold and platinum selling artist in Germany) and Hannah Trigwell. He has been a consultant to Arista Records (BMG) and EMI Records and been part of a production team with projects signed to Warners, MCA and Telstar Records.

Bob now runs Get Money from Music, where he mentors and coaches' songwriters, producers, recording artists and music industry entrepreneurs. He regularly sits on industry panels and lectures on the music industry and new business models across the UK and Europe.

Bob currently works on the MPP modules and mentors' performance, songwriting and production students at LIPA. He provides feedback, support and guidance as he uses his experience to guide students on the best way to navigate the music industry. 

Through his years of experience Bob has learnt that artists need support not only in business but also with their mindset and creativity. Before entering the creative industries, you need to learn how to understand and deal with the pressures you will be under, be your authentic self and have the right knowledge to help you navigate your way to success. Bob’s role with students is to help them create possibility.

Gillian Knox

Lecturer

Gillian is a highly experienced devised performance maker and artist, having worked in the sector for over 15 years. She is a founder member of the critically acclaimed Pigeon Theatre, which specialises in experimental, site-specific and interactive works and was an associate artist at Manchester’s Greenroom Theatre. Gillian’s current research is practice-led and focuses on applying documentary and verbatim techniques to creating fictive performances. Gillian believes that the best way to learn is through actually making work, enhanced by a firm understanding of critical theory and current practice and consolidated by critical reflection.

Pippa Lea

Lecturer

Pippa, MCIPR, has over 20 years’ experience in arts marketing in the areas of PR and audience development, visitor economy strategy, digital strategy and website development, stakeholder communications, ticketing and visitor experience. She has held press, PR, communications, marketing and audience development positions at the National Portrait Gallery, Foster + Partners Architects, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Floral Pavilion Theatre and Conference Centre, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) Liverpool and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. In 2000, as part of the PR and Development team at the National Portrait Gallery, she led on stakeholder management for the royal opening of the new Ondaatje Wing. Following this she joined global architecture firm, Foster + Partners, in a press, PR and public engagement role. Key projects included: City Hall, Wembley Stadium, and 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), and coordinating Architecture Week and Heritage Open Week events.

As PR and Communications Manager for Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Pippa created and implemented a two-year PR and communications strategy for the opening of the new Everyman Theatre. She also led the theatres’ press and PR campaigns for Liverpool’s Capital of Culture Year working in partnership with Liverpool City Council’s Culture Team. During this time, Pippa worked with actors including, Kim Cattrall, Pete Postlethwaite, Jonathan Pryce, Matthew Kelly, Leanne Best (LIPA graduate) and David Morrissey. She also managed campaigns for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award-winning Unprotected and stage premieres of Ghost Stories and The Ladykillers. Pippa was also the website manager, overseeing two website redesigns. 

At FACT Liverpool Pippa headed the Marketing and Communications Team where she led a full rebrand and new visual identity working with leading creative design agency, Praline. She also managed the creation of a new website to coincide with the organisation’s 15th birthday. 

In 2019, Pippa undertook a deep-dive 18-month consultancy role as Marketing and Audience Development Director at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod funded by Welsh Government’s Major Events Unit. Remit and deliverables included: an audience development strategy with long-term strategic planning; upskilling and reviewing the marketing team; a marketing campaign strategy to nurture a daytime visitor market resulting in a 17% increase in overall visitors and a 20% increase in daytime visitors; introducing the Audience Finder segmentation add-on tool to the organisation and integrating it with the Box Office system (Spektrix) to introduce dynamic e-comms content and dynamic ticketing initiatives. 

Pippa is also an Associate Freelance Consultant for Counterculture LLP who provide specialist professional services across strategy, finance, law, management, governance and capital projects throughout the UK and internationally. 

She is a Member of the AMA (Arts Marketing Association), a Member of the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) and Chair of St Helens Cultural Hubs NPO Advisory Board. She was previously Co-Chair of Wirral Visitor Economy Board, a LEP (Liverpool Enterprise Partnership) Visitor Economy Board Member, and on the Steering Group for the Wirral Council Visitor Economy Strategy.

Pippa is Level 4 Module Leader for Marketing, Managing Organisations, and Introduction to Professional Practice (IPP) within Theatre, Music, Entertainment and Events.

The Marketing module provides an understanding of marketing concepts and strategic marketing management whilst developing abilities to identify tools for creating marketing campaigns and measuring success.

Managing Organisations covers a range of theoretical management concepts relating to the management of organisations within the creative industries.

IPP introduces the basics of a variety of different creative and arts activities, laying the building blocks for the forthcoming years.

Our students appreciate the direct link between learning and professional application. Using personal case studies and recent professional experience across a range of industries and organisations, Pippa can provide a contemporary overview of roles within the creative industries and some of the up-to-date tools that are being used across a range of practices.

Dr Sam McKay

Lecturer

Samuel works across a number of exciting fields in the arts and culture sector, in recent years with organisations like Leeds Playhouse, Pockets Theatre, Chol Theatre, fairandfunky, Faceless Arts, Front Room Productions, and Red Ladder Theatre. He trained in Community Drama at LIPA (2014), before achieving an MA at Durham University in Culture and Difference (2015). He now holds a PhD from the University of Leeds (2019), where his research developed philosophies of applied theatre practice.

His main interests and experience lie in applied theatre and community arts, site specific theatre, queer theatre, and the development of new shows. He has led a significant amount of projects with refugees and asylum seekers, schools and young people, and developed innovative creative projects for older people. Beyond this he has skills and experience in project management, directing for non-traditional spaces, marketing and audience development, creative outreach, and monitoring and evaluation processes. He continues to make creative work with communities across the north of England and generates new ways of thinking through his research.

Samuel leads and delivers a number of modules that look to develop professional skills that will foster sustained work and employment beyond graduation, alongside their acting and performance skills as they relate to applied theatre practice. Some of these modules are project based, for example Theatre in Education, where he prepares students to work with young people in Merseyside in the delivery of their own participatory performances.

McKay, S. (2019) Dislocating Applied Theatre: Crossing the Borders between Practice and Context. PhD thesis, University of Leeds.

McKay, S. & Bradley, J. (2016). How does arts practice engage with narratives of migration from refugees? Lessons from ‘utopia’. Arts and Communities, Special Edition Arts, Activism and Human Rights, 8(1-2), pp.31-46.

Paul Mitchell-Davidson

Lecturer

Paul has been a professional musician for over 50 years, starting out in pop music before moving on to jazz and classical. His career has spanned radio, TV, theatre and dance and he has worked as a studio session musician for radio and TV as well as a composer, arranger, musical director, conductor and performer. Paul has arranged for pop and rock acts including rap artist Red Venom, N-Trance and China Crisis. Having worked in most areas of the music profession at the highest level, he is able to pass on the techniques and pragmatic elements involved in making a living writing music.

Carl Parris

Lecturer

Carl is an experienced dancer, singer and actor performing across all genres. He made his film debut in Superman 2 aged eight-years-old, his West End debut, as an eleven-year-old, in Bugsy Malone and rehearsed with Hollywood legend Gene Kelly for a Royal Command Performance. Carl’s other theatre credits include Cats, Anything Goes, Fame and Smokey Joe's Cafe. His film and TV work includes Jesus Christ Superstar, Gulliver’s Travels, Muppets Most Wanted, Game of Thrones, House of Dragon and Wicked Parts 1 and 2. Carl helped create work with Lloyd Newson on JOHN as part of the DV8 Physical Theatre company. He was also resident choreographer at the Hackney Empire. Carl's vast experience allows him to tap into different methods and styles to empower, nurture and instil confidence in his students.

Daniel Pope

Lecturer

Daniel has many years’ experience in broadcasting and film production. A genuine fascination with postproduction and Visual effects led to a role at Framestore where he worked for many years on a variety of projects from Feature films to commercials. Upon moving to the North, he took the role of VFX editor on the BBC Worst witch, after which he began lecturing at various universities. Daniel takes great pleasure in sharing and growing his knowledge.

Lisi Perry

Lecturer

Lisi has been a practising dance artist for over 25 years and is the founder and artistic director of COLLISION. She has worked with choreographers and companies including Scottish Dance Theatre, Motionhouse Dance Theatre and Jasmin Vardimon, touring and teaching regionally, nationally and internationally. Lisi directs and choreographs work in theatre and unconventional non-theatre spaces, including large-scale projects on beaches, in museums, police stations and parks, and has even involved JCB diggers. She encourages students to be fully engaged with a range of methodologies and approaches, whether they are familiar or unknown, and to immerse themselves in all aspects of their study.

Beth Vyse

Lecturer

Beth is a critically acclaimed and award-winning creator/performer. She recently finished an international tour of her own show As Funny As Cancer, she also has national and regional theatre, global RSC, BBC, and ITV credits to her name. Over the last 20 years she has worked tirelessly within an industry she adores to become an established comedian, director, and lecturer – sharing her wealth of experience to help educate and encourage those with her shared passion for performance.

Pete Philipson

Lecturer

Pete has been involved in the audio and music industry for around 30 years. His activities involve recording, mixing and performing music, where he both collaborates with other artists and works on his own productions. His recordings have been released on established independent labels including Fire, Leaf and Static Caravan, and they have been played on BBC 6 Music, Radio 2 and Radio 3. Musicians he has worked with recently include Jane Weaver, Nancy Elizabeth and Jon Thorne. As a guitarist he has played many notable venues and festivals including Glastonbury, Green Man and SXSW.

His qualifications include a BEng in Electroacoustics and a Masters in Music Technology. Before joining LIPA as a lecturer in 2003, he worked as a sound technology lecturer at Salford University, and before that as an audio research assistant and test engineer. He is a member of the Audio Engineering Society.

Pete mostly teaches course content associated with recording studio operations and the audio theory behind this technology. The modules that he leads are Sound Technology Theory, Studio Design, Creative Signal Processing, Immersive Audio and Research Project. He also contributes to Digital Audio and Advanced Studio Techniques modules.

Jacqueline Shi

Lecturer

Jacqueline accumulated many awards during her early dance training and was part of the National Youth Dance Company. She trained at the Ballet Rambert Academy in London before joining Janet Smith and Dancers. Jacqueline later became a principal soloist in the Rambert Dance Co under the direction of Richard Alston and Christopher Bruce. She has worked with world renowned choreographers and performed extensively on television and film. Jacqueline established her own company which unites Liverpool and China, and she works to secure graduate employment across Asia. Jacqueline directs shows which bring together students from all disciplines to develop their understanding of the collaborative process.

Dr Veronica Skrimsjö

Lecturer

Veronica has a BA (Hons.) and MA in popular music studies, and a PhD that focused on popular music, aesthetics, and record collecting. She has been teaching at HE-level since 2009 and is a fellow of the HEA.

Veronica’s research is primarily concerned with record collecting and collecting cultures, materiality and aesthetics. One of her main aims is to highlight how diverse and active popular music fandom and consumption is, and she has a clear focus on the listener and reader-response theories. In 2016 she published the book ‘I, Me, Mine?’: An Initial Consideration of (Popular Music Record) Collecting Aesthetics, Identities & Practices, and more recently published the book The Vinyl Revival, Gender, and Collecting Aesthetics.

Veronica is the co-chair and a founding member of the Society for Music Production Research (SMPR), and the Journal of Music Production (Intellect Books), and sits on the editorial board for The British Pop Archive book series (Manchester University Press). She regularly provides research commentary for various media, including radio, television, and print, and she is the sole owner of the Cunard Yanks record collection.

Selected publications/research

‘I, Me, Mine?’: An Initial Consideration of (Popular Music Record) Collecting Aesthetics, Identities & Practices (2016)

The Vinyl Revival, Gender, and Collecting Aesthetics (2025)

A selection of shorter works is available via www.veronicasvinyl.com

Alex Smith

Lecturer

Prior to joining the music team at LIPA, Alex worked extensively as a session musician throughout the UK. Alex’s professional experiences span performance, direction, and composition. Working in theatres throughout the region, Alex regularly undertakes diverse roles from acting as Musical Supervisor to performing as a multi-instrumentalist in pit orchestras; including trumpet, bass and keyboards. Alex has a master’s in music composition and performs regularly as part of the Band of the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment within the British Army.

Paul Stakounis

Lecturer/Teaching Fellow

Paul graduated with LIPA’s very first intake of students in 1998 and worked as a gigging engineer, producer and studio consultant for a number of years before joining the Sound Technology teaching team. He is a multi-instrumentalist and composer, currently composing for his own untitled music project. Paul helps students deconstruct the technical and creative processes of professional studio engineers and encourages them to apply these processes in their own work. He also supports students to embed professional practises in their work, preparing them for entry level jobs, and allowing them to convert these early opportunities into long-term technical and creative careers.

Dr Ryan Taylor

Lecturer

Ryan has a specialist knowledge of scriptwriting, transmedia storytelling, paratextuality, convergence culture, fandom, American television, media representations of gender, horror film theory and screenwriting. Having worked in academia for over a decade, he has lectured at various universities (including The University of Southampton and The University of Portsmouth) and taught modules/topics on: Crime Television; Gender, Sexuality & Cinema; Early Hollywood; British Cinema, Horror Film; Cultures of Consumption and Screenwriting. He is also a member of the advisory board of peer reviewers for three academic journals and has written numerous articles and book reviews, along with presenting papers at various internationally prestigious conferences.

While at LIPA, and specialising in scriptwriting practice and broader topics of media theory, Ryan delivers modules on the Filmmaking and Creative Technologies programme which include: Story, Script & Authorship (Level 4); Writing for Camera & Audio (Level 5); Devised Collaborative Live & Digital Performance (Level 5); Spoken Word (Level 6); Cross Platform Perspectives (Level 6); and Core Ideas/Theories (Levels 4, 5 & 6). Throughout these modules, Ryan has been a keen advocate for workshopping and peer feedback and is especially enthusiastic about active, student-centred learning. Indeed, he believes that lecturers are not the custodians but rather the facilitators of knowledge and it is their job to encourage rather than dictate critical discourse, intellectual enquiry and creative practice. As such, he strives to create an environment of interactive exchange in which learners can discuss their ideas and, collectively, we can stitch different perspectives together to form a larger holistic understanding. Within such an environment and collaborative knowledge community, we can all investigate, debate and learn together - it is only through communal exploration and discussion that we can analyse artistic practice and develop our own skills as storytellers.

Ryan’s lectures/research interrogate social inequalities concerning race, gender and sexuality and the ways in which unequal power relations are normalised/challenged by our storytelling cultures which have never been more important as we live in a polarised world of division, fragmentation, and misinformation. However, storytelling enables us to communicate our perspectives, speak truth to power and give voice to diverse cultural experiences. Storytelling is where we can imagine a better future and bring it to life.

This year, Ryan’s key publications include:

Chapters in Edited Collections:

2022. Dexter: Forensic Scientists, ‘Orientated’ Audiences & the Dark Defender of the Social Order. In R. Janicker (Ed.), The Scientist in Popular Culture. Maryland: Lexington Books.

Journal Articles: 

2022. Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal: Cannibalizing the Canon. Published in the special issue of the Journal of Screenwriting entitled ‘The New Screenplay? Emerging Screenwriting Styles, Modes, and Languages’ [expected November 2022).

Gillian Walsh

Lecturer

Gillian has many years of experience working in regional theatre, where she held roles from venue management and project management to fundraising. She has served on various boards for independent theatre companies, arts organisations and charities. Gillian holds an MSc in Music and Creative Industries Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies. She uses her extensive professional experience and theoretical knowledge to enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of the industry. From her time in the third sector, where she raised funds for arts and community projects, Gillian is able to support students with finding funds for their own real-life projects.

Emma Wright

Lecturer

Emma worked as a design assistant, scene painter, prop maker and production co-ordinator at a special effects creature workshop at Shepperton Studios, before becoming a production manager at the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse. She enjoys running explorative making workshops and using her breadth of experience to mentor students on their production work, encouraging them to apply and develop their skills on varied projects. Emma feels that learning on the job is a great way to nurture practical skills, as well as a committed work ethic and collaborative skills – and hopefully have fun at the same time.

Blas Barragán

Assistant Lecturer

Geth Griffith

Assistant Lecturer

Rick Jupp

Assistant Lecturer/Teaching Fellow

After spending over 30 years as co-founder, co-songwriter and drummer in the band Elbow, Rick left to explore his passion for teaching and mentoring musicians of all ages and abilities, researching the physical and mental benefits of drumming for both neuro-diverse and neuro-typical people of all ages, spend time with his family and re-connect with the drums.

This journey is taking Rick from being in one of the UK's biggest and critically acclaimed bands, touring the world, winning BRIT's, Ivor Novello's and a Mercury Prize to running Workshops and Masterclasses at Universities, Colleges and schools nationwide, to 1-2-1 teaching and mentoring Sessions at his Drum Studio in Manchester, to continually expanding his formal teaching at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

Rick is continually working on creative side projects, contributing to live, remote and studio session work, writing, recording and just enjoying playing.

Hayli Kincade

Assistant Lecturer

Hayli Kincade is a Liverpool-based contemporary vocal and performance coach, singer-songwriter, and community arts facilitator. She holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Practice (2013) and has been a Fellow Music Lecturer at LIPA University since 2016, supporting emerging artists in both educational and professional settings. Hayli is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Hayli’s performance career includes singing for the Pope at the Vatican in 2025 as part of the Grace for the World Concert, where she performed as global choir member, backing artists such as Pharrell Williams, Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, and Jennifer Hudson. A ‘Merseyside Women of the Year’ finalist in 2023, she is recognised for her positive impact across communities and her work using voice for artist development, therapy, and wellbeing. She is Musical Director at Dramatic Recovery and currently the MD of Wavertree Community Gospel Choir.

Becci Morrell

Assistant Lecturer

Martin Smith

Assistant Lecturer

With over 25 years of professional experience, Martin’s recording credits include The Coral, Super Furry Animals and The Lightning Seeds, among many others. Martin is a lifetime member of cult jazz-punk beat combo The Wizards of Twiddly, and has toured extensively in Europe with The Muffin Men (Frank Zappa tribute band) and The BrassHoppers, a New Orleans-style street band. Outside teaching, Martin’s main focus is The Weave, an internationally-acclaimed jazz sextet. His experience of playing with groups of all genres means he has a good understanding of what’s required to become a high-functioning and valuable member of any ensemble.

Mike Smith

Assistant Lecturer

A saxophone and keyboard player with over 20 years of experience, among the artists Mike has worked with are Elkie Brooks, Tony Hadley, Kid Creole, Heather Small, ABC and Sandi Thom. He is sax and keys player for international brand Cream, performing as part of its Cream Classics shows with K-Klass and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Mike teaches one-to-one saxophone lessons. 

Jim Spencer

Assistant Lecturer

Jim has worked in the music industry as a freelance sound engineer, music producer, mix engineer and mastering engineer for 30 years. During that time, he has produced, engineered, and mixed many platinum and gold selling albums for artists including New Order, The Charlatans, Johnny Marr, Black Grape, Electronic and Robert Wyatt to name just a few. He teaches part-time at LIPA and while continuing to produce, mix and master at his own studio in Manchester and at EVE studios in Stockport.

Jim runs MPP seminars for 1st and 2nd years and teaches one to ones for 3rd year students on The Producer module. Additionally, Jim runs studio production workshops for 1st and 2nd years and production drop ins available to all students.

Gary Horner

Technical Skills Coordinator

Gary trained as an actor at Guildford School of Acting before going on to work professionally throughout the UK. Subsequently he went on to gain his MA from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in Voice studies and trained intensively with author of Freeing the Natural Voice, Kristin Linklater to become a designated Linklater teacher. Gary is an internationally recognised voice coach and director and has worked extensively within the UK Drama School sector.
 
Alongside being the skills co-ordinator for the School of Performance, Gary continues to work professionally as a voice coach and director. His credits include: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse & UK Tour), Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe), Syncopated (Liverpool Everyman), Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe), Cowbois (Royal Shakespeare Company & The Royal Court), Henry VI Part 3 (Royal Shakespeare Company),  Acts of Resistance (Bristol Old Vic), The Boy with Two Hearts (Wales Millennium Centre), Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre, London), Brainstorm (National Theatre), Macbeth (Stromness Theatre), Titus Andronicus (Bedlam Theatre), Reverie (Pleasance Theatre), Three’s Company (Tristan Bates) Romeo and Juliet (Chocolate Factory), Hello, Mr Capello (Watford Palace Theatre), In His Image (Hampstead Theatre), The Arsonists (Watford Palace Theatre), Bush Bazaar (Bush Theatre), Sour Lips (Oval House).

Publications/research

A non-elitist approach to Professional Development in Actor Training - Drama and Theatre Publication – Summer Term 1 – 2019/20 (Publication)

Northern Centre for Voice and Movement bringing Cultural Capital to a forgotten land – International Network for Voice Symposium – 2019 (Presentation)

Rosemary Berkon

Teaching Fellow

Rosemary is an actor, voice coach and community facilitator. She trained as an actor at ALRA and as a voice coach at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. As an actor Rosemary has toured nationally, performing at venues such as HOME theatre, The Leeds Playhouse, Theatre 503, The North Wall Arts Centre and Manchester Opera House. With a passion for new writing and outreach she has worked as a performer and facilitator to create original work that emphasises community engagement with various theatre companies including Odd Arts, Papatango, Quantum Theatre and Byteback Theatre.

She brings her experience as a performer and facilitator into her teaching, alongside her experience as a private coach, which sees her work with many different voices encouraging confidence and communication. She currently works with clients in preparation for auditions, public speaking (that has included TEDx talks) and at other drama schools.

Rosemary is fascinated by accents, how speech is made and the social implications of teaching this to actors. She is a member of The Voice and Speech Trainers Association, passionate about cutting-edge pedagogy and aims to work with a sense of community and inclusivity in her studio spaces.

Rosemary understands the resilience required to sustain a career in the theatre industry, she endeavours to share with honesty challenges from her professional experience and also her hopes for the future of the creative arts.

Kate Blair

Teaching Fellow

Kate is a singer-musician who has enjoyed a dual career as a performer and teacher since the early 2000s. An experienced vocal and performance coach holding both a PGCE and an MA by Research in Vocal Pedagogy, Kate has a particular interest in working with pop/rock artists in order to develop their individual sound and the expressive skills required for effective live and recorded performance.

Kate specialises in contemporary vocal technique, rooted in an in-depth knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the voice and 'voice science'. Having trained extensively with international voice pedagogues in a wide-range of areas such as Estill Voice Training, Accent Method and Primal Voice, Kate continues to develop her teaching and performance practice, keeping up to date with the latest research.

Vocal health and rehabilitation are key areas of Kate’s practice and she is an active member of The British Voice Association, regularly working and training alongside interdisciplinary voice professionals, such as speech and language therapists. Kate works with singers to develop efficient vocal technique and an understanding of how to look after the voice, reducing the risk of vocal fatigue and other vocal issues which may arise as a result of busy gigging and recording schedules.  This technique also underpins the exploration of the capabilities of the vocal instrument and the development of the artist’s individual sound and expressive performance.

Kate's approach is holistic and she draws on a wide range of research and related practice in order to develop the skills required by the contemporary singer and artist-songwriter. Kate’s research interests include interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary singer training; her postgraduate research focussing on Laban technique and Michael Chekhov technique.  Her current research centres on somatic movement practices and how they may be utilised in order to build healthy vocal technique and to develop stage skills such as physical expression, emotional connection, stage presence and artist persona. Kate plans to extend this work to explore the use of physical techniques in combination with other approaches, such as Primal Sound.

David Bowen

Teaching Fellow

David Bowen, also known as Gafro, is a Teaching Fellow with over 30 years of experience teaching in both schools and higher education. He successfully gained his PGCE in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Theatre and Performing Arts) in 2019.

He has studied percussion across Europe, Cuba, and West Africa, including learning from the late Mamady Keita.

David’s main area of performance work has been in percussion and street bands. He has performed with Inner Sense Percussion Orchestra and was the founder and musical director of Rapataka. His career includes notable performances such as playing at the opening of the Millennium Dome for the turn of the century and appearing at the Royal Albert Hall for the Blue Peter Proms.

His live work has taken him around the globe, and he has performed at many major UK festivals, including Glastonbury and the Glasgow International Jazz Festival.

With an active interest in global musical styles, David has also performed with musicians and bands worldwide, such as Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Hassan Irraji.

He has collaborated with the Hallé Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed with The Shovel Heads alongside Richard Neman and Jodie Linscott.

Although David now focuses mainly on full-time teaching in higher education and several schools through the Sefton Schools Music Service, he also co-runs Waterloo Drummers, a local community organisation. Through this group, he performs with local artists and accompanies DJs in clubs around the region.

His past club work includes performances at Liverpool’s Cream and Manchester’s Hacienda.

Carlo Bowry

Teaching Fellow

Oliver Collins

Teaching Fellow

With over 15 years’ experience tutoring bass at HE level, Ollie has developed a teaching method that suits the technical needs of the modern bass guitar student. Creative learning methods include recording/production as well as the application of music language and essential styles. Ollie is an active freelance bass player with over 25 years’ experience whose credits include recording and performances with Sister Sledge, The Temptations, Badly Drawn Boy, Black Rivers, Nearly Dan, Manchester Camerata and the Halle Orchestra. As an artist, Ollie Collins has produced several self-titled albums across various digital platforms. 

Paul Doyle

Teaching Fellow

Tony Draper

Teaching Fellow

Tony is a freelance recording engineer, mixer and producer, who mainly works out of Parr Street Studios and Real World Studios. Tony was one of the engineers on the Justice Collective 2012 Christmas number one single He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother. His work on albums for recent clients from China, Canada, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and Switzerland has taken him to New York, South Africa, Norway, Paris. Tony’s day to day professional practice in software and production technique means he’s able to pass on his skills and expertise in the most current production trends and technology.

Jimmy Docherty

Teaching Fellow

Throughout his career, he has worked extensively as both a guitarist and vocalist, performing as a session musician for internationally recognised artists including Ronan Keating and Guy Sebastian. His performance and recording portfolio further includes work with established acts such as Stereophonics, GUN, Thunder, Terry Reid, The Searchers, and the Michael McGoldrick Big Band. These engagements highlight his stylistic versatility and sustained presence across diverse sectors of the contemporary music landscape.

In addition to his performance career, Jimmy formerly ran a songwriting and production company called Northern Song Collective, which operated under the publishing umbrella of Hornall Bros Music. His industry reputation has also been reinforced through his longstanding endorsement by Lakewood Guitars, a German manufacturer of handcrafted instruments.

Jimmy’s extensive professional background informs a pedagogical approach grounded in real-world experience, enabling students to develop both technical proficiency and an informed understanding of the demands of the modern music industry. 

Joe Duddell

Teaching Fellow

Sophie Elliott

Teaching Fellow

Peter Fairclough

Teaching Fellow

As a freelance drummer for 40 years, among the many artists Peter has worked with are Ute Lemper, John Harle and Keith Tippett. He has experience in theatre, film, TV, big band and recording and has released five albums of his own music. Peter has played across Europe, Canada, Hong Kong and India and attended the Drum Fantasy Camp in Chicago where he studied with Mark Guiliana, Antonio Sanchez, Virgil Donati and Dave Weckl. Peter continues to record with the Discus Music label.

Peter teaches weekly one-to-one drum lessons. He delivers a syllabus he has created especially for LIPA that is designed to produce creative, professional drummers who can prove themselves worthy of a degree. The lessons are based on a playlist of classic recordings.

In preparing students for their professional careers, Peter teaches classic grooves, interpreting the snare drum rudiments for the kit, co-ordination and reading – all of which he has called upon in his career.

Jim Faulkner

Teaching Fellow

Jim Faulkner has been a professional guitarist for more than 20 years, working in studios, touring bands, theatre shows, tribute shows, and original bands. 

Known for his versatility, he has recorded and performed in genres as diverse as contemporary classical music, progressive rock, fusion, contemporary jazz, traditional jazz and world music. 

He has appeared at venues across Europe and continues to perform regularly with a variety of artists across the UK. Primarily known as a jazz guitarist, Jim has performed at many UK jazz festivals including Manchester, Liverpool, London and Brecon among others.

As well as maintaining a busy freelance schedule, Jim can be heard performing regularly with the world music group Unfurl (who he also composes for) and with Gavin Barras' Family Tree. 

Jim is currently writing for his own solo project and will be recording his debut album to be released in 2023.

In Jim’s one-to-one guitar lessons he wants to help the students develop a strong musical foundation and show them how to join the dots between music theory, technique and their instrument. This is how the student can become empowered and find their own identity as a musician and guitarist. 

In the improvisation lectures Jim wants to help the students learn how to express themselves and how to become a better musician within a band setting, how to support others within the group and how to become more fluent on their instruments. Playing different genres which use improvisation is a great way to build ability and confidence. 

Jim feels most comfortable in settings where he is improvising, expressing what he is hearing and feeling through his instrument. As this is the area he mostly works in Jim is constantly looking for ways to improve his abilities in this and on his instrument, through this he develops methods to progress which he can then pass on to students. 

Alex Germains

Teaching Fellow

Over the course of a lifetime’s involvement in the entertainment industries, Alex has worked across the whole continuum of artistic communication - from the mainstream to the esoteric - taking in Circus, Classical Music, deals and releases with Deltasonic, Mute Records, Mute Song Publishing, and Upitup Records, and bass guitar for Echo and The Bunnymen. In addition, he has been performing co-production and creative consultancy duties with 6 Music favourites Stealing Sheep since 2014.

At the other end of the spectrum, Alex works in electro-acoustic composition and sound art, sound design and composition for moving image, and behind-the-camera production work for music video and film.

This ‘anything goes’ approach informs his teaching work, leading to a student-centred work ethic that encourages any and all creative perspectives, whilst remaining focused on viable career outcomes.

Arabella Gibbins

Teaching Fellow

Arabella is an actor, voice-over artist and voice coach. Her one-woman show Big Bad won an Origins Award for Outstanding New Work and is touring this summer. Arabella is a singer-songwriter, musical comedienne and she’s even done backing vocals for Robbie Williams. As a professional performer Arabella understands the demands of the industry. Her valuable experience on stage and in the vocal booth means she is informed and knowledgeable in the rehearsal room.

Rachel Griffiths

Teaching Fellow

Rachel is a LIPA graduate with over 30 years ’experience as a performer and voice teacher. Her professional career includes major national and international theatre and music tours, working both as a performer and vocal consultant. She currently teaches on the music and dance (musical theatre) programmes at LIPA.

Rachel’s teaching is underpinned by a strong foundation in vocal anatomy, physiology, and voice science. She holds an MA in Performing Arts Medicine and Vocal Pedagogy, specialising in the clinical care of the voice and the science of song and dance. In addition, she has trained extensively with leading international voice pedagogues, including in Estill Voice Training and Primal Voice.

Rachel works with singers to develop efficient, sustainable vocal technique alongside a thorough understanding of vocal health and care. Her approach aims to minimise the risk of vocal fatigue and other voice-related issues that can arise from demanding rehearsal, gigging, and recording schedules. This technical foundation also supports exploration of the full potential of the voice — for dancers, building the strength and stamina required for singing and movement, and for musicians, helping artists to develop their individual sound and expressive performance.

Vocal health and rehabilitation are central to Rachel’s practice. She is a qualified vocal rehabilitation practitioner, allowing her to work with professional vocalists diagnosed with vocal injuries or pathologies. Rachel plans to pursue a PhD focused around this area of work in the near future.

Huw Jacob

Teaching Fellow

Huw has been an educator for 25 years, and has taught at HE level for the past 10 years.

Huw began gigging on bass in his mid teens, and music has taken him all over the world. From America to Russia as well as throughout Europe, from The Royal Festival Hall to The Cavern Club to the Edinburgh Fringe, Huw’s musical landscape has encompassed orchestral to big band, theatre productions through to jazz and rock. He has shared stages with artists as diverse as Wynton Marsalis, The Four Tops and Bert Weedon.

He has sessioned for Pete Waterman’s PWL label and has appeared as a sideman on numerous releases as well as producing music under his own name.

Huw draws on these experiences to inform and advise his students on the demands and skillsets required for the working bassist in today’s music industry. 

Vidar Norheim

Teaching Fellow

Vidar Norheim is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer from Norway, now based in Liverpool. He studied BA Music at LIPA and PGCE at Rose Bruford. Vidar has toured worldwide as a member of Liverpool's alt pop band Wave Machines, with highlights including Glastonbury, SXSW and BBC Electric Proms. He is a published songwriter and the music has received many placements in TV series including HBO’s Entourage, Skins and adverts such as Volkswagen.

In 2011 he was named Norway's most promising songwriting talent, winning a place at Song:Expo in Trondheim alongside many of the world's leading songwriters and producers. 2016 saw the release of his solo debut EP Blind Carbon Copy which was released on labels in Japan, Norway and the UK. 2019 saw his second release, X-Ray Eyes, and a UK tour. He also plays drums for China Crisis and works as a session musician. Past session work includes Stark by Mr Chop which was sampled by Kanye West and Kid Cudi in 2018.

He collaborates regularly with playwright and musician Lizzie Nunnery on album releases and theatre projects. Theatre composer and musical director credits include Narvik (Best New play UK Theatre Awards 2017), The Sum (Liverpool Everyman 2017) and Sparkplug (Sky Arts 2021).

Vidar is passionate about the work he does at LIPA, helping to shape a new generation of music makers.

Prabjote Osahn

Teaching Fellow

Jote Osahn studied the violin at the Royal Northern College of Music and in Switzerland with folk/classical violinist Volker Biesenbender. In her early career, she gained extensive knowledge and experience of recording, string arranging and playing live, as well as performing on numerous TV and radio shows in the UK and worldwide for a diverse range of artists including Ryuchi Sakamoto, Joan Armatrading, Gloria Gaynor, Massive Attack, The Cinematic Orchestra, Gorillaz, Duran Duran, The Zutons, Sia, Nick Cave, Bonobo, Ian Broudie, Elbow, Roots Manuva and Snow Patrol, to name but a few.

Although her formative studies on the violin were Western Classical based, through her lessons with Volker, and subsequent work in the music industry, she soon became interested in the myriad of ways in which the instrument has evolved and been used in global music styles and form. This has led to a lifelong interest in music and its place in our world both as an art form and in the physical world through neuroscience and sound healing. Currently Jote composes music for TV, film and arts projects and continues her exploration of music, sound, and its influence on the world within and without.

Darren Suarez

Teaching Fellow

Darren is artistic director of the award-winning House of Suarez which produces an annual vogue ball. He works commercially for clients including Adidas and Stella McCartney’s Stella Sports. Darren has also worked as a dance coach for Dancing on Ice and festivals across the UK. He has experience of collaborating with world class dancers and choreographers and teaching all levels of performer, from underprivileged young people to the cast of Billy Elliot in the West End and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. Darren feels it’s important to offer constant feedback in his classes and nurtures students to take responsibility for their own learning.

James Thorne

Teaching Fellow

James has over 15 years of experience working as a freelance audio engineer. During that time, he has worked professionally across a variety of different disciplines spanning audio post-production for film and TV, live sound & events and working in large format recording studios.

James has worked with Grammy, BAFTA and Brit award-winning clients and understands the technical rigour and inter-personal skills that are required to be successful operating at this level. He has over 10 years of experience teaching in higher education, having worked at a number of Universities and obtained a post-graduate teaching qualification in 2018. 

This blend of real-world experience coupled with a deep understanding of higher education pedagogy means that James can support his students throughout their University journey and on to having successful careers of their own.

Naomi Todd

Visiting Lecturer

Naomi Todd is a professional freelance arranger, composer, orchestrator, copyist and conductor as well as session trumpet player, with a rich musical background in jazz, classical and pop music. Since graduating from LIPA with 1^st Class Honours, she has gone on to compose music for international songwriters, producers, theatre and cruise productions along with large-scale ensembles such as wind orchestras, big bands, brass bands, vocal groups and string sections.

Writing and recording credits include the Toria Wooff, Hardcore Hornography, Mersey Boys, The Lavelles: Ladies of Motown, Through The Knight: A Tribute to Gladys Knight, Darlington Operatic Society, The Dionne Warwick Songbook, The Danny Miller Big Band and Vinstra Musikklag. Her most distinguished project to date has been as arranger, orchestrator, copyist and trumpet player on Warner Spain artist Jacobo Serra’s pop-orchestral concept album ‘Doce’, which was recorded at Grammy award-winning Parr Street Studios and mastered at the infamous Abbey Road Studios.

Naomi’s career as a session trumpet player has enabled her to travel to numerous cities across Europe, as well as various prestigious UK venues including The Roundhouse London, Durham Cathedral, Liverpool Philharmonic and The Sage Gateshead. She has also played numerous festivals including Boomtown Fair, Durham Brass Festival and the Great North Jazz Festival. She has performance experience in varying sizes of ensembles and has musically directed and supervised orchestras, big bands, musical theatre cabaret productions and several pop and jazz ensembles. Naomi has performed alongside artists such as Craig Charles, El Twanguero, John Faddis, Keith Loftis, The Soul Rebels Brass Band, Stooges Brass Band and Hackney Colliery Band.

In addition to being a Visiting Lecturer at LIPA, Naomi is the Musical Director for The LIPA Big Band. The LIPA Big Band is an extracurricular jazz ensemble open to brass, woodwind and rhythm section instrumentalists. The ensemble offers students the chance to explore sight-reading and improvisation, often collaborating with the LIPA Choir and String Ensemble to form the LIPA Orchestra. The LIPA Big Band has recently performed at the LIPA Christmas Concert and at a dedicated show at the Liverpool Philharmonic.

Jeremy Grice

Lecturer

Jeremy is the author of Sorrow Might Come in the End, which explores UK legal cases in the music and entertainment industry, including cases involving Spandau Ballet, Take That, the Stone Roses and The Smiths. He holds an MBA and an LLM in Business and Commercial Law. Jeremy ran his own business for many years and also worked as commercial development manager for Liverpool John Moores University and as business development manager for West Cheshire College. His theoretical knowledge and wide practical experience enable him to support students as they learn about business management and put what they learn into practice.

Ann Harrison

Visiting Lecturer

David Hutchinson

Visiting Lecturer

Heather Knight

Visiting Lecturer

David MacKenzie

Visiting Lecturer

Sarah Ogle

Visiting Lecturer

Simon Pursehouse

Visiting Lecturer

Jon Webster

Visiting Lecturer

Sophie Edwards

David Neat

Bridget Bartley

Demonstrating Technician

Pete Bold

1-1 Tutor for Specific Learning Differences

Pete has 20 years qualified experience teaching literacy in a variety of settings. Since 2011 his practice has focussed on 1-1 support within HE in both Russell Group and specialist institutions.

Pete's specialism is linked to the area of Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) delivering structured and cumulative support to students who have a diagnosis of Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD.

As a DfE registered Specialist Tutor, Pete's expertise extends to supporting neurodiverse learners and those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pete has British Dyslexia Association (BDA) Approved Teacher Status, is a professional member of the Dyslexia Guild and is an Associate Member of the National Association of Disability Practitioners.

Equity, inclusion and access to opportunity play a key role in Pete's professional practice.

Pete works Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.

Ali Ball

Head of Student Wellbeing and Disability

Ali Ball is the Head of Student Wellbeing and Disability at LIPA and oversees the service. With over a decade of experience in the education sector, Alison has supported students of all abilities and across all age groups, including children, young people, and adults.

Ali holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and is a qualified teacher. Ali has also worked as a Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Adviser and as a manager within the charity sector, working for a widening participation charity.

Ali has significant safeguarding experience and has worked in the role of Designated Safeguarding Lead, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of students and developing policies and procedures to protect vulnerable individuals and promote a secure learning environment.

In her current role at LIPA, Ali works strategically to enhance student wellbeing and disability services. She works closely with teaching departments, staff, and external organisations to create a cohesive support network for students, ensuring that they have access to the resources and adjustments they need to thrive at LIPA and achieve their potential. Ali also ensures that high-risk students are monitored and supported throughout their studies.

Ali works Tuesday – Friday, 9am - 5pm

Lauren Smith

Mental Health Adviser

Lauren Smith is the Mental Health Adviser within the Student Wellbeing and Disability team. Her role involves supporting students with varying degrees of mental health and wellbeing issues. Working alongside the counselling team, Lauren ensures that students access the right support to reduce barriers to learning and promote overall good mental health. She is responsible for assessing students, delivering one-on-one support, conducting group workshops, promoting mental health awareness, and responding to crises.

Lauren's educational background includes a BSc(Hons) in Psychology, and she has further trained as a Master Practitioner of Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Time Line Therapy®. Her professional experience spans working with offenders within the community and in prisons, NHS mental health teams, and both further and higher education settings.

Passionate about mental health advocacy, Lauren is committed to fostering a university environment where every student feels heard, valued, and empowered. Whether students need a listening ear, practical advice, or strategies to enhance their mental well-being, Lauren is here to help them thrive both academically and personally.

Lauren works Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm.

Terri Roberts

Student Disability Officer

Terri is the Student Disability Officer at LIPA. She meets with students with disabilities (including neurodiversity, specific learning difficulties, and physical disabilities) to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made for them on their courses so that they can reach their potential without being disadvantaged by their disability.

Terri has worked at LIPA since 2018 and prior to this she has worked in education and with people with disabilities for over 20 years. During that time, she completed the City and Guilds Award in Learning Support, the City and Guilds Award in Education and Training, the CPT3A qualification in educational testing, and the Post Graduate Certificate in SpLD (Dyslexia) with AMBDA/ATS.

She is a firm believer in inclusive and accessible learning for people from all backgrounds, and she is keen to ensure that all disabled students at LIPA are given the opportunity to achieve their goals and thrive in an environment in which their needs are met, and their talents are recognised.

Terri works Tuesday – Thursday, 9am – 5pm

Danielle Clark

Senior Wellbeing Officer

Danielle is the Senior Wellbeing Officer in the Wellbeing and Disability Team. Danielle ensures students access appropriate mental health support such as counselling. Danielle values kindness, integrity, confidentiality and professionalism and provides a safe and non-judgemental space for students to share their challenges. You can count on her to really listen and hear what you are saying.

Danielle also enjoys supporting teaching staff in their pastoral roles and delivers training to Personal Tutors on how to support students with their wellbeing. Danielle leads on implementing the wellbeing policy across the University.

Danielle is an ILM Senior and Executive level Coach and Mentor. Where appropriate, she incorporates a coaching style as part of her work with students. Danielle believes coaching enables people to get the clarity, belief and motivation they need to get to where they want to be. She has seen firsthand the powerful, positive and transformational impact it can have.

Danielle loves being surrounded by the creativity of the students and staff at LIPA, particularly because she studied music at university and has worked in the arts sector for most of her career.

Danielle works Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays, 9am – 5pm.

Eve O’Riordan

Student Officer for Wellbeing and Disability

Hello! My name is Eve, I study Music Performance and Production, and I am the Student Officer for Wellbeing and Disability at LIPA. My role mainly entails being the liaison between the student body and the Wellbeing and Disability team, and working with them to improve the service, as well as being on various committees working on student voice, diversity, and accessibility at the Institute. If you have any questions, or require assistance in any of these areas, please feel free to reach out.

Rebecca McCallum

Student Journey Officer

Rebecca provides administrative support to the Head of Student Wellbeing and to the wider team on a day-to-day basis operationally, as well as on many aspects of service development. She also provides direct support to the Director of Students with strategy, projects and all aspects of student experience and to the Student Voice Team including the Student Voice President, Student Officers and Student Reps.

Rebecca works Monday – Friday, 9am-1pm

Dennis Bach Jensen

Demonstrating Technician

Ashley Herman

Council Director

Ashley is a Founding Director of Playing Field Theatre Ltd., one of the UK's leading theatre production partners (www.playingfield.co.uk). He has established several theatre sales and marketing companies — including Applause, Theatre Direct Inc (on behalf of Cameron Mackintosh, now known as Broadway.com) and Encore — collectively responsible for over 20% of West End and Broadway theatre admissions. In addition to his sales and marketing activities, he has produced and co-produced many West End, UK touring and overseas productions.

Ashley has served as a trustee on several boards, including as Chair of the Guildford School of Acting, a Council Member of the University of Surrey for ten years, and a Trustee and Companion of The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. He has also served on several other theatrical charities.

He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a recipient of HM Queen Elizabeth's British Empire Medal for Voluntary Service and holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of Surrey.

Claire Workman

Council Director

Claire Workman is a Council Director.

David Owen

Council Director

David Owen has spent his whole professional career working in Liverpool. His career started in Investment Management in Liverpool with Rensburg & Co where he trained as an equity and bond analyst before moving to portfolio management responsibilities for HNW private clients, pension funds and charities. He now is a Senior Investment Director in the Liverpool office of Rathbones and a Chartered Fellow of the Securities Institute. David served on the board of Edge Hill University for several years. A passionate ambassador for Liverpool, David is currently the chair of Professional Liverpool. David is married with three adult children, is interested in most sports having played rugby league in his youth and also plays guitar in a band in his spare time!

Geoff Goodwin

Chair of Council

Geoffrey Goodwin is a C-suite executive specializing in strategic growth, innovation, and commercial success in media and creative industries. He has held leadership roles at the BBC, Verizon Media, and Outernet London, driving revenue growth, launching award-winning content, and pioneering next-generation media initiatives. Passionate about bridging traditional and emerging media, he also serves as Chair of LIPA, fostering the next generation of creative performers and leaders.

Michelle Emmerson

Vice Chair of Council

Michelle Emmerson is a CEO, Board Director, Management Consultant and HR professional with experience across E-commerce, Education, Mobile Tech, Retail, Luxury, TV and Music industries. In addition to being a Council Director, Michelle is Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Juliet Johnson

Vice Chair of Council

Juliet Johnson is a General Counsel with extensive broad senior legal experience. She has worked for high-profile organisations and on high-profile matters across a number of sectors, including Financial Services, Healthcare, Tech, Energy and Retail. In addition to being a Council Director, Juliet is Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee.

Isabel Begg

Council Director

Isabel Begg is a Senior Business Executive in film, TV, music and radio. In addition to being a Council Director, Isabel is Chair of the LIPA HE-MAT Committee.

Victoria Fea

Council Director

Victoria Fea has worked in television drama for more than 30 years. She is currently an Executive Producer at independent production company Snowed-In Productions. Before that, she was a senior commissioner at ITV for 8 years, commissioning series like The Durrells, Unforgotten and Victoria. Prior to ITV, she was an executive producer, producer and script editor in-house at the BBC and in the independent sector.

Simon Fowler

Council Director

Simon Fowler is a Council Director of LIPA, Chair of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and a former senior executive at the John Lewis Partnership, where he held leadership roles including Group Director of Communications. Now pursuing a portfolio career, he is Chairman of Aquascot, Chair of ProcurePlus, an independent trustee at Tullis Russell, and co-founder of Eshe Honey, a beekeeping and artisan honey business. Born in Thailand and having lived across Africa and the UK, he now resides in North Liverpool with his husband and son, with interests in music, theatre, travelling, gardening, antiques and, of course, beekeeping!

Joe Johnson

Council Director

Joe is a Chief Operating Officer at Uniac as well as an Internal Audit Director, bringing 16 years’ experience of risk, financial, compliance and IT auditing in both the private and public sectors. This includes eight years leading the delivery of internal audit programmes at several of Uniac's clients, as well as working with University Executive Teams on governance, risk management and strategic reviews.

In addition to being a Council Director, Joe is Chair of the Audit Committee

Zoe Radnor

Council Director

Professor Zoe Radnor is Pro Vice Chancellor at Aston University. Zoe has led research projects for Government and healthcare organisations, evaluating the use of ‘lean’. In 2024 Zoe was named in the 2024 Stanford/Elsevier top 2% Scientists in the World. Zoe is a Principal Fellow of Higher Education (PFHEA), a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and British Academy of Management (FBAM).

Stella Okafor-Ross

Council Director (Staff Rep)

Stella Okafor-Ross is Head of Productions at LIPA and is the staff representative on Council

Sally Britton

Student Voice President (Student Rep)

Sally Britton is an actor, creative and LIPA alum. She is LIPA's Student Voice President.

Sean McNamara

Principal/CEO & Council Director

Professor Sean McNamara became Principal and CEO of LIPA in 2021, leading a major curriculum revalidation, the 2023-26 Strategic Plan, and LIPA’s pursuit of New Degree Awarding Powers. Previously, he was Head of Guildford School of Acting, holding various leadership roles since 2010. He also chairs The Federation of Drama Schools, the LIPA Multi Academy Trust, and holds key positions in several arts education organizations.

David Fletcher (1)

COO & Council Director

David Fletcher is Chief Operation Officer at LIPA and is responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of LIPA’s finance, HR, estates, IT, technical and productions teams. David is a qualified accountant and, before joining LIPA, worked on audit, assurance and consultancy assignments for global professional services firms BDO and RSM. His client portfolio was predominantly in the education sector, but he also worked with a variety of other organisations to improve operational efficiency.

Pete Fendall

Council Director

Pete is Chief Finance & Operating Officer for DSW Capital plc, a national business advisory group.

Prior to joining DSW, Pete trained with Deloitte in the North West where he worked with some of the regions largest private companies. As CFOO, Pete leads key strategic transformation projects and the integration of new licensee business, alongside continuous process improvement projects.

Pete also developed DSW Capital’s ESG strategy and now chairs their ESG committee.

In addition to being a Council Director, Pete is Chair of the Finance Committee.

Louise Ellman

Council Director

Sean Sweeney

Council Director

Sean has worked in the commercial theatre sector since 1994, with experience across Production and General Management (he has produced and/or general-managed more than 30 shows and exhibitions in London and on UK tours), Ticketing, and Venue Management and Ownership. Sean sits on the Audit Committee.

Maria Walker

Council Director

Maria Walker is a highly experienced media executive specialising in film and high-end television. She has held several senior roles including COO of Twickenham Film Studios and Head of Post Production Sales for The Pinewood Group. During her career she’s worked for many of the major U.S. studios, streamers and U.K. production companies.

Jad Zouein

Council Director

Creative tech leader, soul included. A Realtime technology professional, boasts over two decades of expertise in building maverick media tech stacks and guiding high-performance creative tech teams. Currently serving as Outernet London's Director of Creative and Media Technologies, he's tasked with elevating the department to industry-leading status with the addition of gamification and AI pipelines. Jad oversees the end-to-end real-time production line, managing budget and execution and ensuring project sustainability. He oversees the innovation programme, media products portfolio, and technical approach to creating unique user experiences at what has become the digital landmark of London.

Olivia Du Monceau De Bergendal

Teaching Fellow

Olivia is a Liverpool-based theatre and performance designer with over 20 years of professional experience across set and costume design, exhibition design and large-scale art installations. Her work spans major producing theatres including Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Nottingham Playhouse, Bolton Octagon, Salisbury Playhouse and the New Vic Theatre, alongside site-specific and non-traditional settings such as museums, cathedrals and historic buildings.

She has designed approximately 100 professional projects and was nominated for an Off West End Award for Theatre Design. In 2013, she was selected to represent the UK at World Stage Design. Notable exhibition work includes April Ashley: Portrait of a Lady at the Museum of Liverpool, created in collaboration with Homotopia.

Alongside her professional practice, Olivia has extensive experience teaching, mentoring and supervising theatre design students having worked with LIPA since 2006 and supported numerous practical productions. A LIPA graduate herself, she is passionate about learning through making and about nurturing confident, collaborative and industry-ready designers.