FST Board

Caroline Newall

Director of Artistic Development

Caroline (she/her) is Director of Artistic Development at the National Theatre of Scotland and a member of the Senior Management Team. She heads the Artistic Development department, which leads on the commission and creation of new artistic projects for the Company’s programme and the long-term diversification and development of artists. Caroline established and heads the Company’s cross departmental Access and Equalities team and designs and leads strategic initiatives to break down barriers for artists and audiences.

Christine Martin

Arts Programme Manager

Christine has over 17 years’ experience programming touring dance, theatre, music and comedy for OneRen’s cultural venues Paisley Arts Centre and Paisley Town Hall as well as project managing and a wide range of arts projects in Renfrewshire including co productions, artist residencies, and participatory and engagement projects. Christine currently leads the development and delivery of OneRen’s Festivals Programme, including Paisley Book Festival as well as developing the cultural venues performance programme. Christine studied the PG Cert in Arts Festival and Cultural Management at Queen Margaret University and has trained as a mentor with the Federation of Scottish Theatre.

Jeanie Scott

Chief Executive

Jeanie Scott became CEO of Dance Base in 2024. She brings more than 30 years’ experience leading arts and cultural organisations and projects across the UK, including senior roles in publishing, the visual arts and consultancy. Throughout her career, she has maintained a strong commitment to advocating for fair work, artists’ rights and sustainable careers in the cultural sector. Her expertise includes delivering major strategy, research and organisational sustainability projects for government, local authorities, funders and cultural organisations across the UK. She is delighted to have returned to the dance sector and to be supporting and championing Scotland’s dance artists and wider dance community through her work at Dance Base and as a trustee of FST.

Jim Manganello

Artistic Director

Jim Manganello is a director of dance, theatre, and opera. With Lucy Ireland, he founded and is co-artistic director of Shotput, a dance-theatre company in Glasgow. Previously, he led Fratellanza, a theatre company in his hometown of Detroit. Previous work with Shotput includes Ferguson and Barton, Totentanz (Five Attempts at a Dance of Death), and Arlington – as well as The Slow Dance, a podcast project in which teens educate adults about sex. In 2027, he will co-direct the company’s new show about emotions, Accidents of the Soul. He’s worked as a freelance director, movement director, and dramaturg around the UK and in the US and Belgium. He has been an artist-in-residence with Imaginate, Lyra, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, where he’s co-created pieces with young people. He trained at École Lassaâd in Brussels, the National Theatre Directors’ Course, and Birkbeck.

Kate Nelson

Artistic Director/Chief Executive

Kate is Artistic Director of the award-winning, independent touring company Nutshell, which she founded in 2002. In addition to directing and producing, she lectures in Drama and Performance at Queen Margaret University. Her current research is in the fields of applied dramatic discourse analysis and in the benefit of the arts to rural economies. As part of her work at Queen Margaret, she has recently been awarded an Innovation Fellowship for 2021/2022. Kate has also worked as a freelance director and participatory arts practitioner in theatres across Scotland and the rest of the U.K. She served on the board of the Independent Theatre Council for 6 years and is currently a board member of Stage Directors U.K. and is a member of the Artistic Steering Group for Cumbernauld Theatre.

Marek Litwin

ACCA Charted Accountant/Finance Manager

Marek is an experienced finance professional with a strong background in charity, culture, and the Scottish attractions sector. He currently serves as Finance Manager at the National Federation of Music Societies, where he oversees financial management and supports organisations in accessing Creative Tax Reliefs. His career spans roles with the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions and RSPB Scotland, where he was involved in the delivery of multimillion-pound grant programmes and provided financial and governance support to a wide range of projects. Earlier in his career, Marek worked in the City of London with Fitch Ratings as a Financial Analyst, where he gained significant experience in international markets, credit analysis, and financial reporting. An ACCA charted accountant and ACIE affiliate, he brings expertise in charity accounting, project finance, and training.

Nina Doherty

Nina (she/her) is Producer at Vanishing Point. She has been making theatre for 20 years, as well as working in participatory arts and creative learning contexts, with particular focuses on themes of environment, disability and work for children and young people, including at Eco Drama and Independent Arts Projects. Having co-founded a theatre company straight out of university, she later completed a postgraduate certificate in Arts, Festival & Cultural Management at Queen Margaret University. A Federation of Scottish Theatre Producer Placement with Birds of Paradise Theatre Company in 2015 was integral to advancing her professional career as a producer.

Sharon Burgess

Chief Executive

Sharon Burgess is a seasoned arts executive with a global perspective, currently serving as the Chief Executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts, a charitable organisation responsible for the operation of three key city centre venues in Aberdeen: the Music Hall, His Majesty’s Theatre, and the Lemon Tree. Sharon is driven by a deep passion for the arts and is known to foster a collaborative environment for the organisation where innovation thrives. Aberdeen Performing Arts is behind several prominent festivals, such as Granite Noir, Rise Up, Delve, and Light the Blue youth arts festival. Before her role at Aberdeen Performing Arts, Sharon held the position of Chief Executive at ARTRAGE, a non-profit cultural organisation based in Perth, Western Australia. In this capacity, she played a crucial role in steering the organisation through the tumultuous period of the Covid-19 pandemic, ultimately leading ARTRAGE to a position of stability and strength, poised for continued success and delivering lasting positive impacts on the Western Australia community.

Susannah Armitage

Senior Producer

Susannah Armitage is a Producer with over twenty years of experience. At Eden Court she is responsible for the Live Performance Team and programme, in house and co-productions and Artist Support. She also chairs the Access and Inclusion Working Group. Prior roles include Programme Director and Head of Producing for the National Theatre of Scotland, Producer for Vox Motus and Producer and latterly Chief Executive for A Play, A Pie and A Pint. Having benefitted enormously from formal and informal mentorship throughout my career, she is looking forward to supporting other people through the mentorship process.

Viv Coady

HR Professional

Viv is an experienced HR Professional with over 30 years’ experience. She has worked in both the private and public sector in a range of different roles, leading primarily on organisational change, management development and employee relations.’ In her most recent role, she worked for the Scottish FA as Head of HR. Viv holds a BA (Hons) in Public Administration, and completed an MSc in 2011 in Human Resource Management at Strathclyde University. Her research focussed on, ‘The Employment of Older Workers’. In her spare time Viv has acted as a Volunteer for Age Concern UK as part of their , ‘Sharing Time’ Scheme.