FST’s board is elected by its members:
- Annie George, Director / Writer
- Ben Torrie, Director of Programming & Creative Projects, Aberdeen Performing Arts
- Callum Smith (Treasurer), Producer, National Theatre of Scotland (maternity cover); Freelance Theatre Producer
- Julie Ellen, Artistic Director, Macrobert Arts Centre
- Liam Sinclair (Co-Chair), Executive Director & Joint CEO, Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre Limited
- Louise Gilmour-Wills, Producer, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
- Maria Oller, Artistic Director, Lung Ha Theatre Company
- Rhona Matheson (Co-Chair), Chief Executive, Starcatchers
- Simon Hart, Business & Development Director, Taigh Chearsabhagh
- Vicky Rutherford-O’Leary, Producer, Curious Seed
Annie George
Director/Writer
Annie George is an award-winning, Edinburgh-based writer, theatremaker and occasional filmmaker, who has worked in Scottish theatre since 1991. Recent productions include Twa, and the solo shows Home is Not the Place, and The Bridge. Annie has also worked with numerous artists and organisations including Magnetic North, Mara Menzies, Stellar Quines, Traverse Theatre and Cat. A. Theatre Company. She has a special interest in creating stories that reflect the rich diversity of the population and supporting work by artists of colour.
Ben Torrie
Director of Programming & Creative Projects
Ben is Director of Programming and Creative Projects for Aberdeen Performing Arts, one of Scotland’s largest cultural organisations and a hub for the performing arts in the North-east of Scotland. He is responsible for the programmes of work at His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall and The Lemon Tree, as well as the company’s ever-expanding produced work and creative learning activity. Over the past decade, he has progressed from two previous roles with the company as Acting Artistic Director at The Lemon Tree and as Sales Manager. Prior to joining APA, he was the first full-time administrator for Puppet Animation Scotland and worked as Box Office and Front of House Manager for the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. In addition to a range of diverse experience in arts management, Ben is an accomplished pianist and musical director.
Callum Smith
Producer
Callum Smith is a freelance theatre producer and project manager based in Glasgow. He has worked for a variety of the UK’s leading theatres and producers, including the National Theatre of Scotland, Tron Theatre and London’s Royal Court, where he was international administrator and project managed the theatre’s international output. He has worked as a freelance producer for artists and companies including Jenna Watt, New Room Theatre, Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company, Plutôt La Vie, Strange Theatre, Enormous Yes, The Thimble Collective and Terra Incognita. He also runs the new producing services company Showroom. Callum is also personal assistant to Tony and Olivier award-winning theatre makers John Tiffany and Steven Hoggett.
Julie Ellen
Artistic Director
Julie is Artistic Director and CEO of Macrobert Arts Centre. Before joining the Macrobert team in 2015 she was the first Artistic Director of The Beacon; founding Creative Director of Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland; Producer for Suspect Culture and before that a producer for Theatre Centre, London. As a Director her work regularly includes Pantomime and Christmas shows for younger audiences, touring productions for companies including Selladoor and Birds of Paradise as well as shows for the legendary Play, Pie and a Pint.
Liam Sinclair
Executive Director & Joint CEO
In January 2019, Liam took up post with Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre as Executive Director & Joint CEO. Prior to this he has held the roles of Artistic Director of the Byre Theatre, Executive Producer for Scottish Dance Theatre, Artistic Director & CEO of Macrobert Arts Centre, Director of the Edinburgh Mela, and Head of YouthWorks Drama (Short Courses) for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, of which he is a graduate. He is a co-Chair of the Board for FST, Chair of the Board for Luminate, and stood down in 2015 from serving for 8 years as Chair of Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, Scotland’s leading inclusive theatre company.
Louise Gilmour-Wills
Producer
Louise is the Producer for Catherine Wheels, Scotland’s most celebrated producer of work for children & young people. The company creates award-winning work which is presented across Scotland and around the world, including at the Sydney Opera House and the New Victory in New York, reaching young people through touring into schools, theatres, festivals and community venues. Louise is currently Chair of the Board for Lyra.
Maria Oller
Artistic Director
Maria trained as an actor and director in London, Paris and Helsinki, specialising in European theatre, clowning and classical studies using the European theatre tradition of physical theatre. Since then Maria has been working as an actor, director and facilitator in the UK, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland.
Rhona Matheson
Chief Executive
Rhona is Chief Executive of Starcatchers, Scotland’s national arts and early years organisation. Starcatchers is a leading force in producing and touring high quality theatre, dance and visual art productions for babies, toddlers, young children and their parents and carers. This work is toured to venues and communities across Scotland as well as internationally. Starcatchers also provides programmes of artist development and community engagement. Prior to joining Starcatchers, Rhona worked for a number of Scottish theatre companies including Wee Stories and 7:84 Theatre Company (Scotland).
Simon Hart
Business & Development Director
For the past thirty-five years Simon has enjoyed a busy, successful and varied career in the arts. Initially working as a classical singer following studies at the University of Glasgow and the Royal College of Music, Simon also taught singing at RADA, and Queen Margaret and Aberdeen Universities. After also completing acting training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Simon appeared in many leading roles at, among others, Bristol Old Vic Theatre, Wolsey Theatre, Scottish Opera, the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Dundee Rep Theatre, as well as on TV. After over twenty years as Puppet Animation Scotland’s CEO and artistic director, Simon recently moved to North Uist on the Western Isles, to become Taigh Chearsabhagh’s Director of Planning & Development.
Vicky Rutherford-O’Leary
Producer
Vicky is a producer, currently working with the award-winning dance theatre company Curious Seed. Before joining Curious Seed, Vicky was the Director of Catalyst Dance Management at Dance Base which she founded in 2006, to nurture choreographic talent and to develop and produce the work of independent contemporary dance artists and companies in Scotland. She was producer for the award-winning productions Enclosure 44 – Humans! (Janis Claxton Dance), The Red Room (David Hughes Dance) and Found (Curious Seed) as well as the internationally acclaimed work Chalk About (Curious Seed).