AILIN CONANT
Ailin Conant is a Japanese-American theatre director. She is Artistic Director of New Earth, a board member of Stage Directors UK, a delegate member of Artistic Directors of the Future, and a core member of Migrants in Theatre. In 2011, Ailin founded UK-based touring company Theatre Témoin and ran the company until 2023. As Artistic Director of Témoin she has produced work in Rwanda, Israel, Kashmir, Lebanon, France, and the USA, and as a freelance director she has worked for organisations including The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Court, The Bush Theatre, Kansas City Rep (USA), and Ayyam Al-Masrah (Gaza). She has worked extensively with vulnerable adults and young people in contexts of conflict and is a twice-recipient of the Wellcome Trust People Award for projects exploring trauma, addiction, and mental health.
LILLI GEISSENDORFER
Lilli Geissendorfer is the Deputy Director of the Creative Policy and Evidence Centre led by the University of Newcastle and Royal Society of the Arts. From Jan 2019 to July 2023 she was Director of Jerwood Arts, the leading independent funder dedicated to supporting early-career artists, makers, curators and producers across the UK to develop and thrive. Previously she was Producer at Almeida Theatre, dedicated to creating definitive new work with extraordinary artists under the vision of Rupert Goold. She has a strong track record of producing new writing, festivals and theatrical events, and extensive experience in arts and cultural policy, environmental sustainability, and social research. She is currently a Trustee of Fuel Theatre, on the Advisory Board of What Next? and an Arts Emergency Mentee. She has been a Cultural Leadership Fellow of the Salzburg Forum, and a Clore Emerging Leader.
LUCIAN MSAMATI
Lucian Msamati is an award winning, BAFTA nominated actor, writer and director. Raised and educated in Zimbabwe by Tanzanian parents, he is a founding member of the acclaimed Over the Edge Theatre Company based in Harare. After leaving the University of Zimbabwe in 1997, alongside performing and touring with Over the Edge, he worked as a freelance copywriter, voiceover artist and radio broadcaster. He relocated to the UK in 2002. He served as Artistic Director of British-African theatre company Tiata Fahodzi from 2010 to 2014. He is an Associate Artist of the RSC and Rose Theatre and is a current board member of the Donmar Warehouse. His theatre credits include Romeo & Juliet, 'Master Harold'...and the boys, Amadeus, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Amen Corner, The Comedy of Errors, Death and the King's Horseman, The Overwhelming(all NT); Othello and Pericles (RSC); Little Revolution, Ruined and I.D (Almeida) and If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep, Belong (Co-production with Tiata Fahodzi) and Clybourne Park (Royal Court). His TV credits include Gangs of London, Luther, Game of Thrones, Taboo, Black Earth Rising, His Dark Materials and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
NANCY MEDINA
Nancy Medina was born in New York via the Dominican Republic and is the Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic. Prior to joining BOV, Nancy was joint Artistic Director of the Bristol School of Acting and a freelance director. As a director, recent credits include Trouble in Mind (National Theatre), Two Trains Running (Royal & Derngate/ETT), Strange Fruit (Bush Theatre), Yellowman (Young Vic), The Darkest Part of the Night (Kiln Theatre). Awards include the 2020/2021 Peter Hall Bursary (National Theatre), the 2018 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award (Royal & Derngate/English Touring Theatre), Genesis Future Director Award (Young Vic), and the Emerging Director’s Prize (Tobacco Factory Theatres).
ROXANA SILBERT
Roxana Silbert was born in Buenos Aires and moved to England with her Russian father and Italian mother when she was six. She studied English at Cambridge before training as a director at the London Drama Studio, Ealing. She was Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre (2012-2019); Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company; Artistic Director of Paines Plough Theatre Company (2005-2009); Literary Director at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (2001-2004); and Associate Director of the Royal Court (1998-2000). During her tenure at Birmingham Rep she attracted world class theatre makers to the city and put artistic quality, diversity and access firmly at the heart of one of the UK’s leading producing theatres. Roxana also initiated the theatre’s artist development and adult engagement programmes, which significantly enhanced the diversity of the theatre’s artistic pool. Roxana was Artistic Director at Hampstead Theatre until 2023.