Shropshire Youth Theatre

SYT

Shropshire Youth Theatre

Staff

Lisa Morris – Artistic Director

Lisa is a performance artist and scholar, with over 10 years’ experience working in the youth theatre sector. Currently completing her PhD thesis on professional wrestling, Lisa’s work covers a broad academic and performance spectrum and explores liveness, shadow puppetry, theatre technologies and green screen techniques, poor objects and nostalgia.

Her love of theatre and performance began at SYT, at 11 years old and at that time under the direction of SYT founder Michael Richardson. Lisa went on to study Theatre at Dartington College of Arts and an MA in Practicing Theatre and Performance at Aberystwyth University, where she was incredibly fortunate to study under the influential site specific performer and director Mike Pearson.

Lisa co-established Almost Human, a film-as-performance company whose work has toured across the globe, from World Stage Design in Cardiff to The International Festival of Experimental Theatre in Acco, Israel. Their first performance, ‘Letters From Another Island’, was shortlisted for both the Prague Fringe Festival Creativity Award, and the Welsh Young Critics Award for Best Digital Performance.

She has worked with several youth and arts organisations in the Shropshire area, and now further afield working with Birmingham REP as part of their Young REP programme. Her combination of academic expertise and a playful exploration of performance in practice, combined with a creative and energetic approach to teaching allow her to help young people develop their own work through practice, interrogation and performance.

Maggie Love - Director

Her career has included West End musicals, films, top acting schools and a stint in America. She left Shrewsbury aged 17 to train as a dancer and within a few years was choreographing her first West End musical: Grease, with Su Pollard – who went on to star in TV comedy Hi De Hi – and Tracey Ullman, since nominated for a Golden Globe for her smash-hit comedy roles on American TV.

Her film credits include: working on the dance sound for Fame (1980), a dancer in Heaven’s Gate (1980), various music videos in the 80’s and since returning to the UK she has been involved in documentary films including The Devil’s Chaplin.