David Bellwood Chair Expand David Bellwood David has worked in theatre for over 15 years, having started as a dancer in the world tour of Riverdance. He is the Senior Marketing and Access Officer at Shakespeare’s Globe, where his job entails ensuring equal access for patrons, employees and creatives to the theatre’s productions, educational work and museum space. He is the arts lead on the Southwark Dementia Action Alliance, working on infrastructural and social changes in the community to aid those living with dementia. He is an advocate for inclusion of Deaf, disabled and learning disabled performers and works with several companies to promote inclusive work.
Becki Haines Trustee Expand Becki Haines Becki is JCEO and Executive Producer of Coney, 1/4 of Bootworks and Co-Producer at Total Theatre. She produces theatre and performance work for unusual spaces and settings; from garages, to cafes, foyers, libraries, orphanages and once at a funeral. Her work has been presented at the National Theatre, Southbank Centre, the Roundhouse and in nine countries worldwide including Egypt, Japan and Brazil in partnership with the British Council. Becki first met Paula in 2013 producing ‘Light' with the brilliant Theatre Ad Infinitum and has followed Deafinitely religiously from then on. Alongside her Trusteeship with Deafinitely, Becki is also the Chair of Two Destination Language.
Cathy Heffernan Trustee Expand Cathy Heffernan Cathy Heffernan is a freelance producer director with experience in investigative journalism and observational documentary-making. She started out in TV working as a researcher on Hands On, a magazine programme for the Irish Deaf community on RTE1 in Ireland but made a detour into print journalism, working at the Guardian as a reporter and news subeditor for over five years. During this time, she co-produced Deaf Sisterhood and directed Crossing the Divide for the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust. Leaving the Guardian in 2013 she took part in Channel 4’s investigative journalism programme that year and worked as a development assistant producer on Blakeway Productions’ Dispatches team. In 2014 she directed an observational documentary following a theatre company translating A Midsummer Night’s Dream into BSL to be performed at the Globe for the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust. She has also directed some feature-length programmes for BBC See Hear and produced a film about deaf education for Channel 4 News. She is currently working in documentary development at Postcard Productions. She is a keen theatre-goer – one reason she loves living in London is the vast array of shows performed in BSL or with captions. She has been a Deafinitely fan for many years and loves seeing how the company interprets well-known stories into BSL.
Mark Hopkinson Trustee Expand Mark Hopkinson Mark comes to Deafinitely theatre with a strong background in education and training. Following work as an access and development officer for deaf people in different London boroughs, Mark has spent the past 19 years working for City Lit in a variety of teaching and management roles. Since 2014, he has been head of department for Sign Language and Lipreading. Over the years, Mark has taught and assessed all levels of BSL, from introductory to Level 6 and is a qualified Internal Verifier, also providing consultancy and advice for BSL tutors in other colleges. Mark has lectured on the City Lit/London Met University ‘Deaf Studies’ degree and has coordinated a number of training programmes for external businesses across London. He is hoping that his experience will lend itself to supporting the development of Deafinitely Theatre; he has a particular interest in accessibility. Mark has also been a member of the London Deaf Drama Group for over 15 years, enjoying all that amateur theatre has to offer.
Dafydd Jones Trustee Expand Dafydd Jones Dafydd Jones is a qualified accountant who has worked a wide range of organisations. He became a member of Deafinitely Theatre Board due to his interests in the art and theatre world. As a member of Deafinitely board, Dafydd contributes and provides comments on its financial performance and also its artistic performance. As part of his interests in the art world, he delivers BSL presentations at galleries and museums.
Ros Terry Trustee Expand Ros Terry Ros is a creative producer with particular expertise in new writing, contemporary work and participation. Currently she is a senior producer at the National Theatre looking after ‘Public Acts’ a new nationwide initiative to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community. Her role is to shape the long-term strategic and creative vision for the programme, building sustained partnerships with communities and theatres across the UK and creating ambitious new works of participatory theatre. Previously she was the producer at the Royal Court Theatre delivering their in-house productions, co-productions, national, international and schools tours and a number of one off projects. From 2015 to 2017 Ros ran, and doubled the reach of, the NT’s flagship youth theatre programme ‘Connections’ working in collaboration with 45 UK theatres. Prior to this she was the producer for Clean Break Theatre Company where her role was to further the company’s artistic vision and outputs in theatre venues, festivals, prisons and non-cultural settings. Ros is an alumnus of the Clore Leadership Programme and the National Theatre’s Step Change scheme.