Ali Dunican - Board Member
Ali Dunican is an experienced arts manager, currently Executive Director at Quarantine theatre company, Manchester. Her experience lies in producing theatre and arts management. Ali was General Manager for both outdoor arts experts, Walk the Plank, and experimental arts venue, Greenroom, in Manchester. She has a degree in Drama and a post-graduate qualification in Theatre in Prison and Probation, both from the University of Manchester. Ali has lived in Stretford for almost 20 years and is keen to support local children and young people to develop an interest in theatre.
Laura Riley - Secretary
Laura has lived in Stretford for 12 years and has three young children. She was looking for a way to get involved and volunteer in our vibrant community when the opportunity arose to join the board of trustees and help resurrect Stretford Children's Theatre. Laura is passionate about childrens/youth theatre having been a keen stagecraft student back in the day! She works in Careers and Employability at Manchester Metropolitan University and is very supportive of ways in which children can gain the skills they will need for the future - being part of SCT gives children the opportunity to grow in confidence and develop vital team working and people skills while having fun!
Kirsty Thomas - Treasurer
Kirsty is an accountant by day and is the treasurer for this group. Kirsty loves a good spreadsheet and pie charts make her happy! It is her job to keep us on the straight and narrow when it comes to financial control and she does this well and is great fun to be around. She is a young mum of two boys and lives in neighbouring Urmston, but grew up in Stretford and her parents are still here so she is a frequent visitor to the town.
Shelly Quinton-Hulme - Chairperson
Shelly was instrumental in getting this group back running by advertising for people to help run the group. Shelly is the Chairperson of the Friends of Victoria Park and has been involved with FOVPs since it's inception. She has sat on funding panels both in Stretford and during her career. Shelly is a governor at Victoria Park Infant School. She is extremely organised, capable and passionate about improving Stretford. She works for Network Rail in project management and controls.
Janice Rendel - Board Member
Janice was a member of Stretford Children’s Theatre back in 1978 and is delighted to be on the Committee for the new Company. She has been ‘treading the boards’ since starting with Urmston Musical Theatre and has notched up almost 30 years as a chorus and principal in Sale Gilbert and Sullivan Society. She has appeared as part of the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festivals in Buxton and Harrogate over the years and has also performed and conducted with other companies around Britain. She teaches singing, piano and music theory and is also a ‘Singing for the brain’ leader with the Alzheimer’s Society. She runs the ‘Longford Community Choir’ and is also Musical Director for several other groups.
Annika Edge - Board Member
Annika joined the board in February 2018 and is delighted to support drama activities in Stretford. She will be managing the communications of the group. Annika is a Project Manager for XTRAX, a national outdoor arts organisation and has in the past managed the 24:7 Theatre Festival of new writing in Manchester, worked as freelance producer, event manager and translator. Annika has experience in working with young people in Germany, New Zealand, France and the UK.
Keith Broom - Board Member
Keith has been involved in theatre from an early age, first on an amateur basis, at the Altrincham Garrick, where he got to learn about all aspects of theatre, from set building to follow spot operating, from serving behind the bar to teaching drama to 7-18 year olds. Keith has worked in professional theatre for the nearly 30 years, starting as a fly man at the Opera House, then as touring carpenter with Cameron Mackintosh. He then spent 16 years at the Royal Exchange, production managing shows, operating and maintaining the automated flying system, and looking after all the work in the Studio theatre. Since 2015 he has been the Technical Manager at Home, Manchester’s newest arts centre, being a part of setting up and opening the new building, and now helps to organise the technical team, building (and taking down) the touring sets and working with Home’s creative team to plan and present shows in the two theatre spaces and beyond.
Rosarie Walsh - Board Member
Rosarie is a Project Manager, Drama Facilitator and Theatre Maker based in Stretford. Rosarie was born and raised in Cork, Ireland, where her love of theatre began at the age of 4. She has a degree in Marketing Management and an MA in Applied Theatre from the University of Manchester. Rosarie has been living in Manchester since 2009 and has over 7 years experience in community arts – specifically working with vulnerable, marginalised and socially excluded young people and adults.
In 2010 after taking part in Future Fires a yearlong mentoring programme at Contact Theatre, Rosarie along side her business partner set up and ran Tandem Theatre, a not-for-profit organisation working with vulnerable marginalised and socially excluded young people and adults. Through this she was involved in running a number of very successful projects and performances in greater Manchester.
In 2014 Rosarie was thrilled to be involved in re-establishing Stretford Children's Theatre as part of the community in Stretford and took a different path in 2016 by leaving Tandem and concentrating on growing Streford Children’s Theatre. In 2017 Rosarie secured funding by The Heritage Lottery, Young Roots Programme to run a project called Ahead of His Time: John Rylands, social Investor in Stretford and The Streford Public Hall. This has been a challenging and exciting new journey.
Ali Dunican is an experienced arts manager, currently Executive Director at Quarantine theatre company, Manchester. Her experience lies in producing theatre and arts management. Ali was General Manager for both outdoor arts experts, Walk the Plank, and experimental arts venue, Greenroom, in Manchester. She has a degree in Drama and a post-graduate qualification in Theatre in Prison and Probation, both from the University of Manchester. Ali has lived in Stretford for almost 20 years and is keen to support local children and young people to develop an interest in theatre.
Laura Riley - Secretary
Laura has lived in Stretford for 12 years and has three young children. She was looking for a way to get involved and volunteer in our vibrant community when the opportunity arose to join the board of trustees and help resurrect Stretford Children's Theatre. Laura is passionate about childrens/youth theatre having been a keen stagecraft student back in the day! She works in Careers and Employability at Manchester Metropolitan University and is very supportive of ways in which children can gain the skills they will need for the future - being part of SCT gives children the opportunity to grow in confidence and develop vital team working and people skills while having fun!
Kirsty Thomas - Treasurer
Kirsty is an accountant by day and is the treasurer for this group. Kirsty loves a good spreadsheet and pie charts make her happy! It is her job to keep us on the straight and narrow when it comes to financial control and she does this well and is great fun to be around. She is a young mum of two boys and lives in neighbouring Urmston, but grew up in Stretford and her parents are still here so she is a frequent visitor to the town.
Shelly Quinton-Hulme - Chairperson
Shelly was instrumental in getting this group back running by advertising for people to help run the group. Shelly is the Chairperson of the Friends of Victoria Park and has been involved with FOVPs since it's inception. She has sat on funding panels both in Stretford and during her career. Shelly is a governor at Victoria Park Infant School. She is extremely organised, capable and passionate about improving Stretford. She works for Network Rail in project management and controls.
Janice Rendel - Board Member
Janice was a member of Stretford Children’s Theatre back in 1978 and is delighted to be on the Committee for the new Company. She has been ‘treading the boards’ since starting with Urmston Musical Theatre and has notched up almost 30 years as a chorus and principal in Sale Gilbert and Sullivan Society. She has appeared as part of the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festivals in Buxton and Harrogate over the years and has also performed and conducted with other companies around Britain. She teaches singing, piano and music theory and is also a ‘Singing for the brain’ leader with the Alzheimer’s Society. She runs the ‘Longford Community Choir’ and is also Musical Director for several other groups.
Annika Edge - Board Member
Annika joined the board in February 2018 and is delighted to support drama activities in Stretford. She will be managing the communications of the group. Annika is a Project Manager for XTRAX, a national outdoor arts organisation and has in the past managed the 24:7 Theatre Festival of new writing in Manchester, worked as freelance producer, event manager and translator. Annika has experience in working with young people in Germany, New Zealand, France and the UK.
Keith Broom - Board Member
Keith has been involved in theatre from an early age, first on an amateur basis, at the Altrincham Garrick, where he got to learn about all aspects of theatre, from set building to follow spot operating, from serving behind the bar to teaching drama to 7-18 year olds. Keith has worked in professional theatre for the nearly 30 years, starting as a fly man at the Opera House, then as touring carpenter with Cameron Mackintosh. He then spent 16 years at the Royal Exchange, production managing shows, operating and maintaining the automated flying system, and looking after all the work in the Studio theatre. Since 2015 he has been the Technical Manager at Home, Manchester’s newest arts centre, being a part of setting up and opening the new building, and now helps to organise the technical team, building (and taking down) the touring sets and working with Home’s creative team to plan and present shows in the two theatre spaces and beyond.
Rosarie Walsh - Board Member
Rosarie is a Project Manager, Drama Facilitator and Theatre Maker based in Stretford. Rosarie was born and raised in Cork, Ireland, where her love of theatre began at the age of 4. She has a degree in Marketing Management and an MA in Applied Theatre from the University of Manchester. Rosarie has been living in Manchester since 2009 and has over 7 years experience in community arts – specifically working with vulnerable, marginalised and socially excluded young people and adults.
In 2010 after taking part in Future Fires a yearlong mentoring programme at Contact Theatre, Rosarie along side her business partner set up and ran Tandem Theatre, a not-for-profit organisation working with vulnerable marginalised and socially excluded young people and adults. Through this she was involved in running a number of very successful projects and performances in greater Manchester.
In 2014 Rosarie was thrilled to be involved in re-establishing Stretford Children's Theatre as part of the community in Stretford and took a different path in 2016 by leaving Tandem and concentrating on growing Streford Children’s Theatre. In 2017 Rosarie secured funding by The Heritage Lottery, Young Roots Programme to run a project called Ahead of His Time: John Rylands, social Investor in Stretford and The Streford Public Hall. This has been a challenging and exciting new journey.