trustees
Sharon Louise Studer
Co-founders of theatre works! are Dr. Sharon Louise Studer and Graham Beckett.
Sharon Louise has loved theatre from the age of six when she played a shepherd in the school play. Although her family and friends thought she moved to London for a tech job, it was so she could go to the theatre as often as she wanted.
Her day job included being a partner in the KPMG Consulting Practice and various executive roles in technology and media multinationals across Europe, the US and Asia. She has served on a variety of boards, including Simmons & Simmons, the international law firm, Oxford Univ Audit Committee, and TNS, the worldwide market research firm (before being acquired by WPP).
Sharon spends time in Miami during the winter, where she is a member of the Funding Arts Network.
Graham Beckett
A teenage trip to see Fiddler on the Roof was Graham’s first memorable theatre. The magic of that evening has led to a lifelong interest in all forms of theatrical performances, whether it be a play, an opera or contemporary dance.
Graham tries to avoid too much drama in his working life. He was the founding partner and principal of Results International, a leading advisory firm in the global marketing, technology, and communications businesses. Prior to setting up Results International, he spent his career building and running a number of successful private advertising and marketing services businesses in London.
Graham Beckett serves as the charity’s Operations Director.
The Lady Butterworth of Warwick
Doris, The Lady Butterworth of Warwick, has considerable experience in encouraging young people. She chaired the Warwickshire Assn of Youth Clubs for 18 years and served as Chair of two Local Education Authority Schools (Stoke Park, Aylesford). She was Vice Chair of the Independent Schools Council for 8 years. For the NHS, Lady Butterworth chaired the Primary Health Care Committee for Coventry for 8 years and The National Assn. of Voluntary Help Organisers.
Dr. Moira Hamlin
Dr. Moira Hamlin was until recently the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Bristol University. She spent over 30 years working in the public sector where she held a number of senior positions in criminal justice and health. She was Chair of Avon and Somerset Police Authority from 2003-2010 and Deputy Chair of the National Association of Police Authorities from 2003-2008. Moira is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with a PhD (Clinical) from the University of Birmingham. Her first theatre experience was seeing the ground breaking production of Hair in London. This life-changing experience helped her understand the transformative power of theatre and other creative activities for young people. Over a number of years she has been involved in arts and literature festivals and was co-founder of the new Arts Festival in Wedmore, Somerset.
Beverley Grimster
Beverley Grimster has worked with vulnerable children and families in the health and social care field for over 30 years. She started in London and moved to Gloucestershire in 2002. She is a Trustee for Cheltenham Festivals and serves on the Board for Cheltenham Borough Homes. Her experience working with the disadvantaged provides a strong foundation to help theatre works! reach out to children and families in our target population.
Beverley believes that every child should have an opportunity for a life full of options and opportunities. That starts with an awareness that anything is possible and that only happens when you see people that look like you in books, on television and on the stage. Theatre is a fantastic way for young people, no matter what their background, ethnicity or race to gain confidence, build self-esteem and dream BIG.
Suzanne Ross
Suzanne is a chartered accountant by profession but her heart has always been with the theatre, having studied English and Theatre studies at University. She spent her early accountancy career with KPMG and then moved to IBM where she worked in tax and mergers & acquisitions (including a few years in Paris). For the last 10 years Suzanne was Head of Investments for the IBM Pension Fund. In 2012 she moved to Cheltenham and joined Cheltenham Festivals - a job which enabled her to merge her financial skills with her love of the arts. She was Director of Finance for the Festivals and now serves as the charity’s Treasurer.
honorary patrons
Sir Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard, a British playwright and screenwriter, is one of the most internationally recognised dramatists alive today. Award-winning plays include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Jumpers, Travesties & Arcadia and most recently Leopoldstadt. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Shakespeare in Love.
Tom Stoppard holds one of the highest UK honours, the Order of Merit, given to only 24 living people. A play might be called ‘Stoppardian’ if it addresses philosophical issues through wit and comedy. He is Czech born, and a number of his plays address human rights abuses.
(Image: New York Times Magazine)
Find out how to receive a limited edition copy of a signed Tom Stoppard play - click here
Sir Nicholas Hytner
Sir Nicholas Hytner is an acclaimed theatre director as well as a film director and producer. He was the Artistic Director of London’s National Theatre from 2003 to 2015, where major successes included The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors. Films he has directed include The History Boys, The Madness of King George and The Lady in the Van. He has been Artistic Director of London’s Bridge Theatre since 2017. He has conducted many opera productions and sits on the board of The Royal Opera House.
Hytner was knighted in 2010 for services to drama. He has won many theatre and film awards, including a Tony for The History Boys and Carousel and a BAFTA for best film, The Madness of King George.
Sudha Bhuchar
Sudha is an award-winning actor, playwright and founder of two theatre companies, Tamasha with K Landon Smith in 1989 and Bhuchar Boulevard in 2015.
Bhuchar’s theatre projects work to incorporate Asian art into British mainstream culture and to champion lesser heard voices and stories. Plays she has written include Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral (1998) which won the Barclays Theatre Award for Best Musical in 1999. Child of the Divide (2017) won Time Out’s Best Kid Show, 2006.
As an actor, she has appeared on stage at The Theatre Royal, Stratford East; Royal Court, Birmingham Repertory; and the Globe. She has appeared in EastEnders and Coronation Street and created the role of a solicitor in the Archers.
Baroness Floella Benjamin
OM DBE DL
Baroness Floella Benjamin is a celebrated actress, author, and advocate for children’s welfare. With over five decades in entertainment, she has received numerous honours, including a BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2024 BAFTA Fellowship. Her bestselling book Coming to England is now part of the UK National Curriculum, and her autobiography What Are You Doing Here? won the 2023 Parliamentary Book Award for Best Autobiography.
She is a life peer in the House of Lords, successfully championing legislation to support children’s television and performance opportunities. In 2022, she was appointed to the Order of Merit by the late Queen Elizabeth II for her lifelong dedication to diversity, charity, and children’s well-being.
Lady Hylton has also kindly agreed to be an Honorary Patron.
team players
Louise Fennell
Grants Co-ordinator
Louise is the first line of contact that grantees will have with our charity, whether making enquires or submitting an application. She vets all applications against our conditions and forwards that information to our Independent Reviewer. Louise started working in Early Years education over 25 years ago, supervising and caring for children. Louise was an Atelierista (yes, we had to look it up as well), a person who guides children in creating art. Louise’s love of theatre started with a trip to Annie when she was five and she can still belt out ‘The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow’.
Nicki Watson
Grant Administrator
Nicki is our virtual office manager, recording and monitoring all grant activity. She spent 15 years in banking Customer Services and as a Mortgage Advisor. She was a Trustee for PATA (UK) supporting the Early Years' sector in Gloucestershire. She has been a Girl Guiding leader in Oxfordshire for 15 years. Nicki enjoys walking and watching fast cars at the racetrack.
Judy Stopek
Theatre Development US
Judy liaises with regional theatres across the US. Judy has been active in cultural activities for many years, starting with Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s concerts. She has a long-standing interest in social justice issues. She is actively involved with Miami’s Funding Arts Network and is a keen walker.
Ann Brody
Theatre Development US
Ann reaches out to US regional theatres to promote theatre works! With a background in social work, she has firsthand experience improving the lives of economically disadvantaged children. She believes theatre can be both eye-opening and inspiring, offering new possibilities. Ann has taught creative writing in a women's prison and is active in two book clubs and a French conversation group.
Gabriel Stone
Head of Development
Gabriel has joined us to write our newsletters and provide support in all communication matters. She has a decade of journalistic experience in London, latterly as editor of international trade title The Drinks Business. Now a freelance writer for various publications, including a monthly column in The Field magazine, she loves to play real tennis and organise gently educational village wine clubs. Gabriel tries to squeeze in a play on her rare trips to London – most recently A View from The Bridge.
Lucy Bellingham
Education Coordinator
Lucy is an experienced drama educator and consultant, bringing over twenty years of dedication to the field of drama education. After studying Drama at Manchester University, Lucy has taught across diverse settings, from rural schools in the Midlands to urban academies in London. In 2021, she founded We Teach Drama, a resource and professional development hub for drama teachers worldwide. Her innovative workbook Think Like a Lighting Designer won the 2023 ‘Outstanding Drama Education Resource’ award at the Music & Drama Education Awards.
Lucy has also developed educational materials for major West End productions, including Back to the Future The Musical and Witness for the Prosecution. As a part-time Education Coordinator, Lucy is excited to create engaging resources that ensure every child who joins us for a performance leaves inspired and enriched.
Ella Copley
Researcher
Ella provides us with invaluable research into the benefits of the charity’s work with disadvantaged children. She has also been instrumental in identifying regional theatre contacts across the UK. Ella is an exceptional volunteer in that she is a long-term hospital patient in Leeds/West Yorkshire.
Gareth Davies
Independent Examiner
After a 39 year career with PwC, the last 26 as partner, Gareth, a keen musician, involved himself in arts-based charities. He served on the board of the renowned Academy of St Martin in the Fields for eight years, and on the board of Create, a charity that helps disadvantaged teenagers build confidence through exposure to the arts for five years. He acted as Treasurer for Guiting Power Village Hall, and is currently the Independent Examiner for The Guiting Power Music Festival.
Helen Gower
Grants Assistant
Helen has held various public-facing roles including as an audit clerk in banking and as a lead receptionist in a GP surgery. She was part of the area admin team for Covid vaccination. In the evening, Helen and her husband can be found at regional theatre productions across the county.
Anonymous
Independent Grants Reviewer
We believe it is critical for the integrity of the charity that decisions regarding our grant awards should be led by an independent person. Their identity is not revealed to ensure there is no lobbying for grants. The person holding this position previously held multiple senior roles in software companies.