About the Company
Vivid Roots Collective is a Highland-based theatre company, and registered charity. Through our work and research, we use our expertise in the intersection of emerging theatre-makers and Highland theatre-making to provide opportunities for artists in these fields, and to contribute to the growing culture of professionally produced theatre in the region.
Our Vision
The Highlands is recognised nationally as having an exceptional and growing culture of professional performing arts.
Our Mission
We create professional opportunities for, and support the development of, emerging and Highland theatre makers.
Our Social Impact Statement
Supporting emerging and early-career theatre-makers in the Highlands will encourage artists to remain in the region while they pursue their professional development. These artists will contribute to the local workforce, particularly in hospitality, retail and tourism, instead of relocating for work elsewhere. In this way, Vivid Roots Collective will combat regional depopulation.
Beginnings
Vivid Roots Collective was formed in August 2020, by Laura Walker, Sophie Wink, Keira Smith, and Sophie Bender. It was originally a means for the co-founders to remain accountable for their own creative development following their graduation during the COVID-19 lockdown. By 2021, we had realised that there was more for Vivid Roots to offer in the Highlands, and so we began the development of the company as it is now.
About the Team
Laura Walker
CEO | Creative Producer
Laura is a co-founder, now the CEO and creative producer for the company. She manages all aspects of the organisation and produces Vivid Roots’ creative projects. Laura is a freelance director, producer, and researcher in the theatre industry, and holds a MRes (Creative Practice).
Sophie Wink
Co-Founder | Creative Learning Officer
Sophie is the freelance creative learning officer who delivers exceptional workshops to our clients. She also works as an artist liaison on all of our creative projects, delivering support across the entire scope of the work. Beyond Vivid Roots, Sophie works freelance in playwriting and creative learning.
About the Board
We are recruiting board members, so if you are interested in becoming a director (especially if you have a background in safeguarding and finance), please get in touch.
Iris Thompson-Burton
Chairperson
Iris is an experienced Business Development Manager with demonstrable transferrable skills from across her career which started out in Local Government, before moving into the management and governance of Private and Charity Sector organisations which has led her to develop the management of diverse high demand workloads and competing objectives with strong project management skills.
Ellen Bradbury
Director
Ellen is a Development Officer for Imaginate and a member of the Wonder Fools Youth Board. She is an early-career playwright and theatre-maker based in Glasgow who specialises in themes of history, gender and verbatim. Her current commissions include the Burnout Project with Framework Theatre, and an adaptation of Warriors, Witches, and Damn Rebel Bitches with Emma Ruse Productions.
Alexander Williamson
Director
Alex is a freelance marketing and communications professional, writer, photographer, and researcher. He is currently undertaking a MA with University of the Highlands and Islands.
Keira Smith
Director
Keira is a co-founder, and an emerging theatre director and writer based in Inverness. She was an assistant director with Dogstar Theatre for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022 and has worked with Surrogate Productions on tour. Her work predominantly centres on the nuances of the queer experience in rural areas in response to the current socio-political climate.
Lauren Pyott
Director
Lauren is a community organiser, with a background in producing cultural events across the Middle East and Scotland. She also works as a freelance Arabic translator, editor and researcher, specialising in community-led and art-based research.
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