Creative Team
Changing Lives is a co-production with Bloodaxe Books and Warwick Arts Centre. The creative team is:
Alex De Marcus – Performer
Alex was born and raised in Birmingham and started his performing career in 1984 touring as a break dancer in Italy for two years. Since then he has appeared in many productions, recently including a national tour of Jungle Book in which he appeared in over 700 shows, playing the part of Bagheera the Panther. Alex has also had a few other down to earth jobs including a scrap-man, a milkman, a shoemaker and a gravedigger.
Susan Southall – Performer
Sue grew up in and around Staffordshire and has travelled extensively before settling in Lichfield. Before acting she attempted many careers; an Air Stewardess for Virgin Atlantic and a Pharmaceutical Representative. Finally she could fight it no longer and at the tender age of 27 trained to be an actress. She now works within Theatre performing in Musicals, Plays and also television.
John Flitcroft – Performer
After a childhood in Yorkshire and Cumbria, John has been happily exiled in the Midlands for 20 years. Before acting he worked, briefly, as a woodsman and a Law Clerk, (occupations his family now look on with nostalgia). He lives in Smethwick with his gorgeous wife and two lovely daughters and works in theatre, radio and television.’
Steve Byrne – Director
Steve Byrne has worked extensively in theatre as an actor, composer, writer and director since graduating from Goldsmiths College in London. He has worked in Germany, Japan and the USA. He is currently Artistic Director of Interplay Theatre in Leeds. www.interplaytheatre.org
Lizzie Wiggs – Associate Director
Lizzie is furthering her training at the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris this autumn. Recent credits include: The Bee (Noda Map, Tokyo);Birmingham Royal Ballet, Hang Lenny Pope and cloud:burst (Theatre Absolute National Tour and 59E59 Theatre NYC); The Octagon Theatre, Bolton, Soho Theatre, Punchdrunk and Bush Theatre, London.
Janet Vaughan – Set & Costume Design
Janet Vaughan is a visual artist and designer who has designed site specific and touring performances, and created installation artworks for unusual and digital spaces. She has achieved particular recognition for her work as one third of mixed media experimentalists Talking Birds. www.talkingbirds.co.uk, www.vornster.co.uk
Derek Nisbet – Projection and Sound Design
Derek Nisbet is a composer and film-maker with Talking Birds, a company acclaimed for using theatre to transform unusual spaces. The company’s recent productions include Three Doctors at Coventry & Warwickshire hospital, The Last Lot at Kilkenny Cattle Market and The Whale, a performance for one audience member at a time inside a giant metal whale. www.talkingbirds.co.uk, www.dereknisbet.info
Neil Astley – Associate Producer
Neil Astley is editor of Bloodaxe Books, which he founded in 1978. His books include two poetry collections and several anthologies, including Staying Alive: real poems from unreal times (2002), Pleased to See Me: 69 very sexy poems (2002), Being Alive: the sequel to Staying Alive (2004) and Passionfood: 100 Love Poems (2005). He received an Eric Gregory Award for his poetry and was given a D.Litt from Newcastle University for his work with Bloodaxe Books.
Emma McCormack – Associate Producer
Emma McCormack programmes live literature at Warwick Arts Centre and has previously worked at Edinburgh International Book Festival. She was Associate Producer of the previous show, Being Alive.
Simon Thirsk – Associate Producer
Simon Thirsk is executive chairman and a founder director of Bloodaxe Books. Before joining Bloodaxe full-time, he worked as a journalist for 20 years and has lectured in journalism and marketing. He has an honours degree in philosophy, has learned Welsh and wrote Small Zones, a television play about the imprisoned dissident Russian poet, Irina Ratushinskaya, broadcast on BBC2.
Jonathan Davidson – Producer
Jonathan Davidson runs Midland Creative Projects Limited, an independent agency specialising in promoting writing and literature activities. He has produced two previous live literature tours, Staying Alive, in 2004 and Being Alive, in 2006.
