Sophie Whitfield – Producer
Originally from Sheffield, Sophie has always been interested in the arts and performed in many productions from a young age. Alongside her studies of both Drama and Dance at University, Sophie was part of a student group producing and commissioning performance work around Lincoln. Also in her time here she has been a very proud to choreograph for two student productions with The Lincoln Company. In the past year Sophie has been working as a Production Assistant at Chapterhouse Theatre Company and has learnt many valuable skills whilst working in the industry. Sophie is very excited to be taking on the role of Production Manager for Refract Theatre Company and is most looking forward to working with such a talented team and watching the piece develop first hand.
Laura Spaven – Director
Laura is an undergraduate student studying Drama at the University of Lincoln. Her notable past achievements whilst studying at the Lincoln School of Performing Arts have been her success as Assistant Director of Hamlet (2013), her role as Vice President of the University of Lincoln’s Musical Theatre Society and taking the position of Stage Manager/Assistant director for an award winning production of The Wedding Singer (2014). Laura has worked closely with a number of regional companies, independent playwrights and theatres, including The Northern Academy of Performing Arts, Hull Truck Theatre and has performed at a number of venues, such as Hull New Theatre, Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds and London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. In summer 2014, Laura took on the role as Head of Performing Arts at a summer camp in Northern Michigan, in which she ran several classes and organised performances in camp. Laura is also a keen acoustic performer and is an avid fan of Musical Theatre – she hopes she can incorporate both elements into upcoming productions by Refract Theatre Company!
Anthony Lancashire – Stage Manager/ Assistant Director
Anthony is very excited to be taking on the role of Stage Manager in Refract Theatre Company. Having been no stranger to the stage from a young age, he has performed in many different productions. The highlights include Judd in Bouncers and Hamlet in Hamlet. Stemming from a youth theatre background Anthony also has lots of experience in creating and developing devised pieces collaboratively to create new material from comedy to drama. From the age of 16 Anthony has taken on back stage roles such as Writer, Director and Stage Manager. He also has technical knowledge having designed and edited sound and video for several projects. He is looking forward to working in his role alongside the talented team and can’t wait to see the end product, albeit from the technical box whilst calling the show!!
Thomas Hitchen – Marketing and Press Manager/ Choreographer/ Performer
Thomas is a graduating Drama student at the University of Lincoln. His role as Marketing and Press Manager involves creating and planning marketing strategies, identifying a target audience and liaising with the local press. Thomas works closely with the Digital Marketing Officer to establish a cohesive brand identity; this includes the creation and distribution of externally facing materials as well as a strong social media presence. Thomas has managerial and supervisory experience from his role as Team Leader at Topman which aids his leadership and running of the marketing strategies. In addition, Thomas has a passion for dance and choreography with some of his most recent credits including, ‘Making the Edit’ (2014) and ‘Encore! Look Who’s Singing Now’ (2015) at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. Thomas is proud to be a co-founder of Refract Theatre Company and is looking forward to their debut production, ‘When You See It’.
Mark McCredie – Performer/ Digital Marketing Officer
From a very young age Mark showed a keen interest in the performing arts, attending weekend classes and drama workshops. During his time in Lincoln, Mark has continued to perform taking part in numerous productions within the university course, such as playing the role of Mark Anthony is Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Alongside his course Mark has also had the opportunity of developing his directing skills, taking the role of Rehearsal Director in the Musical Theatre Society, during his second year, for a production of ‘The Wedding Singer’ which was voted Lincoln Student’s Union ‘Best Event of the Year’ and resulted in Mark winning ‘Personality of the year’. He is continuing to perform in his spare time taking part in two shows tied to both the university and the local community. Mark is excited to create an exciting original piece of theatre with such a gifted and diverse company.
Morgan Wills – Peformer/ Lighting Designer
Morgan wills is a 3rd year undergraduate studying drama. Her role as lighting designer and actor means she will design the lighting arrangement and any effects that are needed. She is creating the lighting plans that contribute to the performance and is going to be working alongside the set designer to create an atmosphere and vision that the draws in the audience. Morgan has created a contemporary performance aimed at teenagers about social media, the performance was very technical with multiple technical elements at one time. Morgan was the props and set designer in the performance Julius Caesar which was at lpac christmas 2013, Morgan organised and arranged all props for all cast members and made sure the performance ran smoothly as it was a big set. Morgan has taken part in many performances including a 3 hours performance in the usher gallery where she became an exhibit for the day. As well as acting Morgan has a passion for dance and has danced in numerous shows and taught tap dance for 3 years from toddlers to adults.
Sam Milne – Performer/ Sound Designer
Sam is a third year Drama student who is soon to graduate from the University of Lincoln. Originally from Nottingham, Sam discovered her love for all things Drama during secondary school and has been performing ever since. Performances which include ‘Tracy’ in Hairspray (2012) and ‘Queen Gertrude’ in Hamlet (2013) as well as performing in a primary school tour as a part of a Theatre for Children module have provided Sam with experience in a range of performance styles which will help her as one of the company’s performers. Alongside being a performer in Refract, Sam is also the Sound Designer. From buying music to making it, Sam will work with the Director, Stage Manager as well as collaborating with other designing departments to discuss and establish ‘sound’ as a component in the company’s creative process. Sam’s job will be to identify potential in the devised work where sound can be facilitated and presented. Sam is extremely excited about working with a hugely talented team to create and devise their debut production, ‘When You See It’.
Amy Houchin – Performer/ Costume Designer
Amy is a graduating Drama student at the University of Lincoln. Alongside being a performer, Amy is also the costume coordinator. From sourcing to producing them herself she holds responsibility for designing and managing costume for Refract. Preceding Refract, Amy has adapted and performed a fairy tale for children’s theatre which was toured around primary schools. She also has participated in her University production of Julius Caesar. It is during this production where Amy’s initial experience in managing the costume department was grounded. Outside University, Amy has pursued her interest in acting. She has performed in a short film managed by Creative Arts East and has been part of a performance for the Norfolk Drama Platforms festival. Amy also shows a keen interest in the media field, working as a filming assistant on location for the regional television programme Inside Out, of which its required skills are transferable to the theatre domain. In addition, Amy also holds a keen interest in music, completing several practical and theoretical grades for flute. Amy is extremely excited to be taking on her performance and costume designer roles, working alongside such an innovative and creative team.
Steph Newell – Performer/ Props Designer
Steph is currently studying drama in her final year at the University of Lincoln. She has had an admiration for the arts from a very young age, the theatre being a place of inspiration. She attended Coventry’s Youth Operetta Group prior to her time at university and had the opportunity to perform in many musical theatre productions. Her main passion has always been in musical theatre and this further lead to a keen interest in the combination of both music and drama in different forms. She thoroughly enjoys performing but also enjoys getting to witness the transformation that a piece will undertake during its creative process. Her time at University has enabled and encouraged her to experiment in the making and development of all different styles of theatre, it has widened her skill set and she is now extremely excited to be part of a new company creating new theatre.
Yasmin Chamberlain – Performer/ Set Designer
Yasmin is a student at the University of Lincoln who is doing a degree in drama. Her roles in Refract theatre company include performing and set design. Before university, Yasmin was part of a drama school called Urban Young Actors in Leicester which she attended weekly and trained in stage and film. Some of her roles include Deirdre Ollerenshawe in Fur Coat and No Knickers, Cathy in DNA and Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing. She also performed in 20 shows over 12 days as the White Rose in Alice’s Adventures In Winter Wonderland at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. Yasmin is very excited about being part of Refract theatre company and looks forward to being part of the work that is created.