Jodi Myers (Chair)

Since 2005 I have worked as an independent consultant across the arts, and have particular interests in recruitment and governance development. I also practice “motoring”, my blend of mentoring and coaching, working with individual artists and managers. Previously I was Director of Performing Arts at the South Bank Centre, Director of Warwick Arts Centre, and Deputy Director of Touring at the Arts Council of Great Britain. My early career was spent marketing opera and stage managing theatre. I have been a trustee of a number of theatre companies and I am a lifelong enthusiast for musical theatre – its combination of drama, music and dance, makes for a potent brew. Musical Theatre Network and its members can play a key role in developing both the artform and the audiences for it.

Katy Lipson

I’m the Company Director of Aria Entertainment and Producing Artistic Director of the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. In 2017, I was awarded the Best Producer award by the Off-West End Awards and I am a recipient of the Stage One Bursary and Start Up Award. In 2018 and 2019 I made The Stage 100 with Joe Houston and William Whelton for our work at Hope Mill Theatre, which also won Fringe Theatre Of The Year in THE STAGE awards. Most notable credits include the UK Tour of The Addams Family and the 50th Anniversary production of HAIR at the London Vaults which won the award for Best Off-West End Production at the 2018 Whatsonstage Awards. I also produced the London transfer of new musical The Toxic Avenger at The Arts Theatre. Some other recent productions include: Unexpected Joy (Southwark Playhouse and York Theatre, Off-Broadway); It’s Only Life (Union Theatre); Putting it Together; The Return of the Soldier, Aspects of Love, Spring Awakening, Little Women, Pippin, The ToyBoy Diaries, Yank!, Parade and Hair (Hope Mill Theatre); the London transfers of Pippin (Southwark Playhouse), Yank! (Charing Cross Theatre); tick, tick…BOOM! (Park Theatre); Promises, Promises and The Toxic Avenger (Southwark Playhouse); See What I Wanna See and The Return Of The Soldier (Jermyn Street Theatre); Bar Mitzvah Boy (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); The Adventures of Pinocchio, Lizzie and The Who’s Tommy (Greenwich Theatre); The House of Mirrors & Hearts, (Arcola Theatre) and Marry Me A Little, Jerry’s Girls and Forever Plaid (St. James Studio).

Other projects include: Aspects of Love (Southwark Playhouse); Rags; Mame and The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit (Hope Mill Theatre) and the UK Tour of Hair. I have produced 6 festivals of new musical theatre under the banner of FROM PAGE TO STAGE which has supported over 100 new musicals to date.

Tim Sawers

I am currently embarking on my 3^rd career!  Having spent 20 years in the oil & gas industry and then 20 years in theatre, I have embarked on a portfolio career that encompasses charity work, restaurants, websites, classical choral singing and many other small projects.  With respect to musical theatre, I was part of the team, lead by Carol Metcalfe, that started the Bridewell Theatre in 1993 and the desire to focus on musical theatre as a genre, in particular supporting new musical theatre writing in the UK.  I was the Executive Director there for many years and produced a number of in-house musical theatre productions including a number of World and European premieres including Songs for a New World, Hello Again and Floyd Collins.

Fiona Mallin-Robinson

Fiona Mallin-Robinson has over two decades’ experience within the arts and not-for-profit sector, spanning organisations both large and small in the UK and abroad. She was Marketing & Development Director at English National Ballet (2000-2006) and National Events Manager at Opera Australia, Sydney (1997-2000). Since 2006 she has worked as an independent consultant, specializing in strategic planning and income generation for charities and arts organisations. Her clients have included: ADAD (Association for Dance of the African Diaspora), Phoenix Cinema, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Scene & Heard and Woburn Abbey & Gardens. Fiona is an Arts Adviser for John Lyon’s Charity, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and on the Board of Trustees for Primary Shakespeare Company.

Raj Shah

I’m a commercial lawyer at Collyer Bristow LLP. My day-to-day work involves drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts for clients. Many of these clients operate in the arts, media and culture sectors, and I have previously acted for theatre producers, performers, arts-focused organisations, and other cultural institutions. I additionally advise clients on data protection and intellectual property issues, and am a member of the Society of Computers and Law and the Franco-British Lawyers Society. Outside of the law, I work as an independent literary and cultural researcher and scholar, and have written for various peer-reviewed publications, including the UK’s only international academic journal dedicated to musical theatre. I’m honoured to be part of MTN and to help support its fostering of exciting new work.

Felix Cross MBE

Felix worked as a guitarist in rock and jazz bands, songwriter, stand-up comedian and music teacher before moving into music theatre. In 1996 he was appointed Artistic Director of Black Theatre Co-op, which became Nitro. Music theatre for which he has written book, music and lyrics includes Blues For Railton (Albany Empire); Glory! (Temba/Derby Playhouse – winner 1988 LWT Plays On Stage); Mass Carib (Albany Empire/South Bank/national no1 tour/Trafalgar Square/Greenwich & Docklands Festival) and Passports To The Promised Land (NITRO/Sheffield Theatres). He has written music and lyrics or books for many musicals, and music for plays for, amongst others, Albany Empire, Nottingham Playhouse, Tricycle Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Tamasha, Talawa, National Theatre, Out of Joint, and for all 23 of Agatha Christie’s plays. He also has extensive credits as a director. In 2012 he was awarded an MBE for services to music theatre.

Pravesh Kumar MBE

Pravesh Kumar is the Artistic Director and Chief Executive of award winning Rifco Theatre Company, he was awarded an MBE in the Queens Honours list 2022 for Service to Theatre. He started the company in 2000 to make a different kind of theatre for a community that could not see themselves represented on English stages.  He has been at the forefront of bringing new British South Asian audiences into theatres in their thousands, often for the first time by making entertaining and accessible theatre. 

Pravesh has a background in film and worked in the commercial Indian film industry often called Bollywood for many years. His theatrical directorial debut was in 2000 with a UK tour of Bollywood – Yet Another Love Story. He has gone on to achieve critical acclaim for Rifco’s productions: Dishoom!, Pyar Actually, Miss Meena & the Masala Queens, Laila The Musical, Britain’s Got Bhangra, Happy Birthday Sunita, It Ain’t All Bollywood, There’s Something About Simmy, Airport 2000, Meri Christmas, Where’s My Desi Soulmate?, The Deranged Marriage and Break The Floorboards. 

His short film, Gods on Mountains was nominated for the Satyajit Ray Short Film Award. His short film The Deranged Marriage was selected for the BAFTA accredited BUFF festival in 2019. Most recently Pravesh wrote the book for the acclaimed rap musical, Mushy: Lyrically Speaking.  Pravesh is currently writing an ambitious new main stage musical and in post-production on his debut feature film Little English. He leads on the Rifco Associates programme finding new British South Asian voices of the future.

Tom Atkins

Niraj Chag

Nikolai Foster

Luisa Hinchliff

Andrew Panton

Laurie Sansom

Pippa Bailey

Rishi Coupland

Iain Gillie

Katherine Ives

Ros Povey

Zoe Simpson

Andy Barnes

Sarah Culshaw

Chris Grady

Suzann McLean

Peter Rowe

Andrew Subramaniam