Meet the Staff

Meet the team behind Norwich Puppet Theatre.

Peter Beck

Theatre Director

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Kathryn Washington

Theatre Administrator

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Lloyd Mitchell

Financial Controller

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Charlotte Brooks

Cleaner

Meet the Board of Trustees

Phillip Roffe – Chair

Starting off as an IT engineer, Phillip now owns and runs Osiris technologies which provides IT support for charities and businesses throughout the region. He is also director/owner of Fayre Maiden Jewellery.

Phillip is passionate about supporting young people within the community. His company runs its own apprentice scheme designed to give young people opportunities within the technical sector. Phillip is also an Enterprise Advisor, a voluntary scheme which connects schools and business throughout the region.

Phillip says “I adore being part of the puppet theatre. It is a gem of a theatre set in a city that I love.”

Emma Taylor – Deputy Chair

Emma is a project management and funding specialist with a strong track record of delivering major projects across the economic growth, skills and heritage sectors. She is currently Director of Growth, Innovation and Strategic Projects at Suffolk New College, delivering capital developments and educational activity projects.

A Norwich resident who previously held senior roles in Norfolk Museums Service for 15 years, she is also a passionate supporter of the rich culture and heritage of Norwich. With a lifelong love of puppetry, she is delighted to help drive the future strategic development of Norwich Puppet Theatre, ensuring this extraordinary organisation achieves its full potential.

Nic Hopkins

A determined and senior business and project management professional with over 30 years experience at the heart of organisational change and service transformation in government. His key strengths throughout that time have involved managing people, budgets, change, programmes and projects. His core domains of expertise have been ICT, stakeholder, workplace and programme management.

Since retiring as a full-time senior civil servant with the Office of Government Commerce in HM Treasury in July 2008, he has pursued a mixed portfolio of activities as a voluntary trustee, as a management consultant and on home and family based activities.

As previous Chair of Norwich Puppet Theatre he led a programme of artistic renaissance and business change, and this has seen the theatre’s return to developing original productions, touring, and an expanding range of educational services.

As owner of misternic ltd, and in his role as a management consultant, he has worked as an accredited and experienced High Risk Gateway Review Team Leader. This has involved independent peer review assessments of major high-risk government projects in roiad and rail transport, international sporting events, procurement and shared services, business change, financial services and information systems.

Gavin Cowley

Gavin works Future Projects in the NR5 area of Norwich.  for Previously he worked for Norfolk County Council as a partnership adviser to schools in King’s Lynn, West Norfolk and Breckland. Having worked abroad for over twenty years in a range of educational settings, he has enjoyed returning to the UK and re-discovering the rich history and cultural heritage of Norwich.

He is keen to engage schools throughout Norfolk in the ‘power of puppetry’, as a means to delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

Mark Pitman

Mark Pitman is co-director of Garlic Theatre, a visual theatre company that uses image, puppet animation, movement, and live music to create theatre productions. The company tours nationally and internationally.

Mark worked as a model maker before training in mime and movement with Desmond Jones and attending Jacques Lecoq’s school in Paris.

In 1995 Mark became a part-time tutor for puppetry and manipulation and construction at the Central School for Speech and Drama in London for six years.

Debbie-Lee Pinching

Norwich born and RADA trained, Debbie-Lee began her association with the Norwich Puppet Theatre when she stage managed the 1985 production of Pinocchio.

Since then she has worked at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, the Unicorn Children’s Theatre, the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, the Palace Theatre, Watford and the RSC.

She is a committee member of Fine Cell Work and has been on the board of the Norwich Puppet Theatre since 2008.

Laura Gorman

Laura has over a decade of experience in the education sector. During this time she has taken on many leadership roles, with a particular interest in Special Educational Needs.
Puppetry offers an inclusive, playful and non-threatening way for children to explore their emotional literacy, alongside so many important life skills.
Laura believes that the Puppet Theatre is a unique and cherished institution and is dedicated in supporting the expansion of the education offer to all.

Christine Nebbett

Norwich Puppet Theatre is pretty wonderful. The old church that it’s housed in with its small round tower is very cool…then you step inside and the interior is beautiful and surprising…then the magic of puppetry begins.

I was drawn to this role having felt the passion and enthusiasm of the other trustees, the staff, volunteers and the theatre goers themselves. I didn’t think I knew a great deal about puppetry, but when I thought back to all the shows, television and film that had me enthralled growing up, I realised that we have all experienced so many forms of this art without really thinking about it and it is still evolving and absolutely current.

I work in the administration of an IT company and I am also involved in the administration and operation of a Norwich based social enterprise. A versatile working life and numerous volunteer roles have allowed me to engage in anything I do with insight and creativity. I look forward to giving NPT my energy and support

Stuart McLeod

Stuart has worked with children and young people for nearly two decades, across schools, museums and hospitals, with a particular focus on autism, special needs and disabilities.
He is currently a full-time parent and carer, and a keen maker and crafter, enjoying making toys, costumes, puppets and props for himself and his family.
Stuart is passionate about inclusion, and is keen to promote access to the arts among disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. He has a lifelong love of puppetry and community arts, and is very excited to be supporting the team at Norwich Puppet Theatre with all the fantastic work and events that they do.

Bill Vine