Dave Carey Senior Creative Producer – Music / Senior Development Manager – Enterprise Expand Senior Creative Producer – Music – Music/Senior Development Manager – Enterprise Dave Carey studied Performing Arts at Middlesex University and William Patterson College, USA. On qualifying he joined a specialist music publisher before returning to playing the keyboards with The Hollies, touring and recording extensively. In 1995 he joined Chickenshed full time, initially as an assistant music director to founder Jo Collins. In 1997 he extended his work beyond music to writing scripts and devising shows. Since then he has written much of Chickenshed’s professional out-put including the critically acclaimed "As the mother of a brown boy..."' and "Crime of the Century" both in collaboration with Chris Niering. Most recently they created the domestic abuse themed “In absence of Silence”. His other credits include The Rain That Washes, Globaleyes, Slender Threads. As a writer/composer he has also written over a dozen Christmas shows. His passion for taking the work of Chickenshed out of London has led him to far flung places of the earth, running and creating projects and shows in Shanghai, Malawi, Moscow and Helsinki amongst others. His most recent project is working with orphaned girls to create a piece of theatre that tells their stories in Shijiazhuang, China.
Sebastian Gonzalez Inclusive Recording and Technical Support Manager Expand Inclusive Recording and Technical Support Manager Sebastian joined Chickenshed from an early age, training and performing throughout his school years. He left briefly to complete a BA (Hons) in Photography, Sculpture, Dance and Theatre at the University of Brighton. He then went on to further his dance training at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. He has appeared in several films, television programmes, commercials and music videos, working with organisations such as B.B.C, E.M.I, Factory Films, L.W.T, Ridley Scott Associates, The Really Useful Group, Urban Conceptz Theatre, Wall to Wall Media, Yes/No Productions, and C.B.B.C. Sebastian also delivers visual, performing and creative arts workshops in schools, colleges and organizations to groups of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. He has over 15 years’ experience in Play work and Youth work with mainstream and mixed ability groups of children and young people. He currently works within both the artistic and education departments at Chickenshed, performing, teaching on the Level 3 Extended Diploma, Foundation Degree and BA courses, as well as filming, video editing and set/props design for the education shows and many recent studio theatre productions.
Belinda McGuirk Level 3 Programme Manager – Year 2 Expand Level 3 Programme Manager – Year 2 From the age of 3 Belinda has been involved in theatre – from learning poems like Daddy Fell in to the Pond, to playing Puss’n Boots, to Bernard in the Young Visitor’s, to the Angel Gabriel… all this and much more before joining Chickenshed at the age of 14. Since then, some of her highlights include going to Ethiopia and China, teaching in all disciplines across the level 3 course, working with the Children’s and Youth Theatres, and playing the mother in As the Mother of a Brown Boy. She was most recently seen performing in An Adventure to Oz!, Trumpets and Raspberries, and Refugee Boy.
Jojo Morrall Higher Education Programme Manager / Support and Mentor Team Co-ordinator Expand Higher Education Programme Manager / Support and Mentor Team Co-ordinator Jojo was a member of Chickenshed’s Children’s and Youth Theatre and then completed the Foundation Degree in Inclusive Performance. She completed a BA at Middlesex University in Inclusive Education and then went on to get her PG Cert in Higher Education at Anglia Ruskin University. Jojo is also part of the Outreach team taking Chickenshed ethos into a variety of places and countries including Finland, Gurnsey, Wales, Houses of Commons, Young Offenders Institutes and Prisons. JoJo performs and directs at Chickenshed. She was most recently part of a show that toured to Wales called In the Absence of Silence, Jojo also takes on the role as a co-director for Chickenshed’s Christmas, Spring and student shows.
Jonathan Morton Senior Creative Producer – Acting Development Expand Senior Creative Producer – Acting Development Jonathan has been a performing member of Chickenshed for over 40 years as well as an Education Manager working on the Level 3 and undergraduate programmes since 2005. He trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has worked extensively as an actor in theatre (including RSC, National Studio, Royal Exchange, Chickenshed and West End), TV (including Poirot, Daliez and Pascoe, Casualty and Sooty) and film (Midsummer Night’s Dream). He has also directed many productions (including Blood Wedding, The Would Be Gentleman, 1984 and Animal Farm.)
Robin Shillinglaw Youth Theatre Programme Manager / Level 3 Programme Manager - Year 1 Expand Youth Theatre/Level 3 Programme Manager Robin Shillinglaw has been a member of Chickenshed since early childhood and began working as a member of staff in 2001 after graduating from Brighton University. Since then he has worked for Chickenshed on many different projects and in many different capacities within the performance, outreach, education and membership work. Within these areas of work Robin teaches, performs, leads workshops, directs, and choreographs, working extensively with Chickenshed's diverse mix of participants. A significant project was in 2002, when as part of team, Robin worked in Ethiopia with the dance group, Adugna and this inspired him to work in Ethiopia as a volunteer for a further 8 months in 2003 and was able to bring back many developed skills from this experience to share with Chickenshed. Robin has also been involved in a variety of outreach projects both nationally and internationally (Russia, Ethiopia, Costa Rica and more recently Kosovo).