Boldly trauma-conscious and survivor-led theatre and participation arts for social change.
Founder
NELL HARDY
Nell is an actor, writer, theatre-maker and facilitator living, laughing and loving with complex trauma. She began her career from an emergency hostel room, and if anything has gotten even less sensible since then.
Nell has experienced first hand how quickly our lives can change direction, how invisible we can become when we are in need, and how complex the lifelong road to healing (whatever that ends up meaning for us) can be.
She considers herself lucky that, at her most desperate and neglected, her creativity helped her hold onto her truth and to express it to those around her who needed to hear it: those who were also suffering, and those who didn't know how to help.
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Nell's work walks a fine line between the poetic and the everyday to expose audiences to contemporary traumatic experiences in an uncompromising but hopeful way. She tells dangerous stories in safe spaces to uplift the downtrodden, and to unite audiences from different walks of life in empathy, humanity, humour, need, motivation and ambition for a better future.
Our Trustees
Chair
KATIE LANGFORD
Katie is a multifaceted artist and advocate for social change through the transformative power of the arts. She has worked and volunteered with organisations including Streetwise Opera, Clean Break Theatre, The Koestler Trust, The Southbank Centre, and Groundswell.
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In her role as People Director at Groundswell, she pioneered a holistic trauma-informed human resource strategy and has supported several organisations strategically through organisational change and growth, including the Museum of Homelessness, Arts & Homelessness International and Deptford Housing Co-operative.
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She is also a core group member of the Museum of Homelessness and serves on the Board of Committee for Somebody's Daughter Theatre in Melbourne, Australia.
Treasurer
JULIAN PARMAR
Julian is a managing director at a global investment firm.
He was formerly a trustee of Campus Children’s Holidays, a charity providing respite holidays for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In his spare time he enjoys hiking and playing the piano (badly).
Trustee
MIRANDA KEAST
Miranda has worked in charities for 17 years in a wide range of operational and leadership roles.
As a freelance consultant and researcher, she spends her time learning, un-learning and re-learning as she continues to work with charities and organisations that seek to promote equality, centre care, and support people to live fulfilling lives in a compassionate society.
She is honoured to be a trustee for Response Ability Theatre and truly believes in its survivor-led work as a way to support healing and advance awareness and understanding of trauma.
She has a Masters in Public Administration and is currently working towards a doctorate in social policy, but she enjoys procrastinating by walking in the South Downs, reading poetry and cooking.
Trustee
JUDITH FAGELSON
Judith is currently a civil servant, and previously worked in NGO programme management, monitoring, evaluation and research.
She loves finding ways to help organisations better assess and demonstrate the impact of their work. She is also passionate about access and inclusion in the arts.
Aside from that, she is a keen swing dancer and also likes to tinker with bikes.
Trustee
KIM MARSH
Kim (KT) Marsh is a poet, performer and psychologist.
She has been working with marginalised groups in theatre settings since 2013 through companies such as Clean Break and Cardboard Citizens, sometimes in an artistic role and sometimes in a therapeutic one.
Before that she had over twenty years' administrative experience in a law firm.
If this all sounds very serious, don't be fooled: she's a huge comedy fan and loves taking the mickey.
Trustee
HALLIE BANISH
Hallie is a dedicated change maker and disability activist, specialising in strategic communication, campaigning and public policy. She has worked at Ruils Independent Living - a Deaf and Disabled People's Organisation - for 6 years, first as a project manager and now as the Campaigns and Communications Manager.
She has previous experience as a fundraiser and project manager for several charities both in London and the United States, where she is originally from.
As someone with lived experience, she is passionate about eliminating the stigma surrounding disability and trauma and looks forward to working alongside Nell and the RAT Trustees to challenge stereotypes and embedded barriers in our society.
In her spare time she enjoys water colouring, travelling and going to the theatre.
