Doorstep Arts is a non-profit arts education organisation based in Torbay. We run 14 drama groups across Torbay at key doorstep sites – youth clubs, church halls and schools. We are also the creative education company in residence at the Palace Theatre, Paignton.
The young people who attend these groups range in age from 0-25. They write their own stories and songs, and they explore original ideas through drama process, play, and imagination. The groups provide safe educational spaces to experiment with what it means to be an artist and to explore your own voice.
We believe that we all make the story happen – that participation in the arts is a key part of working for social justice. We believe that all children’s voices and stories matter and deserve to be listened to. Doorstep Arts believes that all children deserve to be able to access high quality participatory arts and to see (and make) amazing and inspiring work on their own doorsteps.
All of Doorstep’s work is educational practice as action research. This research is exploring pedagogy, performance and praxis with young people as co-researchers. Our research and practice is conducted through five key inter-connected strands of work.
Read more about our key strands & vision here.
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Meet the Team
Jade Campbell
Doorstep Co-Director & Co-Founder
Jade is a Brixham-local, a Dartington graduate and holds an MA in Applied Theatre from the University of Exeter. Jade also works for Theatre Royal Plymouth. Jade co-parents the Participation & Progression strands of our work, which includes our participatory groups and Foot in the Door mentorship scheme.
jade@doorsteparts.co.uk
Erin Walcon
Doorstep Co-Director & Co-Founder
Erin is a Paignton-based director, writer and educator with a PhD in Applied Theatre. She lectures at the University of Exeter drama department & in the Graduate School of Education. Erin co-parents the Stories from Scratch strand of our work, which includes mentorship of young emerging artists & facilitators.
erin@doorsteparts.co.uk
Nathalie Palin
Co-Parent & Lead Artist
Nat joined the team in 2016, and since that time has been a core part of Doorstep’s strategic visioning team as well as serving as a visual arts mentor on a variety of projects. Nat is the lead on the Producing Praxis programme.
nathalie@doorsteparts.co.uk
Polly Ferguson-Carruthers
Co-Parent & Lead Artist, Doorstep Studio Courses (DAS)
Polly is the musical theatre specialist for Doorstep, serving as the coordinator and Lead Artist for all of the DAS (Studio Courses). She lectured at NW Kent College, and is a Dartington graduate, where she specialised in Balinese puppetry and dance. Polly co-parents the Open Doors outreach programme, focusing on primary schools.
polly@doorsteparts.co.uk
Mair George
Co-Parent & Producer/ Project Manager
Mair coordinates our Platform strand of work, which includes producing the Doorstep Theatre Festival, as well as co-parenting our Stories from Scratch strand alongside Erin. She also takes a lead on all production-focused mentorship for young emerging artists and technicians, including support for interns.
mair@doorsteparts.co.uk
Luke Jeffery
Platform Producer
Luke is a Teignmouth-based writer, director and producer. He is also an associate artist at Exeter Phoenix and in 2017 he was selected for the BAFTA Crew programme for emerging filmmakers. Luke leads on marketing for the Doorstep Theatre Platform. He is usually the primary contact for press and box office enquiries.
luke@doorsteparts.co.uk
Marie Copland
Administration & Finance
Marie is the Arts Finance Administrator. She is the first and best port of call for any general enquiries, finances, payments and invoices. You can reach her on the Doorstep office phone – 01803 55 88 11 or via the email below.
admin@doorsteparts.co.uk
Meghan Searle
Doorstep Co-Founder & Visiting Lead Artist
Meg graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama as a drama teacher, specialising in voice and music. Meg has over 20 years experience working with children and young people in the arts. Meg is now based near Bath and serves in a strategic role on the Advisory Board, occasionally also leading on particular projects.
meg@doorsteparts.co.uk
Associate Artists
Doorstep works with a regular team of wonderful associate artists, many of whom run their own organisations and freelance across the region. We are always interested in hearing from SW-based Teaching Artists who specialise in participatory work with children and young people. Please do get in touch if this is you! 2021 Associate Artists include:
Laura Whittet
Associate Artist
Laura is an Ashburton based facilitator, writer, performer and co-founder of LaLa Arts Devon. She holds a degree in Musical Theatre and also trained at The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) where she completed her MA in professional Acting. Laura works alongside Polly with DAS sessions and with Jade co-leading the Saturday drop in sessions.
Sam Parker
Associate Artist
Sam is one of the co-founders of Downstage Write. He works as a SW advocate for the National Youth Theatre and regularly for Theatre Royal Plymouth, including work as a tutor at the University of Plymouth. He is the Producer on the Esmee Fairbairn-funded Producing Praxis project, providing mentorship and support for young people in Torbay. He also delivers projects for Doorstep, including the Young Writers Project.
Amy Mellows
Associate Artist
Amy is a graduate of the University of Exeter Drama Department and joined Doorstep to serve as the Assistant Director on the HLF-funded Protest & Rebellion project. She is a digital and radio specialist, and currently works to support Doorstep’s digital outreach work, including development of Theatre of the Mind, a schools-based outreach programme supporting young people’s mental health.
amy@doorsteparts.co.uk
Foot in the Door Assistants
Doorstep runs a year-round mentorship programme, Foot in the Door, which provides support, resource, and training for emerging artists in Torbay. Our current interns and assistants include:
- Bee Taylor, Cockington Commission (Platform strand)
Job Vacancies
We regularly hire freelance, fixed-term positions for projects. Please click here to see a list of existing job vacancies.
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