STAGETEXT Board of Trustees

Richard Lee (Chair)

Richard trained in Drama at Bretton Hall and subsequently taught in schools and the Open University. He ran the Outreach Department of the Towngate Theatre, then moved to the Holborn Centre for the Performing Arts and its Link Theatre. After a spell as the Essex Arts Officer, he was appointed Director of Jerwood Space, a unique theatre/dance rehearsal facility, where he has worked since 1998.

Richard is married with two children (a cat, two snakes and a saxophone). He recently developed mild hearing loss and, while naturally eager to enhance his own theatregoing experience, is also keen to help theatres make the most of new technologies and see how they might benefit audiences in general.
 

Joanna Wootten

Joanna was born deaf. She qualified and worked as a solicitor before absconding.  She is a former Director of Services for SignHealth, the National Society for Mental Health and Deafness and currently works for the Employers’ Forum on Disability as Head of Membership.

 

Bill Pechey

Bill Pechey runs Computency Limited, a small telecoms consultancy that advises on data transmission, especially via wireless. He is UK coordinator for ITU-T Study Group 16 which standardises multimedia services including video conferencing and textphones. He is a co-opted member of Telecommunications Action Group (TAG). Bill is also a director of Countryside Broadband Limited which provides broadband services to rural areas. He is hearing.
 

David Wise

David Wise, Treasurer, was born severely deaf and has qualified as a chartered accountant. He has been interested in theatre for many years, more so since captioning has been available. He is a member of the Barbican Access Committee that meets regularly to discuss how to make the Barbican centre more accessible to people with disabilities.
 

Simon Ash

Simon graduated from the Guildford School of Acting's stage management course in 1996 and has worked extensively as a freelance company and stage manager both in the UK and abroad. Simon is currently Associate General Manager for Colin Ingram Ltd, an independent producer and General Manager whose productions currently include GHOST the musical and Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Simon has worked on a number of occasions with STAGETEXT on various productions and has been a Trustee since 2007.
 

James Baggaley

James is Head of Marketing and Sales at Spektrix, which provides cloud-based box office software to arts and entertainment venues around the UK and Europe. With a background in theatre box office and management, including as General Manager of the ADC Theatre in Cambridge, he has been with Spektrix since 2009, and worked across different client-facing roles before taking responsibility for the company's marketing and sales activity in 2011. James also continues to occasionally work as a freelance theatre lighting designer, with recent projects taking him to New York and Australia.

Jackie Elliman

Jackie comes from a theatre management background and has worked for a range of performing arts organisations,from street arts to the West End.  She has a Drama Degree from Manchester University and, much later, studied Law at the College of Law, this combination of qualifications led her to her being appointed to her present post: Legal & Industrial Relations Manager of the Independent Theatre Council.  Jackie is also a qualified mediator and arbitrator, Company Secretary of Jazz Services and a Trustee of the RSA.  Jackie started going to the theatre at the age of two and has continued ever since despite childhood hearing loss, she is excited about the improved access captioning offers particularly for those who have assumed hearing loss must mean loss of access to culture.
 

STAGETEXT founders

On 2 November 2010 two of the founding members of STAGETEXT, Peter J. Pullan MBE (former Chair) and Merfyn Williams, stepped down from the Board of Trustees after devoting the last 10 years to the charity. Geoff Brown, the third co-founder, stood down in 2007. See History of STAGETEXT.