Meet The Team
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Izzy Kabban
Founder & Artistic Director
Izzy Kabban is a half Lebanese half Swedish actor, writer, theatre maker and the founder of SpeakUp Theatre. She trained with the National Youth Theatre, the Rose Youth Theatre, The Actors Class and studied at the University of East Anglia. She loves female led work, autobiographical theatre and shows that tackle social issues boldly and unapologetically. Izzy was shortlisted for the VAULT Five and is a recent alumni of the Soho Theatre Stand Up Lab. She is also a freelance facilitator and runs weekly workshops for participants aged 5 to 85.
Ruth Anna Phillips
Associate Artist
Ruth is a director, movement director and choreographer. She trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) in the MA in 'Movement: Directing and Teaching'. With her specialism in movement she has worked in theatre, opera and film and has taught at LAMDA, RCSSD, Mountview and BRIT School. Ruth is passionate about new writing, inclusive practice and work with a social mission. She is the recipient of the Ivor Guest Research Grant for her collaborative research in inclusive practice.
Verity Richards
Associate Artist
Verity is a freelance Participation Artist and an Associate Artist with SpeakUp Theatre, co-leading SpeakUp Survivors alongside Izzy. She has been devising, managing and facilitating participatory activities in the Arts and Culture sector for the last 8 years. She has worked with Creative Institutions (Somerset House), Theatres (Rose Theatre Kingston, Sheffield Theatres), HE Settings (RADA, University of Exeter) and Community Arts Companies (Streetwise Opera, Shobana Jeyasingh, Bounce Theatre, Bigfoot Arts). She specialises in working with underrepresented groups, devising and developing opportunities for those who do not currently have easy access to the creative sector.
Lauren Milwain
Associate Artist
Lauren Milwain is a working class artist from Coventry who has recently been writing in the COME TO WHERE I'M FROM series by Paines Plough, performing her work on the Roundabout stage for Coventry City Of Culture. She loves to create work that tells stories about people like her, using humour and real stories with real people. A prominent member of the National Youth Theatre and Theatre Peckham's REP company, she loves to collaborate and develop her practice.