Team

Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway

Founder & Artistic Director

Founder and CEO of Artistic Directors of the Future and Co-founder, Executive Producer and Creative Director at Black Lives, Black Words International Project (www.blacklivesblackwords.org), Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway has been listed three consecutive years in the Stage Top 100 Power List and was also named in the London Evening Standard The Progress 1000: London’s most influential people 2018 – Performance: Theatre. Most recently, Simeilia was named Google & TED: Emerging Innovator 2019.

She is also the Founder/CEO of Beyond The Canon (www.beyondthecanon.com), former troubleshooter and Manager of the National Theatre’s Black Play Archive, Editor of the first monologue anthology for Black Plays inspired by black British Plays: The Oberon Book of Monologues for Black Actors: Classical and Contemporary Speeches from Black British Plays which was followed by a second monologue anthology published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama: Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors, interim Associate Producer at Theatre Royal Stratford East and former Trustee at the Directors Guild of Great Britain and Company of Angels Theatre Company.

As a black play specialist and a theatre programming consultant, she is responsible for the revival of Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John at the National Theatre, Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock, Strange Fruit by Caryl Phillips and Chiaroscuro by Jackie Kay at the Bush Theatre, as part of the Passing the Baton season.

Simeilia has worked nationally and internationally as a theatre director, producer, dramaturg, teacher/guest lecturer, audience development consultant and theatre programming consultant.

Simeilia is currently a member of the editorial team for the Backpages Selection of the Contemporary Theatre Review (Routledge/UK).

Sandra Thompson Quartey

Associate Producer and Training & Development Manager

Sandra Thompson Quartey is a talent agent and theatre-maker who believes in being the change you want to see.

From 2015-2018 she ran The Avenue Literary & Talent Management, before merging with Lex Arthur Cob, owned by Sandy Ani-Adjei, to form Arthur Cob and Avenue, known as ACA. The agency primarily represents ethnic diverse and international actors and writers. Sandra has placed actors at theatre venues such as Donmar Warehouse, National Theatre and the Old Vic and with production companies such as BBC, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures and Netflix to name a few. Sandra has sought out talented new writers at the early stages of their career and facilitated relationships between new writers and television production companies.

Sandra previously worked with IAG on both the main division and their IDSA young talent division, working with actors at the beginning of their career as well as providing support for seasoned professionals and high profile actors.

Between 2010-2017 Sandra was the Artistic Director & Producer at Writer’s Avenue Theatre Company, which has produced new writing events and showcases in the main houses of Soho Theatre and The Pleasance. Many artists have gone on to have thriving careers – view success stories here https://www.writersavenuetheatre.co.uk/success-stories The company is currently on hiatus while it evolves and builds a team and will return in 2020.

Amelie Adam

General Manager

Amelie Adam is an experienced art professional. After working for 5 years in the retail sector as head of customer department, she decided to go back to school and graduated from a MSc in Management of Cultural and Artistic Activities between Paris and Venice. She is particularly interested in strategic and organisational development and financial management. She worked at the Louvre Museum as business controller and then moved to Dialogos, a classical music ensemble, as executive manager.

Francesca Murray-Fuentes

Administrative Assistant

Francesca Murray-Fuentes is a British-Chilean Director and Theatre-maker. She trained on the MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck, and hold a first class degree in Politics and Sociology from York University.

Francesca is Artistic Director of Hurricane People, a new theatre company rooted in collaboration that platforms artists of mixed heritage. Hurricane People are an associate company of Theatre Deli.

Francesca has previously been a resident director at Leeds Playhouse, and Oxford Playhouse, and is currently an associate artist with Red Ladder. Francesca is also an Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award-nominated playwright, and works with young people as a facilitator and practitioner in regional venues across the UK.