Theatre Royal - About us

Angela Robson	Angela Robson graduated from Exeter in 1982. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in London in 1985 and then moved into investment banking, working for JP Morgan and then Goldman Sachs. In 2003, she left the City to move to Norfolk. She joined Norwich University College of the Arts as Director of Finance in 2005 and is now Deputy Principal. She is a trustee of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, Chair of Norfolk Showground Limited, a governor of the Open Academy at Heartsease, the first Norfolk Academy School, and a Non-Executive Director of the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. She is married with two daughters.

Brenda Arthur	Brenda has lived and worked in Norwich since 1969. While she trained as a scientist working at the Food Research Institute, her career path changed once her two sons were born. Following involvement with the Spinney Youth and Community Centre she moved on to become a community worker in Norwich. This led to the opportunity to become the City’s Activities promoter for the Retired and then four years later to becoming Chief Executive of Age concern Norwich a post she held for 17 years. Brenda retired in 2007 since when she has taken on a number of volunteer roles including chairing the newly formed Norwich Carbon Reduction Trust, being on the board of Norwich Consolidated Charities and being a trustee and acting Chair of NELM. From January until mid March 2008 listeners to BBC Radio Norfolk may have heard her as the resident Agony Aunt where she was able to apply her love of campaigning and fighting for justice in helping people with consumer issues and the occasional matter of the heart! A former Sheriff of Norwich Brenda has an understanding of both the very positive side of Norwich life but is also aware of the challenges which still face the city in terms of education and training and addressing the deprivation which still exists. Brenda was elected as a city councillor in May 2007 and went straight onto the cabinet taking the portfolio for Housing and Adult Services. She was elected as Deputy Leader in September 2010 and Leader in May 2011.

Charlotte Crawley	Charlotte Crawley is an Art Historian who lives in Hunworth near Holt. Born in Norwich, after studying Art History at Cambridge University and The Courtauld Institute in London, she worked for five years at Windsor Castle looking after the Royal Collection of Drawings and Prints. Charlotte is currently the Director of the East Anglia Art Fund, an art charity based at Norwich Castle; she also lectures on art and gardens and has travelled widely. For over twenty years Charlotte has served as a Parish Councillor and on the Norfolk Committee of the Art Fund. As well as being a Trustee of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Charlotte is also a Church Warden, a Parish Councillor and a long-standing member of the Art Fund Committee for Norfolk. She is also a keen tennis player and gardener, an opera enthusiast and a cook. Charlotte is married to Henry, a retired GP, and they have three children in their twenties. (Charlotte worked part-time for the Theatre Royal between 1996 and 1997, co-ordinating The Ring special events programme).

Chris Coubrough	Born in North Island, New Zealand in 1971, TV Master Chef Chris Coubrough has worked in some of the finest kitchens in the world before finally settling in Norfolk 10 years ago with his wife and 2 children. Chris owns some of the most popular gastro-pubs in north Norfolk including The Crown Hotel Wells-next-the-Sea, The King’s Head Letheringsett, The Crown Inn East Rudham, The Ship in Brancaster and his latest edition The White Hart Hotel in Hingham. Amongst them they have an increasing list of notable awards and achievements including Best Gastropub, Best Freehouse, Best Turnaround Site for East Anglia in The Great British Pub, Norfolk Dining Pub of The Year 2010 and 2011 in the prestigious Good Pub Guide to name but a few. Growing up on an isolated farm where if they wanted to eat something they had to grow it first, Chris soon realised he had a natural flair with food and took a three year cookery course before winning the New Zealand Trade Board’s Swiss Scholarship which sent him to Michelin starred cooking in The Hotel Hirschen on Lake Zurich and later to Bern. Continuing his world travels Chris moved to London, cooking at Frederick’s restaurant in Islington for two years, before moving to Southwold in Suffolk, where for eight years he ran the kitchens of the well-known Adnams hotels, The Crown and The Swan before in 2003 moving to Norfolk and opening his first Hotel, The Crown Hotel in Wells-next-the-Sea. His natural and confident manner meant he was talent spotted during a cooking demonstration in 2006 and his easy camera presence meant he was soon presenting the highly rated Coastal Kitchen (ITV Anglia) as well as appearing on Eating for Britain (Channel 4) and Market Kitchen (UKTV). In August Chris re-visited Greenland to film his fourth food and travel programme ‘A Taste of Greenland’.

Daren Moore	Daren is a partner at Price Bailey LLP, a leading regional firm of accountants and business advisers. He heads up the Charities and Education team for the firm, collectively acting for over 100 charities and not for profit clients. Originally based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Daren moved to Norfolk 7 years ago and spent 4 years as a partner with Baker Tilly, before moving to Price Bailey in 2008. Daren is a Trustee of 2 other local charities, The Big C and Headway (Norfolk and Waveney). He is also a director and treasurer of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and current Chairman of Norwich Round Table Number 1. Married with 2 children, Daren lives near Seething in South Norfolk.

David Merrick	David Merrick has been living in Norfolk and working at Savills since 1981, having studied agriculture and surveying at University and College. He is a director of Savills, with responsibility for the Norwich office which employs over 40 staff covering all the major property disciplines, as well as a national role in which he is responsible for parts of Savills’ development services. David works primarily on development and regeneration projects throughout East Anglia and has been involved in many of Norwich’s significant development projects. David is a former chairman of the Norwich Quality Design Panel and the Norwich Chamber of Commerce. He is married with 3 children, and when not listening to music enjoys playing a lot of tennis, a bit of golf, and walking/hill climbing.

Derek Purnell	Derek Purnell took up project management and consultancy following his decision to leave his post as Chief Executive of Birmingham Royal Ballet after 16 years with the company. Following a successful performing career with the Royal Ballet and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (1973-1985) he retrained in administration and management through a placement at Ballet Rambert and attendance at the Arts Administration Diploma Course at City University. Having managed Janet Smith and Dancers (mid-scale Arts Council revenue client) for three years he then joined the SWRB management team, taking the role of Chief Executive following the company’s relocation to Birmingham. Since leaving Birmingham he has undertaken a variety of consultancy projects including work for: Siobhan Davies Dance Company, Royal Ballet School, NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), Central School of Ballet, ITC (Independent Theatre Council), Arts Council of Ireland, Rambert Dance Company, TMA (Theatrical Management Association), Elmhurst School for Dance, Scottish Government, Council for Dance Education and Training, Bejart Ballet Lausanne and Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He serves on the Board of the Royal Academy of Dance. In addition to his freelance work, Derek is the Director of Norfolk Dance, the dance development agency for the county and is the General Manager for Maresa von Stockert's Tilted Productions.

Frank Eliel	Frank is an accountant by background, and is a founder director of Signs Express, the UK's leading sign making franchise which has 75 outlets across the UK and Ireland. He also helped found another franchise called Agency Express that manages estate agents boards outside properties for sale. There are over 100 of those. He also part owns a farm shop on the N. Walsham Rd. He has been President of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Trustee of the Norfolk Credit Union, and helps the Norfolk Community Foundation, the Norfolk Deaf Association and the St Etheldreda’s Artist Studios. Frank is married to Di and they have one son. They manage a 300 year old barn for holiday lets in a beautiful Broadland village. Frank is an active Rotarian and his hobbies include, as well as the theatre, eating, drinking, walking and travelling.

Han Yang Yap	Han Yang Yap practiced as a solicitor in Singapore and Hong Kong before heading the Asia Legal Department for global information and news provider Reuters. Having pursued a successful legal career for more than 15 years, he then re-trained as an East Asian art historian and then became the main tutor for the Chinese module of the Diploma in Asian Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Han Yang is currently restoring Elsing Hall, a 15th century house and garden in Norfolk.

Barry Stone	Barry is a retired High School Teacher, having completed forty years in the classroom. After leaving Newcastle-upon-Tyne University in 1970 he started teaching in what was then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where he taught in Bulawayo and then Marandellas before moving to South Africa. In 1974 he was called up for one year’s National Service in the Rhodesian Army , completing the officer training course and then seeing active service on and off for the next six years. After teaching at Christian Brother’s College in Pretoria for five years he returned to the UK with his wife and two young children in 1988 where he taught in Essex for three years before finally settling in Great Yarmouth, where he has been ever since. Oriel and Lynn Grove High Schools being his final two posts before retiring in 2010. He became a Great Yarmouth Borough Councillor in 1996 and a Cabinet Member in 1999 holding various portfolios until stepping down from the Cabinet in 2012. In 2011 he was elected as a County Councillor where he now holds the Cabinet Portfolio for Culture, Customer Services and Communications.

Michelle Jarrold	Born and educated in Norwich, and then Queens’ College Cambridge, Michelle worked in publishing in London and Norwich before joining Jarrold Retail Division in 1990 . In her role as Development Director she has been closely involved in recent years in the repositioning and redevelopment of the London Street department store, winner of the Drapers Independent Department Store of the year in 2001 and 2004, and voted Times Readers Favourite Department Store in 2010. She has been on the Main Board of Jarrold and Sons Limited since 2002 and is also currently a Board Member of the UK buying group Associated Independent Stores. Michelle is married with two children and her interests include travel, theatre, choral singing, skiing and tennis.

Richard Ellis	Richard Ellis is the founder and Managing Director of The Original Cottage Company, one of the largest independent self catering holiday agencies in the country, whose brands include Norfolk Country Cottages and Suffolk Secrets. In addition he is Chairman of Norfolk Tourism, Chairman of Visit East Anglia, Chairman of Sheringham Little Theatre, a Board member of the Holt Festival, a Director of the Forum Trust and a Governor of the Norwich University College of the Arts. Married with five children and three grandchildren, he lives in North Norfolk.

Robin Hall	Robin has a background in international business, major capital projects and regional economic development. Prior to coming to Norfolk, he was successively Export Director for an American-owned Plc, Managing Director of a regional Economic Development Board and UK General Manager for a leading Japanese manufacturer of fire detection systems. He has been Chief Executive of what is now the Forum Trust since October 1997, leading both the successful delivery of the Forum property development and the establishment of the Trust as a financially viable charitable company. Since The Forum opened in late 2001, Robin has become increasingly involved in other activities, serving for several years on UEA’s Audit Committee and as a Trustee of the Open Youth Trust. As well as being a founder director of VisitNorwich Ltd, he is also a Trustee of Norwich Theatre Royal, and a member of Norwich HEART’s Executive Committee. Robin now lives with his partner, Chris, near Harleston in South Norfolk. When house and garden permit, they both enjoy international travel, classical music, opera and theatre, as well as spending time with family and friends.

Tessa Haskey	Tessa is a partner at Howes Percival LLP, and heads up the Commercial Property department, specialising in landlord and tenant work, sales and purchases, joint ventures and funding arrangements. She originally came to Norwich in 1990 to do a law degree at the University of East Anglia, and never properly left! Tessa has been with Howes Percival since 1998. Tessa lives in Ringland with her husband Mark Scott, and their daughter Georgina. In her free time, she likes going to the theatre (of course), doing yoga, walking and gardening.

Tom Blofeld	Tom’s family have lived in Hoveton, Norfolk for generations and he recently took over the running of the Estate from his father Sir John Blofeld. He is married to Leslie, a film journalist and they have a son, Rufus and a very recent daughter, Eve. Previous to dreaming up the concept of BeWILDerwood Tom had a ‘maverick’ career. • He ran his own company ‘Templestone’ fire surrounds for 12 years • He was a Curator at the Courtauld Institute • By his own admission a bad art dealer • and also a one time worker at McDonalds. Tom has always had a sense of fun and together with a passionate interest in Children’s literature and a dream of having his own book published, ‘A Boggle at BeWILDerwood’ and BeWILDerwood could be said to be that dream come true. Tom is a founding member of Visit East Anglia, a new organisation funded by the private sector to promote tourism across East Anglia. Tom is also Vice President of Autism Anglia.