Ria Ashcroft- Co-Artistic Director

Hi there— I’m Ria Ashcroft, (she/her), I'm an award winning Director, Performer, Theatre Maker, Dramaturg & Mum.  I'm particularly drawn to plays which put marginalised and minority voices centre stage, that are playful, raw, complex and messy and that tell stories in innovative, insightful and engaging ways. I'm an advocate for inclusive theatre and circus practice and creating accessible working environments.

Biography:  I’ve been Co-Artistic Director of Rebel Sparks (formerly The Gramophones) since we began in 2009! Alongside this I have been Co-Director of Circus Hub since 2017.

Director / Co-Director Credits include: Rebellious Actions by Circus Hub's Lost Performers Club, Take Flight by The Gramophones, CircUS by Circus Hub, String! by Mishmash Productions, InSync by Mishmash productions and Aidy the Awesome by The Gramophones.

Performing credits include: Anything to Declare (The Gramophones), End to End (The Gramophones), Wanderlust (The Gramophones), Rapunzel (Nottingham Playhouse), Bee Cart (Pif Paf), Naughty Meg and the Christmas Elves (Babbling Vagabonds/Derby Live) and Captain Sprout & the Christmas Pirates (Babbling Vagabonds / Derby Live).

Ria@Rebelsparks.co.uk

07980 609991

@RiaPiaFace

@ra_ra_ria

Hannah Stone- Co-Artistic Director

Hi there— I’m Hannah Stone (she/her) Co-Artistic Director of Rebel Sparks. I’m a Director, Dramaturg, Theatre Maker and Mum. I’m particularly drawn to plays that feel filmic, are fast paced and funny with brilliant complex, knotty female characters who break all rules!

Biography: I’ve been Co-Artistic Director of Rebel Sparks (formerly The Gramophones) since we began in 2009!

Directing credits include: SHEWOLVES by Sarah Middleton (Southwark Playhouse - nominated for two Off West End Awards and published by Samuel French), Goldilocks by Anna Wheatley (Nottingham Playhouse), Aidy the Awesome, (The Gramophones, National Tour, commissioned by Curve Leicester), Pinocchio by Sarah Middleton (Nottingham Playhouse), Darkslide by Sarah Middleton (R&D), The King Stone by Charlotte East (R&D), The Mother and Son Play (R&D) by Joshua Parr (Young Vic 2023).

From 2021-2023 I was an Associate Artist at Nottingham Playhouse.

Credits as Assistant Director: Brassed Off by Paul Allen at Derby Theatre, Directed by Sarah Brigham, 71 Coltman Street, Hull Truck Directed by Mark Babych, Beauty and the Beast, Nottingham Playhouse Panto directed by Bill Buckhurst.

@HannahLucyStone

@HannahLucyStone

Hannah@Rebelsparks.co.uk

07929 168436

Farrell Cox- Associate Artist

Hi there— I’m Farrell Cox (she/they), a Physical performer and theatremaker. I create work inspired by lived experiences that pushes boundaries, and invites audiences to be immersed in the theatrical narrative. I have a passion for bridging gaps between cultures, identities and experiences and centering marginalised groups.

Biography: I trained at Dell Arte International, East15 Acting School and with renowned clown Philippe Gaulier and had the opportunity to perform nationally and internationally in my career.

Credits: I have worked with companies including Glyndebourne opera, The RSC, Hot Brown Honey, Mimbre Acrobats, HBO, Samsung, Les Enfants Terribles and London Olympic 2012 Ceremonies. I have also been part of creating and performed in three of the company's previous aerial touring shows (Tarzanna, Aidy The Awesome and Take Flight).

@chatterfaz @Farrell.c

Sarah ‘Rain’ Kolawole- Associate Artist

Hey I’m Sarah ‘Rain’ Kolawole (she/her), a playwright, spoken word artist, published poet and facilitator from Nottingham. I am currently a Graeae Beyond Artist associated with Derby Theatre and has previously been an associate artist at New Perspectives, Nottingham Playhouse, a Vital Sparks, Spark Arts Artist and a member of the Soho theatre writer’s lab alumni group.

I was commissioned by Derby Theatre to co-write the book adaption of Alex Wheatle’s ‘Home Girl’ and have been published in the ‘Hear Me now Monologues Vol 2’, and ‘Ten Poems about Black History’ in 2022, and then more recently, ‘Seeds of Resistance’ in 2024.

I founded the ‘Rootz’ theatre group for Care experienced young people at Nottingham Playhouse and continues to facilitate poetry and creative writing workshops.

I am currently working on two plays: ‘AYO’ a children’s sensory piece which aims to engage neurotypical and neurodiverse children through how the story is told in a sensory approach. And ‘Above Water’ a mainstream play about family after loss, the warmth, the joy and soul which ties us together in the face of conflict and change.

@sarah.rain.kolawole

@saraarain

AK Golding- Associate Artist

Ey up I’m AK Golding (they/she), an actor, writer & movement director, from the East Midlands. With training from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and EPA, I specialise in devising performance for theatre. I am proud to be a part of the working class, neurodivergent and queer communities, often making work that challenges social and political norms. 

THEATRE: Northanger Abbey (the Orange Tree); Twelfth Night (Nottingham Playhouse); Tapped (UK tour); Hamlet (the National Theatre); Mr. Maglump (Bristol Old Vic); The Messiah Complex (Vaults Festival); Extra Time (Derby Theatre)

DEVISED: Hot in Here (Pigfoot Theatre); Extra Time (Derby Theatre); Move Fast & Break Things (Freight Theatre)

R&D’s: House’s Of Sand (Emma-Louise Howell); Dull Thuds of Love (Definitely Fine); I Don’t Know Why I’m Crying (MAUDE) 

TV & FILM: The Colour Room by Claire McCarthy, Mantis and Silence by Will Peppercorn.

I am a 2023 New Perspectives Associate Artist and commissioned by Camden’s People Theatre for Underrepresented Artists to create my first solo show, “Into the pit with Coal Minor” which will also be performed at Amplify Festival at Nottingham playhouse in October 2024.

@goldingannakate @akgolding_