Meet the team
Lizzie Stables - Artistic Director
Lizzie Stables is the founder and Artistic Director of Folio, as well as a writer, actor and voice artist.
Born and raised in Wiltshire, Lizzie is passionate about creating ambitious new work in rural communities and increasing access to theatre and the arts for young people growing up outside major cities. She founded Folio in response to the relative lack of opportunities for artists and audiences in rural parts of the county, building the company independently until appointing Executive Producer Liz Vogler in 2020.
Alongside her work with Folio, Lizzie works across theatre, television, comedy and audio as a writer, actor, director and producer. She co-wrote, co-produced and performs in NANNY, Folio’s first BBC Radio 4 commission, directed by Sara Pascoe.
Other recent work includes leading roles across several multi-voice titles for Audible and voicing characters in video games including Crimson Desert, Wuthering Waves and Final Fantasy.
Her work as an Artistic Director was recognised by Clore Leadership in 2019.
Liz Vogler - Executive Producer
Liz Vogler is a Producer and Executive Consultant with over 15 years’ experience in the theatre industry. Alongside working with Folio Theatre, Liz freelances with other organisations such as BitterSuite, November Club and A New Direction. Before establishing herself as a freelancer, Liz was Executive Producer at English Touring Theatre, whom she joined after 4 years as Executive Producer at Futures Theatre. As someone who started out in the industry without any existing connections or networks, Liz is committed to developing new work, from underrepresented communities, that can reach diverse audiences and support those looking to engage with an unfamiliar industry, just as she did in 2010. Liz is also Chair of Roots, Yorkshire’s queer touring company.
Helen Morley - Engagement Director
Helen is a theatre director and facilitator, with a specialism in creating work for and with non-professional artists. She was previously Young Director and Creative Arts Programme Lead at Prime Theatre, a Swindon-based NPO, making work for and with young people. As a freelancer, she has produced and directed engagement work within a range of settings including drama schools, prisons, heritage organisations and theatres. As a director, her work has been performed at venues including Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bunker Theatre, The Yard, MAC Birmingham and BBC Sounds.
Patrons
April De Angelis - Patron
April De Angelis’s plays include Jumpy (Royal Court and West End), Wild East (Royal Court), A Laughing Matter (Out of Joint/NT/tour), The Warwickshire Testimony (RSC), The Positive Hour(Out of Joint/Hampstead/Old Vic; Sphinx), Headstrong (NT Shell Connections), Playhouse Creatures (Sphinx Theatre Company), Hush (Royal Court), Soft Vengeance (Graeae Theatre Company), Amongst Friends (Hampstead), The Life and Times of Fanny Hill (adapted from the James Cleland novel), Ironmistress (ReSisters Theatre Company) and Wuthering Heights(adapted from Emily Brontë’s novel for Birmingham Rep). Her work for BBC Radio includes Visitants, The Outlander, which won the Writers’ Guild Award 1992, and Cash Cows for the Woman’s Hour serial. For opera: Flight with composer Jonathan Dove (Glyndebourne), and the libretto for Silent Twins (Almeida).
Trustees
Nik Partridge - Chair of Trustees
Nik is a Bristol-based director, who has worked extensively within the South-West. His practice lies in the development of new work (both devised and new writing), adaptation, engagement and the reimagining of classic plays for contemporary audiences. He has collaborated and produced work with organisations like Bristol Old Vic, Watermill Theatre, MAYK, The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath, Strike-A-Light, Travelling Light, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Tobacco Factory Theatres. Further afield he has made work for the Royal Court, Traverse and Galway International Arts Festival.
Nik has held a number of building-based and organisational roles with the JMK (Director Practitioner), The Egg (Creative Associate and Creative Producer), Theatre Royal Plymouth (Staff Associate Director) and Tobacco Factory Theatres (Director-in-Residence), working extensively both as a director and as a mentor, producer and facilitator. He trained on the National Theatre Studio Directors Course and at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Nik was a BBC Performing Arts Fellow and is a recipient of the Equity John Fernald Award.
Russ Tunney - Trustee
Russ is a Playwright and Director who lives in Salisbury and spends most of his time making big things happen in unusual places. He is the Director at Chapel Arts Studios and was previously the Director of Pound Arts in Wiltshire and the Associate Director of Nuffield Theatre Southampton. He has held similar roles at Salisbury Playhouse, Bath Theatre Royal and Chester Gateway. He has worked for many other theatres across the country and his plays have been produced across the globe. His Wolves of Willoughby Chase is always in production somewhere and is published by Nick Hern Books. He is fuelled mainly by gin, ghosts he doesn’t believe in and the music of Kate Bush.
Nilesh Patel - Trustee
Nilesh is Head of Legal & Business Affairs for Lifted Entertainment and Rollercoaster TV (part of ITV Studios) and oversees legal and business affairs with his team for non-scripted programmes such as Love Island, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, University Challenge and Countdown. Previously worked for Tinopolis (including Mentorn Media and Daybreak Pictures) providing business affairs support on production and distribution of factual, entertainment and drama programmes such as Question Time, Robot Wars, Paradise Hotel, The Government Inspector.
Honor Hoskins - Trustee
Honor is a Creative Producer, with a two-decade career that has put accessible learning and community empowerment centre stage. Since 2015 she has led the Vamos Theatre’s Creative Learning Programme, creating a series of award-winning, innovative and nationally recognised projects and learning resources. She is passionate about creative learning and engagement informing new work, and the arts giving a voice to those that might not be heard. Prior to joining Vamos Theatre, Honor worked for The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury as Outreach Officer. She has also delivered and managed projects with The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham; Snap Children’s Theatre Company; and three County Youth Offending Services.
Liam McMullan - Trustee
Liam McMullan is the Executive Director and Producer at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester, leading an award-winning producing house. A graduate of Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, he has worked with major organisations, including National Theatre, Riverdance, Festival Republic, and GBL Productions. With over 36 productions under his belt, a notable mention is the Aisling Award his team won for In The Name of The Son by Martin Lynch & Richard O’Rawe.
Anne-Marie Merrick - Trustee
Ann-Marie has worked in fundraising with various organisations in the arts and higher education, helping to raise money that makes lots of exciting work happen.
Ishani Thorpe - Trustee
