About Us

The PlayMakers

Box of Tricks makes plays. We champion playwrights and empower them to tell the stories they want to tell. We create heartfelt theatre that resonates, inspires and entertains by uncovering new plays that reflect the world in which we live today.

Based in Manchester, Box of Tricks is an award-winning theatre company that brings people together to share stories collectively. We stage new plays and connect with communities right across the UK. Celebrating Northern talent, our productions are staged in theatres locally and nationally as well as in public spaces – pubs, libraries, village halls – in the heart of local communities.

New plays are the lifeblood of theatre and playwrights its beating heart. Box of Tricks offers a home for playwrights to find their voice and tell their story. Our PlayMakers Network is a creative community for Northern playwrights to connect, collaborate and create. We nurture early-career North West playwrights through our year-long PlayBox attachments and commission, develop and produce bold new theatre through our New Tricks commissions.

We want to forge a fairer future and are committed to positive change. Beyond productions, we provide pathways into the arts, connect with communities, inspire younger generations and develop future talent.

We are the play makers. Every story told. Every voice heard.

Core Team

Adam Quayle
Joint Artistic Director and Co-Founder

Adam trained as a director at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. For Box of Tricks, he has most recently directed Too Much World at Once (National Tour 2023); Under Three Moons (Northern Tour 2019); Chip Shop Chips (National Tour 2018 and Northern Tour 2016); Plastic Figurines (New Diorama 2016 and National Tour 2015). Previous directing credits include After Life (Rose Bruford North); Earthquakes in London and Growth (ALRA North); JB Shorts 8 (Joshua Brooks).

Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder
Joint Artistic Director and Co-Founder

Hannah is Joint Artistic Director of Box of Tricks. Recent directing credits include: Last Quiz Night on Earth (urban/rural tour); SparkPlug (national tour, shortlisted for Alfred Fagon Award 2018); Narvik (national tour, nominated Best New Play MTAs, winner Best New Play UK Theatre Awards 2017); In Doggerland (national tour); Word:Play/NWxSW (Regional Tour); Picture a City (Everyword 2012, Liverpool Playhouse).

Justina Aina
Associate Producer

Justina is a Creative Producer, Performer and Writer. Driven by the detail in creative journeys, Justina engages in stories that lend a hand in filling missing parts of history. Justina has worked with I M Pact, The Lowry, Hat Trick Productions, YouTuber: Tom Simons, Royal Exchange Theatre, The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, and Contact Theatre. Justina trained with The Edinburgh TV Festival, CLORE, Stage One, Artistic Director Leadership programme, Arden School of Theatre and The Brit School.

Marcella Rick
Marketing Associate

Marcella is an arts marketing freelancer, playwright, theatremaker, poet, performer and rescue dog father. They are passionate about championing new work, and collaborating across practices to create unique experiences for audiences. They're excited to join the Box of Tricks team and help to grow the supportive Box of Tricks community.

Literary Team

Billie Collins
Literary Associate

Billie is a writer from the Wirral, based in Manchester. Her debut play TOO MUCH WORLD AT ONCE will be produced by Box of Tricks at HOME Manchester in March 2023, before going on tour. She also has projects in development with ThickSkin Theatre and Toastie Animation and was selected for the 2022 BBC Writersroom Northern Voices scheme. Billie has been a script reader for organisations including the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, the BFI, and Film4, and was previously Coordinator for The Writing Squad. She likes stories with lots of heart, big ideas, and good jokes

Paddy Hughes
Future PlayMakers Associate

Paddy is a scouse playwright, dramaturg and script reader. His passion is supporting and developing new writers in the North West of England. After spending the last five years in London working with National Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith he is back home and well chuffed to be working with Box of Tricks Theatre.

Conway McDermott
Playwright-in-Residence

Conway is a trans non-binary writer from Liverpool, with a passion for juicy, accessible stories which ask big questions. They first started working with Box of Tricks after winning the Screen/Play Award in 2021 and are buzzing to be continuing that relationship as Playwright-in-Residence. They’re currently writing for BBC’s EastEnders, and as part of Screen Yorkshire’s FLEX 2022 Programme, and have had work commissioned by The Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Popelei Theatre Company, and the Liverpool Light Night Festival, as well as working as an artist and performer with FACT, the Liverpool Biennale, Creative Europe, and a handful of other organizations across the UK and Europe.

Karla Marie Sweet
Stories & Voices Associate

Karla is a British-American, Manchester born and based actor, writer and dramaturg. Previous theatre credits include: Cheetham Hill (written for Royal Exchange whilst Playwright-On-Attachment), Leaving (The Bunker, to be transferred to the Pleasance), This Little Relic (BBC Radio 4 and the Belgrade Theatre) and, most recently, Othello (adapted for the Watermill Theatre). She is currently under commission with The National. For television, Karla has written seven episodes of Hollyoaks. These included a special unconscious bias focused episode which was hailed as "the best ever episode" by The Mirror and was the cornerstone of the soap's RTS Best Continuing Drama Submission - an award they subsequently won. Karla has also participated in multiple TV writersrooms including the room for BBC/Netflix drama Get Even and, most recently, the room for Season 2 of Paramount+ series Sexy Beast.

Company Associates

Lee Affen
Associate Sound Designer

 

Lee is a composer, music producer and sound designer from Manchester now based in Sheffield. A highly respected collaborator, Lee’s work is heard in theatre, dance, installation and film productions.

Lee is a member of The Bare Project and an associate artist with Imagine If Theatre and Box of Tricks.

Lucy Carter
Associate Lighting Designer

 

Lucy is a light artist and Multi-Award winning lighting designer, working across many creative mediums. Her extensive work for Theatre, Ballet, Dance, Musical Theatre and Opera has led her to work with some of the top Directors, Choreographers and creative teams around the world, to produce unique, eclectic and critically acclaimed lighting designs.

Jennifer Jackson
Associate Movement Director

 

Jennifer is a Latinx British/Bolivian movement director, theatre-maker & actor. Her creative practice encompasses theatre & devising, contemporary dance, Bolivian folk dance, new writing, movement & the transformative aspects of sport. Her work explores women’s bodies in performance, her relationship with the UK, and the duality of living between races & cultures.

Alice Longson
Associate Production Manager

 

Alice is a Freelance Stage & Production Manager. Previous credits include: The Last Quiz Night on Earth by Alison Carr (Box of Tricks, UK tour), I Wanna Be Yours by Zia Ahmed (Paines Plough, UK tour), Catching Comets by Peirs Black (Ransack Productions, Edinburgh Fringe), Best Girl by Christine Mackie (Best Girl Productions).

Katie Scott
Associate Designer

 

Katie is an award-winning Designer based in the North West. She trained at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and upon graduating was the inaugural recipient of the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Prize for Theatre Design. Since graduating, Katie has gone on to work across the UK designing a range of productions with a particular interest in new writing and productions for young audiences.

Chris James
Creative Associate

 

Chris, who grew up in South Africa, has been surrounded by theatre his entire life.

He has 20 years experience, working extensively as head of sound, production engineer, and sound designer across the UK, as well as many countries around the world.

He has proudly been an associate artist with Box of Tricks Theatre Company for over 13 years.

Associate Playwrights

Becky Prestwich
Associate Playwright

 

Becky has written multiple episodes for Doctors and Holby City and is currently writing on Casualty. She has written five Afternoon Dramas for BBC Radio 4 – including Just The Three Of Us – nominated for a Tinniswood Award for best audio drama. She has written for BBC3 and has an original crime drama in development with Lime Pictures. As a playwright, she specialises in work with community casts and in non-traditional theatre spaces, including Chip Shop Chips (Box of Tricks), Under the Market Roof (Junction 8 Theatre) and One Night in Bolton (Octagon Theatre).

Ella Carmen Greenhill
Associate Playwright

 

Ella is a playwright and television writer. After being selected for ITV’s Original Voices BAME scheme, she joined the writing team on CORONATION STREET, and has since written more than 30 episodes. She is currently writing a 90 minute original drama, AMZING SUPER DUPER, for the BBC’s disability season, and she recently joined the writers’ room for TEMPLE 2. She has also worked with the Artists Studio on a thriller adaptation, and with Mainstreet on an original series idea. Ella’s roots are in theatre and her plays have been performed Mexico, NYC, Madrid and Romania as well as across the UK. She was selected for the Bush/Kudos initiative, the Theatre 503 Five and is a Royal Court alumnus.

David Judge
Associate Playwright

 

David is a playwright, performance poet and actor. His play SPARKPLUG explored family, race and identity and toured the UK in Spring 2019. He has written a new play CHAT BACK for National Theatre Connections Festival 2022 and he is currently working with Sky Studios on an in-house series developed by and for new writers with producer Vicky Wharton.
David is also currently writing for Coronation Street. His first play SKIPPING ROPE was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagan Award and PANLID was commissioned by Talawa and the Royal Exchange.

Board

Debbie Androlia

Debbie has a background in financial services and management consulting.  She has held a variety of operational roles, including day-to-day management of an investment management firm, HR lead, organisational development lead, and regulated positions as Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer.  She is currently an organisational behaviour consultant and personal and professional development coach.  Debbie has an MA in law from Cambridge University and an MSc in Behavioural and Economic Science.

Graeme Gregory
Interim Chair

Graeme has 18 years’ experience at an international law firm in London and New York. Since leaving he has qualified as an accredited mediator and focuses on behaviour change in conflict resolution and organisational behaviour consulting.  Graeme has an MA in Law Cambridge University.

Davinia Jokhi

Davinia started her career in the arts as an actress and producer with her company In The Red, but moved into arts administration on 2009. She worked for Arts Council England as an assessor before moving into the role of Literary and Talent Development Administrator at the Royal Exchange Theatre. After this, she worked for the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme, working specifically with makers and directors. She is currently the Talent Development Producer; Theatre at HOME. She is also a non-executive director for Filament Theatre Company.

Nana-Kofi Kufuor

Nana-Kofi Kufuor is a Ghanaian-British playwright and screenwriter from Stockport. He has most recently had a play that toured in 21/22 called My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored and most recently finished working on Waterloo Road and has written for Hollyoaks.

John Quayle

John Quayle (BA HONS; FCCA) is a retired accountant with extensive financial and legal experience. He is a former Financial Controller and Company Secretary of major international trading companies, a former Trustee of a major North West hospital trust and is currently a Member Nominated Trustee of a large UK company pension plan.