We are thrilled introduce you to the 2026-27 cohort of New Associates.
This year's group of artists continue to demonstrate an impressive range of creative skills. We're honoured to play a part in their journey and look forward to a year of providing professional development support, creative growth and space for peer support. Our New Associates programme receives kind support from The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.
Get to know a little more about the fantastic group of artists we are working with this year.
Fred Baker is a writer-actor, sound designer and theatre-maker, Completing Nottingham Playhouse’s Homegrown Creatives programme in 2024 Fred has became a member of the National Youth Theatre from 2025. Read more
Keilah Chambers-Turner is a creative producer, focused on creating and supporting arts, cultural, and community projects through creativity, strategy, and joy. She brings extensive project management and events experience, both in and out of the arts sector, allowing a well-rounded bank of experience to draw on. Read more
Daron Carey is a poet and writer, passionate about telling dynamic and vibrant stories about human behaviour and relationships. The audio version of his play Last Orders is currently in production the New Perspectives' Open Pitch programme. Read more
Susan Earl has spent the last 30 years writing and performing for the BBC, Baby Cow Productions, and Rise Films. An actor, stand up comedian and writer, Susan loves to create complex female characters trapped between how they thought life would turn out and the messier, more frustrating version they got instead. Read more
Laura Goulden is a writer, actor and producer. As an East Midlands based creative and deaf & disabled ally, Laura has 20 years of experience collaborating with deaf & disabled artists in making high quality theatre. Read more
Francesca is an actor and writer from Nottingham. Her first play, that face should form another was nominated for the David MacLennan Award, BOLD Playwriting Award, Theatre503 International Playwrighting Award 2025 and is currently being developed with support from Nottingham Playhouse. Read more
Linh Huynh is an actor and writer whose work explores identity, relationships, cultural hybridity, and intergenerational memory. Rooted in observation and lived experience, her practice focuses on emotionally precise and psychologically honest storytelling. Read more
Laurence James-Davis is an actor and educator from Nottingham, working across theatre, film and television. His screen credits include Emmerdale and Coronation Street, and last year performed in the title role in Hamlet at the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Read more
Rehannah Mian is a writer. After two decades as a BBC journalist and factual television producer, Rehannah now writes for the stage, creating character-driven monologues and scripts rooted in real lives and unheard voices. Her work is shaped by her lifetime experience working across diverse communities. Read more
Olivia is a Nottinghamshire based Actor and film maker. She began her career at The Television Workshop and has worked in a variety of screen roles. Read more
Georgina Saunders-Fazzani is a freelance dance artist based in Nottingham. Working in both educational and professional settings, her creative process is rooted in humour and lived experience, using playfulness and personal stories to shape engaging movement. Read more
James is a writer for both stage and screen; drawn to bold, original storytelling grounded in authentic characters, he is particularly interested in creating work that is engaging, emotionally layered and entertaining. Read more
Finley-Rose Townsend is playwright and theatre practitioner creating intimate, collaborative work rooted in lived experience. She is currently under seed commission from Fifth Word Theatre, Leicester Curve, and Derby Theatre Read more
Esther Warren is a multi-disciplinary theatre maker. She has amassed a decade’s experience performing, directing, designing and writing for the Fringe theatre scenes of the South West and East Midlands. Read more