Shona Reppe
Theatre maker and designer Shona Reppe has created some of Scotland’s best and highly original work for young audiences, delighting and inspiring audiences and critics alike. She is creatively unique; her work ranges from object puppetry involving a potato and a cast of vegetables (Potato Needs a Bath), a detective story about a woman the size of sea bean (The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean), to creating an immersive theatrical installation where the audience themselves are the 3 little pigs (HUFF), and most recently to her theatrical art exhibition piece Atlantis Banal, ‘an entertaining and strangely exhilarating hour of enquiry about where play ends, and art begins’ which showed Shona ‘at her gorgeous, absurdist best’ Joyce McMillan (the Scotsman, Nov 2019).
Either as designer or creator, Shona is behind some of Scotland’s most successful children’s shows, including HUFF, Potato Needs a Bath, Black Beauty (with Red Bridge Arts) and White (with CW). Catherine Wheels have produced Shona’s work since 2003.
www.shonareppe.co.uk
Vee Smith & Sadiq Ali
Vee Smith and Sadiq Ali are Scottish-based artists (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and graduates from the National Centre for Circus Arts. Since graduating in 2017 Sadiq has toured internationally with Ockham’s Razor’s Tipping Point and Vee has toured with Circa on their UK project Depart. Since working together they have created performance pieces for the Live Art Development Agency, The Wandsworth Arts Fringe, and were commissioned by Braw Circus to make a short film. Most recently they created, produced and presented the award winning circus show The Chosen Haram which was previewed at Manipulate 2021 before going on to the London International Mime Festival, The Lowry, and a Made In Scotland supported Edinburgh Fringe 2021 run at Summerhall.
Vee & Sadiq were part of our Make Space programme in 2021, and we are currently supporting them on their research for a new show for young audiences.
Bridie Gane
Bridie Gane is a choreographer and dance artist based in Edinburgh. She is passionate about making dance work of a high artistic quality that is accessible and engaging to a wide-ranging audience. She tackles complex subject matter with curiosity and playfulness. Her work utilises strong musicality, physicality and humour, spanning live performance for the stage and outdoor locations, dance film and dance works with and for young people. A graduate from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (2012), Bridie spent three years in Berlin, Germany where her solo work BIM BAM BUM won the title of ‘The Best German Dance Solo’ at Euro Scene, Leipzig (2013). She is currently an Associate Artist with Catherine Wheels, and was previously an Associate Artist with Dance Base, Edinburgh.
Bridie was part of our Make Space programme in 2021, and has since created The Last Forecast with us.
bridiegane.wixsite.com/bridiegane
Alice Mary Cooper
We first supported Alice Mary Cooper in 2016, when we produced Waves on tour in New Zealand. Most recently we co-produced Experts Radio Lab at Imaginate's Family Encounters and at the Edinburgh Festival 2023, as part of the Made in Scotland programme.
Experts Radio Lab and the accompanying Listening Station was a free, drop-in experience, set within a pop-up radio studio at the National Museum of Scotland. Interviews were shared live to an audience of fellow interviewees, their families and anyone curious.
alicemarycooper.co.uk/experts-radio-lab/
Victoria Beesley
I write and direct touring theatre productions, usually inspired by real-life stories. I’ve created work for audiences of children, young people and adults that has toured Scotland and the rest of the UK.
I also direct theatre projects and deliver workshops with a range of community groups; using theatre and visual art to interrogate the world around us, to explore issues from a variety of perspectives and to share the remarkable stories of the people who participate in these projects. Catherine Wheels are currently supporting me with the creation of my new show Kissing Linford Christie. They've given me time and space to develop the show, given me artistic support, worked with me to secure funding, and are going to be producing the show.
James Ley
James is a playwright, dramaturg and screenwriter living in Leith. He is under commission to the Traverse Theatre, Ambassador Theatre Group, Perth Theatre, and Pearlfisher Theatre Company and he is currently on attachment to National Theatre of Scotland. His first feature screenplay LOVE SONG TO LAVENDER MENACE is in development, with producer John McKay/Compact Pictures, funded by the Scottish Film Talent Network, part of the BFI. The stage play of the same title has been performed at Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and internationally, including SoHo Playhouse, New York. For Catherine Wheels, James wrote the text for the Lung Has/Catherine Wheels co-production Emma and Gill which toured schools. James loves writing in the Catherine Wheels office and receives support and advice from the company.
Make Spacers
Alison Brown
Alison has worked as a Costume designer and maker for over 20 years on productions that have toured throughout the world. She studied Printed Textiles at Edinburgh College of Art. Pattern and texture continue to play a significant part in her design process.
Ashley Smith and Simon Donaldson
Simon and Ashley have been working extensively in children’s theatre for over 15 years. They have toured across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia with shows for young people. They have also worked for companies including; NTS, Traverse Theatre, The Tron, Dundee Rep, Grid Iron, Communicado, The Lyceum and Citizens theatres throughout their careers as actors. They have developed their skills as musicians, voice over artists, physical theatre performers not only on the stage but in TV, film, radio and gaming. This is the first time they have worked together however and they are looking forward to combining their years of experience to develop a brand new show for a family audience.
Ben Winger and Kerry Cleland
Kerry Cleland and Ben Winger are theatre-makers and performers. They’ve worked with theatre companies across the UK and specialise in making work for children and young people. Kerry works as a project coordinator and early years artist with Starcatchers in their community engagement program Expecting Something for babies and parents. Ben works with Hearts and Minds as a Clowndoctor and Elderflower.
Katrine Turner
Katrine Turner is a Scottish artist and facilitator creating political performances for all types of audiences. She graduated in MLitt Theatre Practice with Distinction from Glasgow University, where she was the College of the Arts Bellahouston Scholar 2015/2016. Her performance work has been presented at Camden People’s Theatre, the English Theatre Berlin, Tramway and the Centre of Contemporary Art among others.
Yvonne Buskie
Yvonne Buskie (BA Hons, Edinburgh College of Art) is a visual artist living in East Lothian. She works with drawing and painting, performance, installation.