Synopsis

Stefan is super excited to be working with Pied Piper again, having previously appeared in 'Can Bears Ski?', ‘Zoom!’ and in 'Town Mouse & Country Mouse’ in the UK, Europe, Singapore and UAE.

In addition to being an actor, Stefan teaches acting and creative writing to children in the UK, US and China, inspiring children to explore their creativity.

Grace Viora is an actor, writer and founder of DramEd, a creative education company bringing drama and storytelling into children's lives. She's also a children's author and the creator of Performers Who Pivot, which explores the many paths artists build alongside performing. Whether on stage, on the page or in the classroom, she's happiest telling a good story — and is thrilled this one comes with a race.

Nick acts, stage manages and creates sets and puppets. He has his own production company scratchbuiltproductions.com which has been making theatre since 2006 and is an Associate Company of Proteus in Basingstoke.

Nick has been making puppets and acting with Pied Piper for several years and helped to create a new strand of work for babies and young toddlers ‘DIG!’ and ‘BEACH’. He made the puppets for the popular ’Sarah & Duck’ tour from the television series, for ’Snowflakes’ at Oxford Playhouse and for ‘Gorilla’ at Polka Theatre.

Nick has toured with Pied Piper Theatre in the UK, Europe and UAE.

Tina Williams is the Artistic Director of Pied Piper Theatre Company, which she set up in 1984 having trained as both an actor and a teacher.

Tina has written, adapted, directed and produced over twenty five plays for the company including a large scale national tour of Anne Fine's 'The Book of the Banshee', and 'A Little Princess' involving eight actors and eight young people.

Tina’s original plays have had four residencies at The Fortune Theatre in London’s West End. Her most recent titles include ‘My BIG Little sister’, 'Robin’s Winter Adventure’, The Big ENORMOUS Present’ and ‘Zoom' which she co-wrote with Nicola Sangster, alongside ‘DIG!’ Pied Piper’s first play for babies and young toddlers.

Tina was head of Youth and Education at The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford for fourteen years and toured nationally with YAT. Her plays have been performed in Europe and in Singapore. She has also directed ’Snowflakes’ for Oxford Playhouse.

2023/24 brought a special collaboration with Paula Garfield, the Artistic Director of Deafinitely Theatre to create ‘Can Bears Ski?’ for both a hearing and deaf audience. Pied Piper now offers integrated interpreted performances in British Sign Language. 

In 2025 Tina directed tours to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and to Europe.

For more details about Tina's work visit  'About Us'.

Nicola Sangster is the freelance Associate Director for Pied Piper, where she has worked with Tina since 2005.

She has worked on all aspects of productions from writing, directing and dramaturgy - to production and casting.

Nicola studied Drama and English Literature at Royal Holloway, where she gained directing experience and her playwriting training led her to be part of The Royal Court's Invitation Group. 

She then trained as an actor at Birmingham School of Acting. As an actor she has worked with many companies including the BBC, Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre.

For Pied Piper Nicola was part of the original UK and Singapore casts of Laura's Star.

In 2007, for Pied Piper, Nicola directed 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch', having co-written the adaptation with Tina. This production celebrated 30 years of the book...

...in 2017 she created a brand new production of 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch' along with Gareth Cooper; writing new songs and devising a new script and production, with the help of director Gemma Colclough. This time to celebrate 40 years!

Nicola is particularly interested in work for babies and early years, and in making this work accessible. She has experience working with neurodiverse children, and those with speech and language delays and this is increasingly informing her work.

For Pied Piper Nicola co-created 'DIG!' and 'BEACH' with Tina and Nick, Pied Piper's first ever plays for babies and toddlers.

In 2021 she made 'Snow' with Tiny Light Theatre - a new play for under 5's in co-production with The Mill at Banbury and Chipping Norton Theatre. 'Snow' was artsdepot's 0-5 show for Christmas 2022.

Nicola loves writing, music, and singing, and plays the cello and the piano.

Nick is an actor, stage manager, puppet and scenery maker and puppetry director. Nick is the co-founder of Scratch Built Productions, based at Proteus in Basingstoke. website:-scratchbuiltproductions.com

Nick has made sets and puppets for Pied Piper for the last six years and in this year's production takes the role of stage manager and puppetry director for ‘Zoom!’ 

Nick has appeared in two Pied Piper productions for babies and young toddlers ‘DIG!’ and ‘BEACH’.

Movement Direction credits include: Macbeth (Chichester Festival Theatre); It Is So Ordered (The Pleasance); Bunny (White Bear); Wish List (Royal Exchange & Royal Court); Redefining Juliet (Barbican); See Bob Run (Bread & Roses); Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Young Vic and UK Tour); Love is Easy (music video; McFly); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Custom/Practice); The Kitchen (Fourth Monkey); Faith, Hope & Charity (Southwark Playhouse); Emma Thompson Presents: Fair Trade (Shatterbox - Latitude, Rich Mix).

Direction Credits include: Jon Udry Punches Gravity in the Face (Jon Udry); Life on Wheels (Bella Kinetica); Rapunzel (Fourth Monkey).

Angela teaches at RADA. Most recently Angela has directed the movement in Frankenstein for The Royal Exchange, Manchester.

Catherine trained in Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University.

Theatre production designs include: Princess and Pea (Tutti Frutti), Wind In The Willows (York Theatre Royal), The Fever Chart (Pilot Theatre), The Diver (Soho Theatre and Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo), Fly in the Ointment, Cover her Feet (Stephen Joseph Theatre), King Arthur, As You Like It, The Crucible (costume design), Wind In The Willows, Coram Boy, 1984, Keys to the Kingdom, Bouncers, September in the Rain, The Trial, The Hunchback of Notre Dame(York Theatre Royal), Rapunzel, Hare and Tortoise, The Girl who Lost her Smile (Tutti Frutti), The Feathered Ogre, Jack and the Beanstalk, Madame Butterfly (English Touring Opera Education).

Film work includes: The Knife that Killed Me.

For Pied Piper Theatre Company: Can Bears Ski?, Star in the Jar, The BIG Enormous Present, Zoom!, Burglar Bill, Robin’s Winter Adventure, and Hare and Tortoise.

Catherine works extensively with young people including youth theatre, community projects and working as an artist in schools.

Julian is an associate artist of Pied Piper Theatre Company. As well as music for Pied Piper he has composed music for lots of theatre shows for children and young people, including Charlie and Lola's Best Bestest Play, Charlie and Lola's Extremely New Play and Gorilla (Polka Theatre, directed by Roman Stefanski), Up and Down (GaGa Theatre Company), The Paper Washi Wish and Little Sunshine, Little Rainfall (A Thousand Cranes Theatre), and A Christmas Carol (Lakeside Arts, Nottingham). He has written several musicals for young people including Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood and Flat Stanley(with Mike Kenny, Engine House Theatre) and Run! A Sports Day Musical (with Lisa Evans, Polka Theatre).

Most recently Julian has adapted The Everywhere Bear for the Polka Theatre and on tour.

Originally from Manchester, Brendan trained as an actor and worked for ten years in schools, fringe, Rep and commercial theatre.  Between 1982 & 1985 he was Head of Education at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and later writer-in-residence at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.  He taught for thirty years at several leading drama schools and from 2003-08, was Artistic Director of Oxfordshire (Touring) Theatre Company. His plays are regularly produced throughout the UK and abroad and have won both the Brian Way and Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards (twice!). He’s still writing, has recently returned to acting and, like the good northerner he is, lives on the south coast. For more details visit www.brendanmurray.co.uk