Meet the Staff

Meet the fabulous team behind Norwich Puppet Theatre.

Peter Beck

Theatre Director

[email protected]

Sarah Kelly

Operations Manager

[email protected]

Liz Freeman

Theatre Cleaner

Lloyd Mitchell

Financial Controller

[email protected]

Meet the Board of Trustees

Emma Taylor – Chair

Emma is a project management and funding specialist with a strong track record of delivering major projects across the economic growth, skills and heritage sectors. She is currently Director of Growth, Innovation and Strategic Projects at Suffolk New College, delivering capital developments and educational activity projects.

A Norwich resident who previously held senior roles in Norfolk Museums Service for 15 years, she is also a passionate supporter of the rich culture and heritage of Norwich. With a lifelong love of puppetry, she is delighted to help drive the future strategic development of Norwich Puppet Theatre, ensuring this extraordinary organisation achieves its full potential.

Marion Catlin

Marion has been involved with Norwich Puppet Theatre in some way or another over many years.

Since leaving Norwich City Council, she has become a trustee and continues to offer whatever support she can. Her main contributions are in project management, networking, negotiating and networking, as well as practical skills of graphic design, marketing, and social media.

Gavin Cowley

Gavin works for Norfolk County Council as a partnership adviser to schools in King’s Lynn, West Norfolk and Breckland. Having worked abroad for over twenty years in a range of educational settings, he has enjoyed returning to the UK and re-discovering the rich history and cultural heritage of Norwich.

He is keen to engage schools throughout Norfolk in the ‘power of puppetry’, as a means to delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

Emma Clarke

Emma has many hats, focusing in and around theatre, education, and creative engagement. She has previously worked in our Creative Learning Team and is a qualified SEN/primary teacher.

Emma now works in Norwich Castle’s education department, whilst jointly directing her own company, Kaboodle Theatre, which specialises in multi-sensory theatre experiences for children.

Nic Hopkins

A senior business and project management professional. With over 30 years experience at the heart of organisational change and service transformation in government. His key strengths are managing people, budgets, programmes, and projects. His core domains of expertise have been ICT, stakeholder, workplace and  programme management.

Since retiring in July 2008, he has pursued a mix of activities. Nic is a voluntary trustee, a management consultant, and enjoys home and family based activities.

Sascha Goslin

Sascha Goslin

Sascha is a freelance creative producer. Originally from Bristol, she studied Law with European Legal Systems at UEA, where she fell in love with Norwich and arts.

Sascha works primarily with Circus and outdoor theatre companies. She’s passionate about inclusive and representative theatre, artist development and accessibility. Since 2014 Sascha has worked with various organisations and artists including Out There Arts, NoFit State Circus, Frozen Light, and The Why Not Institute.

As part of her personal creative practice Sascha started studying clowning, puppet building and puppetry in 2018.

Jeremy Noel-Tod

Jeremy has taught in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia since 2009, where he is currently the Academic Director of the British Archive of Contemporary Writing. He is particularly interested in modernist literature and writes about modern poetry for various national publications. He has also edited several books, including Market Lunch, a collection of Norwich verse by local poet Ron Nevett.

Jeremy has brought his own children to the Puppet Theatre many times. He is interested in the relationship between imagination, performance and education.

Debbie-Lee Pinching

Norwich born and RADA trained, Debbie-Lee began her association with the Norwich Puppet Theatre when she stage managed the 1985 production of Pinocchio.

Since then she has worked at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, the Unicorn Children’s Theatre, the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, the Palace Theatre, Watford and the RSC.

She is a committee member of Fine Cell Work and has been on the board of the Norwich Puppet Theatre since 2008.

Phillip Roffe

Starting off as an IT engineer, Phillip now owns and runs Osiris technologies which provides IT support for charities and businesses throughout the region. He is also director/owner of Fayre Maiden Jewellery.

Phillip is passionate about supporting young people within the community. His company runs its own apprentice scheme designed to give young people opportunities within the technical sector. Phillip is also an Enterprise Advisor, a voluntary scheme which connects schools and business throughout the region.

Phillip says “I adore being part of the puppet theatre. It is a gem of a theatre set in a city that I love.”

Mark Pitman

Mark Pitman is co-director of Garlic Theatre, a visual theatre company that uses image, puppet animation, movement, and live music to create theatre productions. The company tours nationally and internationally.

Mark worked as a model maker before training in mime and movement with Desmond Jones and attending Jacques Lecoq’s school in Paris.

In 1995 Mark became a part-time tutor for puppetry and manipulation and construction at the Central School for Speech and Drama in London for six years.

Keep up to date with Norwich Puppet Theatre by following us on social media, checking our blog, or joining our mailing list.