In Your Area
Eden Court's Creative Team work right across the Highlands making theatre with people of all ages. Eden Court Creative's Arts Education programme is financially supported and delivered in partnership with The Highland Council. If you want to know more about how you can benefit from the work that we do, please contact us on 01463 239 841 or email Eden Court Creative Assistant Kai Henderson at: khenderson@eden-court.co.uk.
Lorraine Hemmings
Eden Court Creative Drama Worker
Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Please note that Lorraine will be on maternity leave as of 27 January 2012, however her regular after-school classes and theatre groups will continue to run as normal. We wish her and her new baby all the best.
Before becoming a Drama Worker for Eden Court Creative, Lorraine worked for 10 years as a freelance drama worker and as an actor performing in commercial and educational theatre.
Lorraine works across Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey - delivering drama to primary and secondary schools. Workshops within schools vary, ranging from drama skills and school plays to topic based workshops such as the Vikings, WW2 and social education workshops such as emotional literacy and health and wellbeing.
Lorraine runs an after school drama group every Tuesday at Kingussie High School, every Wednesday at Nairn Academy and every Thursday at Grantown Primary. Grantown's group is currently full, but new members are welcome to join the secondary school groups.
Outside the school term, Lorraine runs Badenoch and Strathspey Youth Theatre. The company of young actors meets up three times a year during Easter, summer and October school holidays. It is an intensive 2 week course leading to a final performance, where participants rehearse from a script, learning and developing their drama techniques and performance skills. If you like a challenge and have a passion for acting, this could be the youth theatre for you. Auditions are held before each course and are open for pupils from Kingussie High School and Grantown Grammar School.
If you would like to get in touch with Lorraine, please contact her on 01463 239 841 or email lhemmings@eden-court.co.uk.
Jesse Paul
Eden Court Creative Drama Worker
East Inverness and The Black Isle
Jesse is an experienced and passionate theatre-arts practitioner. Over the past 25 years she has developed her work across the UK and in France with touring circuses, street and fringe theatre companies, hospitals, schools, musicians, visual artists, playwrights, storytellers and even football teams.
In the Highlands, Jesse creates individualised projects with schools and across the community using storytelling, film, sound, puppetry, scriptwriting, devising, oral-history and performance.
If you have a drama, literacy or creative project you want to want to get off the ground in Inverness East or the Black Isle, phone Jesse Paul on 01463 239 841 or email jpaul@eden-court.co.uk.
Naomi Shoba
Eden Court Creative Drama Worker
Easter Ross and South Sutherland
trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and worked as a freelance drama worker in Glasgow before moving to Inverness. She works in primary and secondary schools across her area delivering drama workshops which develop skills, confidence and creativity. Holiday theatre projects include Japanese theatre and filming with Invergordon Arts Centre and directing Golspie Youth Theatre in a performance for the Ness Island Halloween Spectacular.
She runs afterschool drama clubs in Tain and Alness and a Youth Theatre in association with Invergordon Academy. Recently she co-directed Eden Court Young Company in a performance for the annual National Festival of Youth Theatre in Fife.
If you would like to get in touch please call Naomi on 01463 239 841 or email her: nshoba@eden-court.co.uk.
Ilona Munro
Eden Court Creative Drama Worker
Lochaber
Ilona loves devising to suit the groups she works with, and has a passion for ensemble physical theatre. She likes to work with all ages and bring them together on inter-generational projects, be it panto or the Massacre of Glencoe. Her degree in Russian and interest in languages means they often influence her work.
Ilona tries where she can to work with local musicians and artists. In recent years, Lochaber Youth Theatre and Ilona have challenged themselves to work with NTS Exchange. Over the next twelve months they will be learning the craft of puppetry and seeing just how far they can push the cheeky boundaries. Ilona also works as a writer.
If you would like to get in touch with Ilona please call 01463 239 841 or email: imunro@eden-court.co.uk.
Islay Maree MacRae
Eden Court Creative Drama Worker
Skye & Lochalsh
Islay trained at Telford College in Edinburgh gaining an NC in Dramatic Arts and an HNC in Acting and Performance. Islay then gained a BA(hons) in Theatre at Dartington College Of Arts. While there Islay toured extensively throughout Poland and Slovakia.
She has worked Eden Court Creative for 6 years and during that time has taken part in many projects, from NTS exchange to working with homeless children. Islay teaches Intermediate 2 drama at Eden Court. She specialises in early years drama but also has experience working in elderly care homes with adults with altziemers.
Contact Islay on 01463 239 841 or email her: imacrae@eden-court.co.uk.
Amanda Luscombe
Eden Court Creative Drama Worker
West Inverness
Amanda studied Performing Arts at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Ltd in London.
Upon graduation, she joined a French travelling circus. She ran away from the circus, and began working as an actor in educational theatre and television, before making a move to the Highlands to work for Eden Court Creative eleven years ago.
Amanda works in West Inverness delivering drama education in primary and secondary schools. The range of work is broad - from school productions and drama skills to topic based workshops which enhance work done within the curriculum.
Amanda runs after school drama groups and youth theatres in Glenurquhart and Charleston schools and has recently been running weekly workshops at Dochgarroch Primary School - focusing on drama skills and culminating in a small production devised by the pupils.
Outside of school time, Amanda is Eden Court Creative’s LAMDA tutor.
Contact Amanda by telephoning 01463 239 841 or email her at: aluscombe@btinternet.com.
