CARISSCREATIVE - Key Persons
Aaron Edwards is a revered athlete. He has been competing at the highest level in tack and field for almost 15years, with his specialism in Decathlon. He is also an elite personal trainer and strength and condition coach for Leyton Orient football club.
Aaron has a wide remit of skills with young people and uses his own experiences to inspire and motivate others. His command of physicality and strength provides children with the desire and aspiration to move and push themselves outside their expectations, nurturing confidence and belief in themselves. At the forefront of my thinking is always to promote and encourage exercise, fitness and healthy lifestyle values.
Adam is a professional actor and script writer, appearing on both stage and film. He is a passionate drama teacher, and has taught this discipline and Lamda for over 8 years. Adam has worked at various Theatre schools and is in partnership with various schools across London, where he writes and directs their school productions.
Job Titles:
- Dancer & Choreographer - Fitness Professional
Adele is a choreographer, dancer and fitness professional. She studied at the London Institute gaining an MA in Scenography at Central Saint Martins showing a particular interest in dance on film.
Adele is a fully qualified fitness professional and a master trainer for GLL throughout the UK. She has a wealth of experience in health, fitness and well being and works with children, adults and families in a unique and effective way.
Andy is a therapist, theatre practitioner, musician and producer.
His experience is wide ranging from working with children, adolescents and adults who can be hard to reach - in mainstream, SEN and mental health settings. To taking creative work into the public arena as professional & community collaborative theatre, art exhibits, recorded or live music. His work is focused on building confidence, self esteem, empathy and bridges toward social/environmental evolution.
Colin is a dynamic and effective therapist with extensive experience of working with young people. He also specialities in grief therapy, working as a Dramatherapist at The Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital and with bereavement charity, Grief Encounter.
Before graduating as a dramatherapist from central School of Speech and Drama, Colin worked for over 25 years as a successful professional actor and director.
Danni has 11 years of brand communications experience working with corporate clients across global and multi-sector brands including Virgin Media, UKTV, Tesco, Nike, Honda, Lenovo, Mondelez and JCPenney. Danni pushes through to better communication thinking and doing, helping companies live out their brand purpose in more behavioural ways. Always aiming to find the best solution for any kind of brief, Danni unpicks the user context, platform and design of brand interfaces, experiences and behaviour to adopt a more seamless and engaging interaction with people.
A keen interest in doing good, Danni co-created Tesco's CSR strategy to create the Eat Happy Project. She also founded and leads Wieden+Kennedy London's social good initiative, Forever Curious, helping underprivileged children develop their creativity.
Danni has recently launched Loose Lips Tea, bringing people together over positive conversation, with tea as the catalyst for social change.
Frederica has over 20 years experience working in the public, voluntary and community sector and has served on a number of Boards as a Director. She has significant experience in working with children and young people and has also been a partner in several successful business.
Her skills extend from advising on governance to writing policies and procedures and in assisting companies to find solutions in crisis situations.
She is a passionate and dedicated team member who contributes to the business by being highly organised and ensuring the rest of the team are equally organised and focussed.
Job Titles:
- Illustrator
- Freelance Illustrator
Hannah is a freelance Illustrator, surface pattern and space designer based in east London.
She creates a mixture of surface patterns, screen prints, textiles, identities, apparel & products for people and spaces. Hannah has worked in both the UK and in Hong Kong working with a variety of international clients such as, Paperchase, Moma, Gap inc, Jcrew, Nike, Piccalilly, Marks & Spencer, Anna Thomas, Target, Spek, Mambo, Animal, Calvin Klein, Carters, Built and Bonds.
Haydn Forde is a unique practitioner who uses story, Myth and drama to expand and develop young peoples understanding of both themselves and the world around them. His techniques encourage children to grow in confidence, courage and belief in themselves, as well as expand their knowledge of the past, present and possible future.
Haydn has been teaching, practising and using story and drama for many years in a wealth of different settings.
Helen is a professional actress and singer. She trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and was awarded the Dame Judi Dench Scholarship award.
Her most recent credits include: Mrs Pratchett in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal Drury Lane),Baroness Elberfeld The Sound of Music (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Irene, Call The Midwife Christmas Special 2017, Neal Street Productions.
Helen also works extensively with children and young people in the arts - as a LAMDA coach, acting tutor, director and workshop leader.
Jodie Cariss (MA, Badth, HPC), the founder of CarissCreative, is a Sesame trained Drama and Movement Therapist with over ten years experience in education. She began her career as a children's television presenter working for many years in the industry. Continuing her academic training some years later as a dramatherapist, she teamed her therapeutic work for The Learning Trust's Specialist Intervention Team with a private therapeutic practice and corporate consultancy, working with leading global creative and media agencies to develop models that promote social and cultural change.
The honour of working with young people in such an honest way touched her deeply. With her extensive knowledge of the education system in mind, she began to consider the connection between the growth of young people who access the arts in therapy and the potential positive impact on many more children, if creative opportunities were twinned with academic learning and embedded more into the curriculum.
Kira is a professional dancer, choreographer and experienced tutor. She teaches workshops in many styles of dance including Fusion Funk, Jazz and Musical Theatre. She teaches at the famous Pineapple Studios and Stagecoach. Kira has an unfaltering ability to achieve results with a wide range of children. She has a no-nonsense approach supported by warmth and humour which encourages children to achieve.
Laura is an exceptional Lamda coach and teaches both children and adults to the highest level. She has a wealth of experience in professional theatre herself, including Oliver, les Miserables, Casanova, West Side story and many others. She has an incredible way of encouraging and developing children's confidence in themselves and belief in their ability and produces performances than are west end ready!
Lisa has worked in education for over twenty years. Initially training as a teacher of English and Drama and more recently as a future leader in education, studying for both at The Institute of Education (University of London). Lisa is familiar with current educational policy and has been a consultant and advisor in a variety of schools and for examining bodies.
Lisa is passionate about the emotional and psychological well-being of our young people and recently re-trained as a drama and movement therapist at The Royal Central Speech and Drama. Lisa also has experience in adult mental health and working with clients who have dementia
Marcin is an attentive Dramatherapist committed to developing effective professional relationships and adapting his work to the culture of different settings and young people's needs.
Marcin has a background in physical theatre, classical civilization studies and primary/secondary education. Marcin trained as Dramatherapist at the Roehampton University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Therapist & School Manager
Marianna comes to dramatherapy from a background of theatre directing and devising, acting coaching, and teaching. She trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her therapeutic practice is always client-led, is grounded in psychoanalytic and development psychological theory, and incorporates exploration of personal and cultural narrative, role-play, play-therapy, mindfulness, and talk therapy, among other techniques.
Melanie is an intuitive and creative therapist. She is a Roehampton Dramatherapy Masters graduate and has over 20 years experience as a professional actress. She uses her wealth of professional experience to inform her practice. She particularly enjoys working with children and young people and also has a keen interest in women's issues and major life changes.
Melanie is a client led, non-directive therapist.
Morwenna has a PGCE from the Institute of Education and over the past 5 years has taught in state primary schools in Hackney and Newham, an orphanage and village school in Bangalore and a Pupil Referral Unit. She will start a masters in Psychology this September.
Prior to teaching Morwenna took production roles in theatre venues including The Royal National Theatre, The Old Vic, The Royal Court and The Gate. She also worked at Playful Productions for 3 years in the development department, and as Production Coordinator for the West End musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Natalie trained at Arts Educational Schools, London with a scholarship award, and graduated with a BA (Hons). Before this, she trained for four years at the BRIT School, gaining a Distinction grade in her BTEC National Diploma.
Natalie is a professional actor, singer and dancer, and has worked at the Edinburgh Fringe, on the West End, and worldwide. Shows include Saturday Night Fever, Hairspray, Elegies, and The World of Musicals. Natalie has been teaching for 5 years, and has worked as a member of Cariss Creative for four years, teaching all forms of discipline.
Natalie finds such an enjoyment in teaching and seeing the progress that can be made when children are supported, encouraged, and nitride through their developing years.
Poppy's background as a Drama maker, facilitator and tutor allowed her to repeatedly witness the powerful and curative impact that Drama could have on people. Her desire to work with a focus on these elements led her to training as a Dramatherapist at Roehampton University where she graduated with a distinction.
Poppy has extensive experience of working with children and young people in a wide rage of contexts. Creativity, warmth, mutual respect and inclusiveness have always been central to her practice. She works in a client centred, non-directive way.