The Company
The Wardrobe Ensemble met in September 2010 while training together on The Made in Bristol project at Bristol Old Vic. Since then they have been making shows and touring them nationally and internationally.
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Tom Brennan
Tom Brennan is a director, playwright, filmmaker and founding member of The Wardrobe Ensemble. He is a Creative Associate of The North Wall Arts Centre and The Geoffrey Garton Creative Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford.
His credits as writer and director include Robin Hood: The Legend of The Forgotten Forest (Bristol Old Vic), The Sugar House (Finborough Theatre) - Finalist Best Director/Best Production Offie, The Great Gatsby (UK Tour, Wardrobe Theatre), The Last of The Pelican Daughters (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Royal and Derngate), Drac and Jill (Wardrobe Theatre), South Western (Tobacco Factory Theatre), Education, Education, Education (Trafalgar Studios, UK Tour), The Rocky Shock (Wardrobe Theatre, UK tour), Eloise and The Curse of The Golden Whisk (UK Tour), 1972: The Future of Sex (UK Tour), RIOT (UK Tour)
He was an associate Director on Albion (dir. Rupert Goold), The Twilight Zone (dir. Richard Jones, Almeida), The Windsors Endgame and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (dir. Michael Fentiman, West End). He is a visiting lecturer at Rose Bruford College, University of Northampton, Bath Spa University, ALRA. His music video for Dodie’s In The Middle has over 2,500,000 views.
Tom England
Tom is an actor, facilitator, and project coordinator currently working on a number of diverse projects. In whatever form, Tom is keen to use the arts to engage, inspire and challenge communities and individuals across the UK and further afield.
As a Project Coordinator for the Imperial War Museum North, Tom runs a project called ‘Serving Stories’ which aims to foster mutual respect, empathy and understanding between intergenerational communities in the Trafford area. Using the medium of storytelling, the project takes veterans from conflicts spanning the last century in to schools and colleges to expose young people to the power of conflict.
On a related note, Tom works as both mentor and facilitator with the 225 Academy, a project that engages communities of young people across the world and encourages them to question and reframe notions of success and leadership in a shifting global climate.
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Emily Greenslade
Emily Greenslade is a theatre maker, engagement producer and founding member of The Wardrobe Ensemble. Emily manages the company's engagement work in schools, universities and arts organisations, and produces its artist development projects and younger year shows. Notable co-producing projects include a three week run of The Star Seekers at the National Theatre and pop-up performance space, Theatre on the Downs. As a deviser and performer, Emily's credits include: The Last of the Pelican Daughters, Education, Education, Education and 1972: The Future of Sex.
Emily has also worked for organisations including The Old Vic Theatre, Zoo Co Theatre, Punchdrunk Enrichment, Compass Presents and Artichoke.
Jesse Jones
For the company, Jesse Jones co-directed Winners, Education Education Education, 1972: The Future of Sex, Edgar and The Land of Lost, and was Associate Director on 33. Other directing credits include Rorry Malarkey's THE GRANDFATHERS, winning National Theatre Connections 2012 and revived professionally at the NT Shed in 2013. Jesse has worked as Staff Director at the National Theatre, assisting on EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES 2013/14. He is an associate artist of Bristol Old Vic Outreach and founded the Wardrobe Theatre where he directed WILDBORE, GUTTERMOUTH and SCUMBAG. His adaptation of Sally Gardener's novel MAGGOT MOON is in development at the National Theatre Studio. In January 2015 he was appointed Resident Director of Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton as part of the Regional Theatre Young Director’s scheme.
Kerry Lovell
For the company Kerry has devised and performed in Robin Hood, Winners, The Last of the Pelican Daughters, South Western, Wind in the Willows, Education Education Education, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, Eloise and the Curse of the Golden Whisk, 1972: The Future of Sex, 33, Eliza and the Wild Swans, and RIOT. She is a graduate of Bath Spa University studying BA Drama Studies and specialising in Devising and Musical Theatre. Kerry has performed with Myrtle Theatre Company, Fairground Theatre Company and featured in Traces, a short dance theatre film with Twisted Theatre Company. She has worked extensively with the Bristol Old Vic Young Company, delivering workshops and assisting shows.
Jesse Meadows
Jesse is a Bristol-based performer and theatre-maker. She graduated from University of Warwick with a BA First Class Honours in Theatre and Performance and has since been working extensively with FellSwoop Theatre and The Wardrobe Ensemble - of which she is a core member/founder and has toured with nationally and internationally. Jesse's other recent deviser/performer credits include Tea Time for Oxford Playhouse, and Winnie the Witch for Pegasus Theatre, Oxford. She is also Co-Artistic Director of The Wardrobe Theatre in Bristol which reopened in Old Market in December 2015.
Helena Middleton
For the company Helena has co-directed Mog the Forgetful Cat, Robin Hood, Winners, Education Education Education, Eloise and the Curse of the Golden Whisk and Edgar and the Land of Lost (Bike Shed Theatre), and directed Little Tim and the Brave Sea captain (Bristol Old Vic), The Deep Sea Seekers, The Time Seekers and The Star Seekers (Wardrobe Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse). Her recent directing credits include: Cracking (SDJ productions), If You Fall (Theatre Ad Infinitum) and Pippi Longstocking (Royal and Derngate). Helena was Associate Director on Olivier Award winning Hey Duggee, the Live Show and was Assistant Director on Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution at London County Hall.
James Newton
James is an actor, theatre maker, musician and facilitator with over a decade’s experience working in devised theatre. For The Wardrobe Ensemble, James’ credits as a performer/deviser include WINNERS (2021), The Last of the Pelican Daughters (2019), Education, Education, Education (2017) and 1972: The Future of Sex (2015). Outside of the company, James has been fortunate to work with theatre practitioners including Simon McBurney, Nigel and Louise and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, and in 2019 he appeared as Standish Treadwell in The Unicorn’s adaptation of Sally Gardner’s Maggot Moon. He is currently studying towards an MA in Anthropology (Material and Visual Culture) at UCL.
Ben Vardy
Ben is a theatre maker, performer, workshop facilitator and founding member of The Wardrobe Ensemble.
As a workshop facilitator Ben has worked with the Old Vic, Shakespeare's Schools Festival and the International Schools Theatre Association, and as a training consultant for environmental education charity, Action for Conservation.
Ben's directing credits include Philippe De Beranger (Battersea Arts Centre), Swarm (Camden People's Theatre) and Me (Pleasance Theatre, Islington). Ben has also written and performed a one-person show called ‘Pun World’, and is a qualified secondary school teacher.
Reed Woolley
Edythe Woolley is a performer, director and designer for The Wardrobe Ensemble. They studied in New York as part of their BA in Drama and English at Queen Mary University London. They also completed a foundation in Fine Art at Camberwell College of Arts. Edythe also holds experience in physical theatre, starring in their first professional dance piece, Fallen, as well as Swarm, a dance film by Twisted Theatre. Their directing credits including the Foundation of Trust at the Theatre Rondo Bath.
Hannah Smith
Hannah is an independent theatre producer and Executive Producer for The Wardrobe Ensemble. She has been working with TWE since 2013 and they are her faves. Before going freelance, Hannah worked at the Bush Theatre and at Fuel and in every library in the borough of Hounslow.