Claire Simpson is an experienced strategic leader, with an established career in theatre management. Since 2006 she has worked for a range of arts organisations across London and the Midlands. Most recently, Claire has served as Relationship Manager for Theatre at Arts Council England since 2017. In this role she has worked on a range of funding programmes, supporting and championing both organisations and independent artists.

Her earlier career includes senior leadership positions as General Manager for the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Paines Plough, and the Gate Theatre in Notting Hill. She began her professional journey in theatre as Front of House Manager and Deputy Bar and Food Manager at the Royal Court Theatre.

Claire has also made meaningful contributions in a voluntary capacity. She has served as a trustee of the Independent Theatre Council and the theatre company curious directive, where she later became Chair of the Board, overseeing a successful National Portfolio Organisation application.

A passionate advocate for accessibility in the arts, Claire has been a qualified Audio Describer since 2019, working on productions with VocalEyes at renowned venues including The Bridge Theatre, Gielgud Theatre, and Wales Millennium Centre.

Hannah (she/her) is an actor, writer, dramaturg and script reader.

She was previously an Editorial Assistant at the National Theatre and was attached to Camden People’s Theatre on their New Programmer’s scheme 2022–2024. She has also worked with the BFI, NEWFEST (NY), Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Theatre Royal Stratford East amongst others. She’s interested in artist development and how stories and performance can help us to imagine otherwise.

Ellie graduated with a distinction from the MA in Creative Producing at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2018. Previously she was the Producer at NSDF (National Student Drama Festival), winning a 2021 Digital Culture Award in the category of ‘Digital Trailblazers’ for their work during the Pandemic. She has also worked for companies including Laura Elmes Productions and DEM Productions. As a freelance theatre producer she has worked at Park Theatre, VAULT Festival and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Manwah (he/him) joined Paines Plough as the Marketing and Audience Development Manager in 2022. He has previously held roles in administration and marketing at Cheek by Jowl and Gecko.

Charlotte Bennett (she/her) joined Paines Plough as Joint Artistic Director alongside Katie Posner in August 2019. For Paines Plough Charlotte has directed Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me by Amy Trigg (winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting) which premiered at Kiln Theatre in May 2021 before embarking upon a UK tour of seventeen venues and returning to the Kiln in November 2022, and Run Sister Run by Chloë Moss (Sheffield Theatres/Soho Theatre).

Previously she was Associate Director at Soho Theatre where she led the new writing department, developing artists and commissions and programming. For Soho Theatre she directed Whitewash by Gabriel Bisset-Smith, Happy Hour by Jack Rooke, curated a six-month off-site arts festival in Waltham Forest and led playwriting competition the Verity Bargate Award. Prior to this she was Artistic Director of Forward Theatre Project; an artists’ collective she founded. For Forward Theatre Project she made and directed new plays which toured nationally inspired by working in partnership with different communities around the UK and at venues including the National Theatre, York Theatre Royal, Northern Stage, Derby Theatre, Live Theatre and The Lowry. As a freelance director she has worked extensively for Open Clasp Theatre Company creating new plays inspired by women in the North-East and she held the role of Producer for theatre company RashDash for 4 years where she toured experimental new theatre around the UK.

Katie Posner joined Paines Plough as Joint Artistic Director with Charlotte Bennett in August 2019. For Paines Plough, Katie directed Consumed by Karis Kelly (Women’s Prize for Playwriting winner 2022); the Fringe First winning Strategic Love Play by Miriam Battye; You Bury Me by Ahlam (Women’s Prize for Playwriting winner 2021); Hungry by Chris Bush; Really Big and Really Loud by Phoebe Eclair-Powell; Black Love by Chinonyerem Odimba (Co-Director for Roundabout).

Katie is an experienced and award-winning director. She has worked across a wide variety of productions both overseas and on national tours, including multiple productions with York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre with whom she was Associate Director from 2009 until 2017. Her work encompasses both intimate pieces of new writing and larger-scale community pieces. In 2019, Katie received a UK Theatre Award nomination as Best Director with her production of My Mother Said I Never Should at Theatre by the Lake.

Her productions also include: Shanghai Dolls (Kiln Theatre); Strategic Love Play (Minetta Lane Theatre in New York, Audible/Chase This); Richard, My Richard (Shakespeare North Playhouse/Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); My Mother Said I Never Should (Theatre by the Lake); Mold Riots (Theatr Clwyd); The Seven Ages Of Patience (Kiln Theatre); Swallows & Amazons (Storyhouse), Babe (Mercury Theatre); Playing Up (NYT); Finding Nana (New Perspectives); Made In India (Tamasha/Belgrade/Pilot); Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes, End Of Desire (York Theatre Royal); The Season Ticket (Northern Stage); A View From Islington North (Out Of Joint); In Fog And Falling Snow (National Railway Museum); Running On The Cracks (Tron Theatre); York Mystery Plays (Museum Gardens York); Blackbird, Ghost Town, Clocking In, A Restless Place (Pilot Theatre).