Mark Ball

Artistic Director

[email protected]

Mark was appointed as Artistic Director and Chief Executive of LIFT in April 2009. From 1998 - 2007 he led Fierce!, an annual international festival of performance taking place across the West Midlands. In January 2008 he was appointed Head of Events and Exhibitions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, leading a new department responsible for raising the profile of the RSC amongst new audiences by producing and delivering a range of artist-led projects and commissions. Mark is the former winner of the Institute of Director’s (IoD) Young Director of the Year and was made a Clore Fellow in 2006/2007 and in 2012 was named by Time Out and The Stage as one of the ten most influential people in British theatre. He also holds posts at a number of arts organisations including trusteeships at Frantic Assembly and he is the Chair of artsdepot. In addition to the role at LIFT, Mark is currently job-sharing the role of Executive Director Arts & Culture at Arts Council England.

Francis Christeller

Marketing & Development Coordinator

[email protected]

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (dance) from Queensland University of Technology, Francis performed in companies and as a freelance artist for six year. His study and work as a dancer saw him tour far and wide including living in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Germany before arriving in the UK. In recent years his career shifted towards producing and programming performance. In spring 2015 Francis was a LIFT placement after which he joined the team full-time.

Priya Jethwa

Executive Assistant

[email protected]

Priya joined LIFT in June 2013 after working as Production Assistant then Administrator for the Gate Theatre in Notting Hill. Before the Gate and after graduating with a degree in English and Drama, Priya spent six months living in Sanremo, Italy, working as Production Assistant for a touring TIE company, Theatrino.

Beki Bateson

Executive Director

[email protected]

Beki joined LIFT in November 2009 as Executive Director. Previously CEO at Greenbelt Arts Festival for nine years, she was also Projects Co-ordinator for the human rights charity Amos Trust of which she was also Chair (2007 - 2012) and where she oversaw the recruitment of a new CEO to replace the founder after 25 years.  Among other work, Amos hosted the inaugural Streetchild World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and are delivering the 2014 sTREETCHILDWorld Cup in Rio.   Beki has led various trips to the Middle East, Nicaragua and South Africa and made films promoting charitable work including HIV and microcredit initiatives. Beki was co-founder of Vaux, a collective of artists and city-lovers that created new work and events and she has lived in London for twenty years.

Jon Davis

Producer

[email protected]

Jon Davis as has worked at LIFT since September 2011. Prior to his appointment he worked as a Project Facilitator for The Reader Organisation and as an independent producer for Il Pixel Rosso.

At LIFT Jon is responsibility for year round research and development and producing festival presentations and new commissions. Jon has delivered a wide range of projects including large scale theatre production, site specific performances and multi-disciplinary projects with various partners including the Barbican Centre, Royal Academy of Arts, Southbank Centre and British Council. Jon has worked extensively with artists from the Middle East and North Africa, and has travelled extensively throughout the region meeting with artists, cultural organisations and attending arts festivals.

Bonnie Smith

Marketing & Digital Manager

[email protected]

Bonnie started her arts marketing career up in Bonnie Scotland, working with Dundee Rep Theatre and Scottish Dance Theatre for four years and Assembly Festival during the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe. She joined LIFT in October 2015 following three years at the Unicorn Theatre where she developed a love for Belgian ‘youth theatre’ and a dislike for looking after theatre rabbits.

David Binder

Artistic Associate

David Binder is a Tony Award winning producer whose credits include Broadway, Off-Broadway and festivals.  On Broadway, David produced HEDWIG AND THE ANGY INCH, which won four Tony Awards, including Best Revival.  His record-breaking production of John Steinbeck’s OF MICE AND MEN, starring James Franco and Chris O’Dowd, was the first Broadway show to be filmed by NT Live.  Other credits include the first Broadway revival of A RAISIN IN THE SUN, 33 VARIATIONS starring Jane Fonda and the genre-defying shows DE LA GUARDA and FUERZA BRUTA.  In 2007, inspired by London’s MELTDOWN, David produced THE HIGH LINE FESTIVAL curated by David Bowie.  Two years later, he produced the Dutch NEW ISLAND FESTIVAL on Governors Island, ten days of performance, music, theatre and dance from The Netherlands.  More recently, with LIFT and GDIF, David produced the French promenade show DEBLOZAY in the streets of South London.  He has been a teaching fellow at Princeton University, and for six years was on the faculty at the Yale School of Drama. His TED talk on “The Arts Festival Revolution” has been seen online by more than half a million people. davidbinderproductions.com

Kevin Isaacs

Communications Consultant

Kevin Isaacs has over twenty five years experience in marketing and communications, producing, and as a performer and Director. Kevin began his career in the commercial sector where he held senior management roles with Blue Chip Companies including Smith Kline Beecham, 3M and Guinness (now Diageo), from where, having achieved the position of European Marketing Director, he left to take up a full time course at Drama School. Following work as an actor and director, Kevin has worked as an Arts Management Consultant for a range of organisations since 1998 including LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre), The Place, Fierce, Audiences Central, National Theatre, Arts Council England, Visiting Arts, The Drum, sampad, mac, Blue Eyed Soul, Motionhouse, Warwick Arts Centre, London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme, Imagineer (Godiva Awakes - Artist taking the Lead project for London 2012), Loughborough University and Times / Sunday Times. In 2007 Kevin produced Architecture Week West Midlands for Fierce Earth on behalf of Arts Council England, and from 2007 – 2010 he was Executive Producer of Fierce Earth. Kevin is also a founding Director of Wunderbar Festival Ltd, based in Newcastle, and with Ilana Mitchell, led the delivery of the first Wunderbar Festival in the North East of England in November 2009. Based in London and Leamington Spa, Kevin works with clients nationally. Kevin has held a number of board positions for arts and cultural organisations, including Motionhouse, Wunderbar and The Other Way Works, as well as being a trustee and board member of several charities and organisations involved in health, education, conservation and refugee support.

Erica Campayne

Senior Producer

[email protected]

Erica Campayne is Senior Producer at LIFT and has been responsible for developing and delivering ways that people can create amazing events with LIFT's professional artists and local communities. Erica joined LIFT in 2004 and has steadily worked her way through the ranks starting as a placement and now Senior Producer.

Before LIFT Erica worked as a freelance theatre practitioner - delivering education projects for National Theatre, Lewisham Youth Theatre and Haringey Shed, whilst running and directing a youth theatre.

 

Erica is a Trustee for Dance Umbrella with particular focus on community engagement and creative learning.

Dan Jacques

Finance & Admin Assistant

[email protected]

Dan is LIFT’s Finance & Admin Assistant providing support to maintain the smooth running of the LIFT office in the delivery of its creative projects.

After graduating from the University of Liverpool with a degree in German, Dan worked as an English teacher in Berlin and for a London based designer fashion brand before joining LIFT in June 2015.

House on Fire

House on Fire is made up of ten European theatres and festivals in ten European countries who promote and support performing arts creations that have the ambition to make a contribution to the critical debate of issues on the political and social agenda. Supported by the Culture Programme of the European Union. houseonfire.eu

Imagine 2020 (2.0)

Imagine 2020 (2.0) is the second iteration of  the network set up to support artistic work that explores causes and effects of climate change. It is made up of eleven performing arts venues and festivals from nine European countries. Supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. imagine2020.eu  

Urban Heat

LIFT is leading Urban Heat, the fifth project from Festivals in Transition (FIT), a network of 13 European theatre festivals in 12 European countries established to support and develop artists and professionals in the cultural sector. The project is designed to support artists' engagement with urban areas and developing communities. Supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. urbanheat.co  

Be SpectACTive!

Be SpectACTive! is a European project based on audience development, involving some of the most innovative European organisations working on active spectatorship in contemporary performing arts. Its members are European festivals, theatres, universities and a research centre. Supported by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. bespectactive.eu