Our Advisory Board

Our Advisory Board of actors and theatre makers with learning disabilities and neuro-diversities guides our work and planning.

Click image for a short film where Sam Barnard talks about his role as Advisory Board member

Sam Barnard

Biography

Sam has been acting professionally for 13 years. He trained at Mountview/Mind the Gap Staging Change course for actors with learning disabilities. TV credits include: EastEnders, The Inbetweeners, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Grantchester, Casualty and Silent Witness.

On radio, he played Jonny Fletcher in the BBC Radio 4 drama series “First World Problems”.

In film, Sam has appeared in The Oxford Murders and, this year, in the short film Stuart and Dumplings.

Sam’s theatre credits include: The Giant’s Henchman in Jack and the Beanstalk at the RCC Theatre, Rye; Pozzo in Waiting for Godot at Hackney Showroom, where all the parts were played by professional actors with Down’s Syndrome; The Lonely Man in the devised drama Bottled Dreams of Better Days at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury for Fairshake Theatre Company and Simon Hall in Hunt the Tiger at Cast Theatre, Doncaster. He co-led a workshop at the Young Vic Theatre in London, aimed at theatre directors and producers, about how to make theatre more accessible for disabled actors.

Sam is also employed by bemix, a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, as a Supporter for their Risky Business Drama and Performing Arts Group for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Rebekah Hill

Biography

Rebekah Hill trained at Dark Horse Theatre where she is a company member along with 7 other actors with a learning disability (Down’s Syndrome). Most recently Rebekah played Luna and Mrs Mann in Leeds Playhouse’s reimagining of Oliver Twist, a Ramps On the Moon project (Covid-19 cancelled tour). Other credits include Dark Horse productions: You Have Been Watching (Lawrence Batley Theatre, then touring); STIR; Snakebite; Each Day I Live; A Stupid Lie and Moments.

Rebekah has also been involved in R&D for a number of projects including: A Man With Down’s Syndrome Talks About Love and Tells a Story and I Love You Baby. She has been a regular contributor to the Separate Doors project and is looking forward to contributing on the advisory board.

In her spare time Rebekah swims and does Pilates. She also enjoys watching detective programmes such as NCIS and listening to female pop stars Adele, Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke.

Andy Trust

Biography

Andy has always had an interest in Performing Arts, from a young age attending dance classes at Dance Industry a local dance school in Littlehampton before progressing to joining numerous classes and workshops run by StopGap Dance Company, a global leader in disability access in dance. During his time with StopGap Andy progressed to train with Troop, a small group of committed dancers interested in inclusive practice and integrated choreography & performing at local festivals. Throughout 2015 & 2016 Andy performed at a number of events:  they were finalists in Udance 2015, part of FestivAll CFT Chichester and DaisyFest Guildford. Troop was one of the group of dancers collaborating at the Lighting of the Heritage Flame Ceremony at Stoke Mandeville before the torch journeyed its way to the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Andy has also been a member of TheatreInc, an award-winning company which is run at Chichester College from its inception in 2014. TheatreInc follows an innovative programme of study including singing, drama & dance that supports performers who live with disability and other additional challenges.  Andy has performed regularly with TheatreInc in yearly shows, plays and concerts locally in venues & theatres around West Sussex including at the Brighton Fringe. In August 2022 Andy performed with the Riverside Theatre Company (Chichester College) in a series of Grimm Tales at the Edinburgh Fringe 2022. In April 2022 Andy enjoyed joining the cast of The Taxidermist Daughter, a play being performed at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Andy is delighted to be working with Separate Doors as a member of the Advisory Board.

Nicky Priest

Biography

I’m a professional actor & occasional stand-up comedian professionally, as for what I am personally, I am a classic rocker & classic metalhead mixed together who likes to come out with very old puns/sayings, and am also into a lot of classic (or retro) things, the music I listen to, the films & TV I watch, so I maybe was born into the wrong generation…? Basically, in a nutshell, I am simultaneously one complete old fart in a younger man’s body & a complete loon of the highest order!

“I think working in general audience theatre, TV, & film is important for actors with learning disabilities & neuro-divergencies because who better to represent characters with these things I’ve just mentioned than actors who
are people in these groups in real-life, it will make the characters feel more authentic, and will create more opportunities for actors with learning conditions & neuro-divergencies, which they rightfully deserve, that goes without saying, they have just as much right towards these kind of opportunities in the industry as actors without learning conditions &
neuro-divergencies, it is 2021 after all!

Separate Doors is very important simply because of its mission in this industry, and that is to ensure actors with learning conditions & neuro-divergencies have the opportunities within this industry that they & we all love so much and want to be a part of, and to make sure they are treated as equals to actors without disabilities and can work alongside
them too to create great work in theatre, TV & film.”

Charlene Salter

Biography

Charlene graduated from Access All Areas’ 2014 Performance Making Diploma at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

She is part of the Access All Areas performance company and in 2020 performed in unReal City at Battersea Arts Centre in collaboration with dreamthinkspeak. She has facilitated workshops on the Access All Areas Take Part programmes including Spring Back, Departure Lounge and Black Cab, and co-directed the Black Cab show Winged in 2018.
Charlene appeared in the giant outdoor theatre event ZARA with Mind The Gap Theatre in the summer of 2019. Her TV credits include Casualty and Doctors for the BBC.

She is currently working with Access All Areas on the Transforming Leadership professional development programme, and sits as Co-Chair on the Access All Areas board.

In 2020 Charlene was appointed to join the #FreelanceTaskForce where she joined other freelancers sponsored by arts organisations; together they will strengthen the influence of freelancers in deciding the future of theatre.

Joe Sproulle

Biography

Joe Sproulle trained at Dark Horse Theatre where he is a company member along with 7 other actors with a learning disability (Down’s Syndrome). Theatre credits include: Dark Horse productions You Have Been Watching (Lawrence Batley Theatre then touring); STIR; Snakebite; Each Day I Live; A Stupid Lie; Moments; Harvest; Sing Something Simple Volumes I and II (touring) and Colony

TV credits include The A Word; Line of Duty; Shameless and Coming Down the Mountain.

Joe has also been involved in the R&D for a number of projects including: Hunt the Tiger; A Man With Down’s Syndrome Talks About Love and Tells a Story and I Love You Baby.

Most recently, Joe has been playing a character in The Gallows Pole for BBC TV.
He has been a regular contributor to the Separate Doors project and is delighted to be part of the advisory board.

In his spare time, Joe practices Yoga and does aqua aerobics. He can also be found cleaning out the hens on his parents’ farm, listening to 80s power ballads and walking his dog, Bob.

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