Everyone at Fun Palaces works part time, and flexibly.
Fun Palaces is a campaign to make the cultural sector fairer, more inclusive, richer and more fun. We strive to celebrate everyone’s cultural life, everyone’s voice, everyone’s uniqueness. Therefore, we take care of each other at work, develop our roles around the people in them, and respect people’s lives beyond the workplace. We are working on formalising our policies. Social justice and equity is at the heard of everything we do, and we are always working hard to do better. We want Fun Palaces to be a workplace in which people, whatever their background, can do their best work, wholeheartedly, where people can be vulnerable and feel safe, where people can grow, and change the world. We know that this looks different for everyone, and each team member works in their own way. We make space for that.
Fun Palaces Director
Amie Taylor joined Fun Palaces in Jan 2021. When she’s not working at Fun Palaces, she’s a writer, theatre-maker, workshop facilitator and producer. She has written two books for children and teachers: The Big Book of LGBTQ+ Activities and The Monster Book of Feelings.
She has made three theatre shows for children and has toured theatres, festivals and schools with this work. She founded and ran the LGBTQ+ Arts Review for 6 years, in which time the team reviewed almost 300 theatre shows.
Executive Producer
Orla Nicholls is a tech enthusiast with a passion for planning, who originally joined the Fun Palaces team in the Co-ordinator role. She started her Fun Palace journey in 2014, creating the Luton Fun Palace over the October weekend of celebration, so is able to bring first-hand experience of being a Maker to the role.
When not working at Fun Palaces, she lends her expertise to small business owners, helping them host virtual events and optimise their digital technology. She has a keen interest in the power of intergenerational connections for communities as well as amplifying underrepresented voices.
Communications and Marketing Manager
Alex Marshall is a London-born musician, parent and marketing specialist for the cultural sector. He joined Fun Palaces in 2021 after holding a marketing role at Lewisham Education Arts Network.
When Alex is not at Fun Palaces, he provides horsey rides for his two young kids, as well as producing and performing his own music. Both as a solo artist and with his band, Crouton Cannon.
Producer
Rachel Attfield joined Fun Palaces in May 2024. Rachel is happiest when she is making things, this takes the form of traditional and forgotten crafts, knots, plaiting and anything woven. Her work has recently been exhibited at Trowbridge Gardens in Hackney Wick following an artist residency. Her career began in dance working as a choreographer and engagement practitioner. In 2020 thanks to a career break, Rachel embarked on an MA in Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths London University where she explored Cultural Democracy focusing on the management of culture within funded participatory programmes. Rachel is excited to be part of Fun Palaces where she can put this research into practice, and her role fulfils a long-term aspiration to be part of the organisation after hearing Stella Duffy’s inspiring talk about Fun Palaces in 2015.
Co-ordinator
Ria Patel is the newest member of the Fun Palaces Support Hub. Ria is passionate about diversity, inclusion and fostering belonging. They studied Psychology at university, but have always been passionate about the arts, having danced from a young age. Outside of this role, Ria does Comms and Admin at another charitable organisation. She is also involved in local politics in Croydon, being Croydon’s youngest-ever and first non-binary councillor, and has campaigned on many issues from migrant justice to climate action. When not working, Ria finds joy in dancing, reading and being in nature!
Our Advisory Board
The Fun Palaces Director and Executive Producer meet with the Advisory Board four times a year.
Gavin Barlow
Gavin has been Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Albany in Deptford, South East London for the last twenty years, overseeing a significant transformation in the scale and work of the organisation. He is Chair of the Lewisham Cultural Partnership and a Strategic Advisor on Culture to Lewisham Council, having been the Director of We are Lewisham, the Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture, from 2021-23. He is also Co-Director of Future Arts Centres, which has 150 venue members across the UK, leading the network since it was founded in 2013. He was formerly Executive Director at Contact Manchester, Executive Producer of ATC (Actors Touring Company) and a founder Director of the Queer Up North Festival.
Mary Nri
Mary Nri is an experienced Senior Finance Professional with significant leadership credentials and strategic decision making skills gained from operating as a key member of senior management teams with full finance function accountability. Mary has worked within the Public and Not-for-Profit sectors throughout the last 20 years and is currently the Financial Director for the Albany Theatre, an organisation reliant on its commercial division to support its charitable aims.
Sarah Jane-Rawlings
Sarah-Jane Rawlings’ work includes Meet Me at the Albany, a pioneering Creative Ageing initiative at the Albany, Deptford, in partnership with Entelechy Arts and Lewisham Council and a research project for the Lyric Hammersmith on data capture.
She produced Storm at the Lyric Hammersmith, (with Graeae and Push), a festival of training and participation for disabled, Deaf, and BME artists; designed and managed a series of networking events for Deaf and disabled artists, and spent time with Lisa Hammond and Rachel Spence developing their first show, No Idea. Sarah-Jane was General Manager at Improbable from 2007 – 2013.
She also worked as a Theatre Officer at ACE London, with a responsibility for contemporary performance, at the Lyric Hammersmith and Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, managing their Education Programmes.
In 2013 she founded Fun Palaces with Stella Duffy.
Emma Rucastle
Emma is a freelance creative professional – writer, director, performer, facilitator, who has led and created performances – community and professional – in theatres, castles, libraries, parks and more. Passionate about inclusive theatre, she has delivered creative workshops and projects of all kinds in schools and outreach settings with the GRT community and refugee groups and has worked creatively in prisons, care homes, SEND settings and a wide range of other community venues. She is a Lead Maker of Lancaster Fun Palace, which has been running since the very start of the Fun Palaces campaign in 2014. More information about her work can be found at www.elartproductions.co.uk
Tracey Sage
Tracey is the Founder of SageCulture where she works at a strategic level across sectors supporting local authorities, organisations, artists and entrepreneurs to develop their practise and create sustainable business models fuelled by their passion. She has been responsible for; developing place-making initiatives, leading cultural, tourism, regeneration & heritage programmes; devising commissioning and funding frameworks; facilitating collaborative partnerships; leading community engagement and inclusion initiatives; overseeing, curating and delivering large-scale festivals and events.