‘m Mhairi, an Artist and Youth Theatre Facilitator with SYT. I Run Cheddar Youth Theatre, which has grown into two groups, and I support the SYT satellite in Highbridge and Hamp. I hold a BA (Hons) in Theatre Design from Nottingham Trent University. Before joining SYT I spent several years in a SEND school and also worked in residential care, supporting young people with diverse needs through creative, inclusive approaches.
For me, theatre should happen where young people live. Having a creative space in your own town or village means you don’t have to travel to be heard, and it tells young people that their community, and their ideas, are worth making work about. I’ve seen how much confidence grows when a group shapes a performance from their own stories.
As a designer and maker of props, masks, costumes, puppets and set pieces, I love hands-on co-creation: designing, building and problem-solving alongside young people so that every idea can become something real on stage. Recent projects include designing props and costumes for Scary Tours 2026 and leading the Sock It To ‘Em puppetry workshop.
The change I hope to make is simple: young people across Somerset feeling that they belong, that their voices matter, and that creativity is something they can carry into every part of their lives. Much of what drives me comes from the places themselves. Whether I’m walking the Mendips, the Quantocks or the Levels, or wandering through our towns and villages, I’m always discovering the buildings, people, legends and landscapes with stories to tell, and I can’t wait to keep turning them into theatre with the young people who call Somerset home.
