Trustees

Afolabi Alli

Afolabi is an actor & former National Youth Arts Trust bursary recipient. Having trained at the Bristol Old Vic, he has most recently worked with The Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC. An alumni of the National Youth Theatre; Afolabi has performed, assisted and been an ambassador for the organisation.

Dominique Moore

Dominique is an actor with an international fan base starting her professional career at only 9 years old. She is well known for her series regular role in seven-time BAFTA winning, two-time British Comedy Award winning and International EMMY Award winning TV sketch show Horrible Histories. Her performance of notable figures such as: Mary Seacole and Rosa Parks have been well received by audiences and critics alike and feature in many press articles and reviews. In 2016 Dominique founded Dominique Moore Arts (DMA) and opened a creative studio The DMA Studio. Owing to her successful and expansive career, she now mentors young professional actors all over the world. DMA has working relationships with a number of industry professionals and productions that provide opportunities for the young talent she works with. Dominique is passionate about providing actors with the tools, industry understanding, knowledge and support to help them succeed.

Farah Beedle

Farah is currently a marketing executive for a well-known public service broadcaster but started her career in theatre marketing, working on many West End shows for several years. She owes her career to an arts charity so is passionate about using her experience to contribute to the NYAT board. She is a keen theatregoer (she feels it’s her ‘spiritual home’!) and really believes that it should be accessible to all, regardless of background.

Joanna Kennedy (Chair)

Joanna practiced as a solicitor in central London for 30 years before taking up the role of Chief Executive of the anti-poverty social welfare advice charity Z2K, from which she retired in March 2017. Apart from her concern for social justice, Joanna’s other passion is theatre in all its forms. She has chaired two theatre companies, Headlong and the Unicorn and currently sits on the Boards of two emerging companies, Theatre Uncut and Circumference. She is also a trustee of a small arts funding body, the Arts Patron’s Trust. Joanna is currently studying for an MA in Theatre and Performance at Queen Mary University.

Nancy Callender (Treasurer)

Nancy Callender is an experienced chartered accountant, CFO and Non-Executive Director working with a range of clients in the Retail, Property and Arts sectors.  Following an extensive career in Finance at M&S, she has now established her own practice.  She has a lifelong love of the theatre and believes that her early experience of the performing arts have been instrumental to her professional and personal resilience and success.

Sarah Edwards

Sarah Edwards has worked as a Chartered Accountant for over 20 years. She is currently finance director for a leading theatre producer and has worked in various finance roles in the theatre industry since 2014. She originally trained at one of the Big 4 accounting firms.

Zareen Walker

Zareen is currently Senior Producer at ATG Productions. She has spent the last 16 years general managing and producing large scale commercial theatre. Zareen mentors new producers via the charity Stage One. Coming from a mixed heritage background, she is passionate about representation in the arts, and building up the next generation of creators to better represent the world we live in.