Meet the team
The board
Chair
Vice Chair
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Collaborators
Amy Letman
Bio
Amy is an independent producer and curator based in Leeds. She is Creative Director of Transform, taking responsibility for the organisation artistically and strategically.
Amy was previously Associate Producer at Leeds Playhouse, one of the largest producing theatres in the North of England, for four years. During her time at the Playhouse, she established the artist development programme, produced special projects and shows, and led on Transform as a venue based festival. She left the Playhouse in 2014 to focus on developing Transform as an independent, citywide and international organisation. Amy has curated and produced eight festival editions, alongside curating Spirit of Change for the Barbican, London and a guest programme for Battersea Arts Centre. Her commissioning and production credits include the UK Theatre award winning Three Sisters by RashDash, and the Fringe First award winning The Believers Are But Brothers by Javaad Alipoor. She has participated in the European Festivals Association Atelier for Young Festival Managers, and has been a recipient of the Artists International Development Award on two occasions. Amy is a mentor to a number of artists and producers, and lectures on producing and festival management at University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University.
Amy originally trained with Fuel, London Artists Projects, HERE Arts Centre (NYC) and studied BA Drama & Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Ali Ford
Bio
Ali is Producer at Transform, taking responsibility for the producing and delivery of our projects and festivals.
She is a producer, programmer and practitioner specialising in multi-disciplinary devised work, socially engaged practice and non-traditional, site-responsive experiences. Excited by bold, innovative, politically-charged performance on a local and international level, she is passionate about bringing communities together, developing creative people/projects and reimagining what theatre can look like and who gets to make it.
As an independent producer, Ali has worked with political site-specific theatre company Common Wealth (I Have Met the Enemy (and the enemy is us)), award-winning performance storyteller Debs Newbold (Outrageous Fortune) and the Nesta-awarded ‘Democracy Pioneers’ TheatreState (Say Yes to Tess), of which she is a Co-Director alongside partner in crime Tess Seddon. Ali was previously Programmer and Producer at Square Chapel Arts Centre (Halifax) where she led on the programme of new work, artist development, co-production and commissioning.
After graduating from the University of Leeds with a Theatre and Performance BA in 2011 and spending the first summer of many at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ali went on to train at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester as a Young Leader, where she gained professional development, expert mentoring and hands-on experience in producing, directing and facilitating.
LILY LAVORATO
Bio
Lily is Producer (Creative People) at Transform, taking responsibility for supporting artists and creative people across the region.
Lily is a producer and socially engaged artist based in Leeds. Driven by embedding well-being, access and care throughout her projects, Lily is passionate about working with people and the transformative affect that live art and culture can have on individuals and communities. Over the last year as Programme and Marketing Coordinator at Yorkshire Sculpture International (YSI) she has supported the delivery of multiple community engagement and artist development projects.
After graduating with a BA in Fine Art from the University of Leeds in 2019, Lily completed an internship with YSI during their inaugural festival. During this time, she developed her skills as an arts practitioner through mentoring and hands-on delivery. Following this she developed a body of work during a graduate residency at The Art House in Wakefield.
As an independent artist she co-founded Party Mom Society (PMS) in 2018. PMS create opportunities for togetherness, kinship and self-expression through community events that centre LGBTQIA+ performance art and question the established norms of how we experience culture. Currently she is establishing a Social Art Network in Leeds with another artist.
Jay Millard
Bio
Jay is new to the producing space, though she has long been excited by community led performance that seeks to widen access to and deepen participation in the arts. She is motivated by radical local initiatives (specifically those that are driven by young people) and looks forward to gaining the relevant experience to contribute more meaningfully to efforts within the arts to address inequalities of opportunity.
As a student, Jay gained festivals experience working as a duty manager for Art Night and the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, having previously worked front of house at the London Stadium and Edinburgh Playhouse.
Jay is a graduate of the University of Leeds and the University of Edinburgh where she studied music.
Patrick McGeady
Bio
Patrick is Trainee Producer for Transform and is looking forward to becoming a part of the expansion and growth of the Leeds Arts scene.
Having graduated in 2019 from Leeds Beckett University with a degree in Graphics, Art and Design, his interests lie in the collaborative aspects of the arts and how to best bring creative visions to life.
He has set up his own blog and clothing brand and enjoys bringing design, fashion, music and small content creators together. His passion lies in diversifying the arts and making them accessible to the working classes of the North.
He hopes that his time at Transform will allow him to gain more experience in event production so that he can bring workshops and community events to his hometown.
Rosie Hay
Bio
Rosie is Company Administrator at Transform, taking responsibility for Transform’s financial and operational administration.
Rosie has worked in the arts since 2013, when she began working in a front of house role for Sheffield Museums. In 2016, Rosie spent a summer supporting street events for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, before moving to Leeds and pursuing a role in arts administration. She completed an apprenticeship in Community Arts Management through dance development organisation Yorkshire Dance and has since worked for other local organisations such as Leeds Beckett Students’ Union, where she supported student led volunteering projects and learning disability performance and live arts company Mind the Gap, where she supported the smooth running of the company as their Administrator from 2019-2021.
Tshayi Hercules
Bio
Tshayi is Project Manager for Transform’s work with young people. She is specifically working on a stand of activity called ‘the collective’ focused on in engaging 16-21’s across the Leeds City Region as creatives, curators and change-makers. Previously, Tshayi oversaw ‘Future Radicals’, a project exploring how young people might have creativity agency at Transform, which culminated as part of Transform 19. Tshayi is a senior youth worker at Getaway girls with over 10 years’ experience of supporting young people through varied capacities such as voice and influence, child exploitation and facilitating high level group work programmes in schools across Leeds that centre on healthy relationships. Tshayi combines both her love of working with young people along with her passion for the arts and performance, this is something Tshayi not only has personal experience as an artist herself but also used creative arts in dance and drama in her work with young people and adults across Leeds. Tshayi has previously been involved in Leeds West Indian Carnival supporting with facilitation of young people in performing carnival dance routines that are performed at different carnivals across the country. “Enabling young people to explore, express and empower themselves, is at the heart of what I do as a professional” – Tshayi Hercules
Jane Bhoyroo
Bio
Jane is the Producer for Yorkshire Sculpture International (YSI), a unique partnership between Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park - working together to celebrate Yorkshire as the home of sculpture in the UK. She curated the international sculpture commissions in the public realm for YSI’s festival in 2019 and is producing the commissions for the summer 2021 programme featuring artists Akeelah Bertram, Claye Bowler, Nwando Ebizie, Ashley Holmes, Shezad Dawood and Ariel René Jackson. Since moving to Leeds in 2010 she has curated a major Joseph Beuys exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery, was previously director of S1 Artspace, Sheffield and sculpture curator for the Arts Council Collection. Between 2004 and 2010 she was Relationship Manager for Visual Arts at Arts Council England based in Cambridge. Jane began her career in London in the mid-1990s at Matt’s Gallery and Anthony Reynolds Gallery, and studied on the international Curatorial Programme at De Appel in Amsterdam.Ben Walmsley
Bio
Ben is Professor of Cultural Engagement in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds and Director of the national Centre for Cultural Value. Prior to his academic career, he worked as an arts manager for ten years, most recently as a Producer at the National Theatre of Scotland. Since 2014 Ben has been the Academic Director of the Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Programme, which is now one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations. Ben is the Co-Editor of Arts and the Market and has published widely on arts marketing, arts management, cultural policy and cultural value. His monograph Audience Engagement in the Performing Arts: A critical analysis was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2019. Ben is currently the Independent Chair of Flux, Rotherham’s Creative People and Places programme and Vice-Chair of Transform theatre festival in Leeds. He is currently leading a national research project investigating the impacts of Covid-19 on the UK’s cultural sector and the implications for policy.Ingrid Banerjee Marvin
Bio
Ingrid is a producer originally from Stoke-on-Trent. She has worked predominantly in theatre, across venues including the National Theatre, Bush Theatre and Almeida Theatre, with a focus on participatory producing and developing new writing. Currently, she works at East Street Arts delivering the organisation's artist support offer and SSO programme Guild. As a freelancer, Ingrid produces for the collective Babeworld, with a focus work exploring the intersection between art, football and marginalised identities. She Is a trustee for Transform, and an Arsenal supporter (with a sprinkling of Port Vale).Rach Drew
Bio
Trained as a Theatre Director, Rach has had a varied career across culture, from founding her own youth theatre and working as a festival manager and Exec Director, to collaborating with communities in museums and creating exhibitions with internationally renowned artists. Rach has fundraised over 1 million pounds for arts projects across her career, in addition to leading teams and managing complex, large-scale events and festivals. Co-Founder and Co-Director of producing charity, ARCADE, Rach works with communities and artists to make brilliant things happen in Bridlington and Scarborough. Previously Exec Director of York Mediale, Rach set up and managed the company, leading a team of 15 and coordinating a 10-day, citywide festival in 2018.Nick Dyson
Bio
Nick Dyson is a Partner at Blacks Solicitors and heads up both the Commercial Property team and specialist Holiday & Home Parks team. Nick joined Blacks in 2002 from an internationally recognised ‘Leeds Big Six’ firm, and is known for bringing a pragmatic and personal touch to working with clients. Since taking his position as a Partner at Blacks, the Commercial Property team has more than quadrupled in size. He advises property investors, developers and occupiers as well as funders on acquiring, developing, selling, letting and charging property. He has built up strong relationships with some of the key regional property professionals and is a well-known and respected name in the Leeds legal market for practical, commercial legal advice. Outside of professional life, Nick has been active in supporting community organisations and as such, has been a board member at Sinai Synagogue, Leeds (2018-2021) and East Street Arts (2016-2021) and recently became a member at Leeds Community FoundationNadine Patel
Bio
Nadine has worked in the arts sector for over 26 years supporting artists and arts organisations to develop and strengthen their opportunities and growth. As a creative consultant she draws upon her wide-ranging knowledge of contemporary arts practices and networks to provide specialist advice, as well as participating directly in project design, implementation, research, and evaluation. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise working with international cultural organisations and is adept at working on transnational partnerships and programmes. She has extensive transnational experience and can activate a wide network of contacts, both in institutional and grassroots organisations across Europe, Latin America and Africa. Nadine also works regularly for a range of UK higher education creative institutions such as the Royal College of Art, University of the Arts London, Glasgow School of Art, Royal Northern College of Music and Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. As a policy researcher she supports these institutions through evidenced-based policy analysis and advocacy, highlighting the contributions they make to the economy as well as the UK’s cultural prosperity and social wellbeing.Toni-Dee Paul
