Gallery

Master Juba

Biographies

Garry Robson (Artistic Director) is one of the most respected directors and innovators in Disability Led performance, working both in the U.K. and Internationally. His grandparents were The Edwards Traveling Players, a Fit Up Theatre Co. Fitting up, performing and moving on between the first and second world wars in towns, cities and villages throughout the Midlands and the North. Following in their footsteps and wheel ruts, he became a Showman. He's directed over 30 professional productions both here and abroad, receiving Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards and a Herald Angel. He runs workshops and training events on theatre practice, disability issues and open space technology. He has been a Drama advisor for both the Arts Council of England and the Scottish Arts Council and is an Unlimited Awards panel member for the Cultural Olympiad. He was Artistic Director of DaDaFest International 2008 and 2010 and for DaDaFest 2012 is Co- Curating a major contemporary Arts Exhibition; Niet Normaal: Difference on Display at The Bluecoat, Liverpool.

Deborah Wintle (Administrative Director) is originally from Birmingham, moving to Liverpool more years ago now than she cares to mention. She has worked and been involved in arts and performance since amateur dramatics during the late eighties, music and community-led theatre in the nineties and managing arts organisations in the noughties.  Deborah has worked with Liverpool Everyman Theatre as Administrator, Generally Managed Kaboodle Productions, Administratively Directed Rejects Revenge and co-ordinated festivals with Liverpool Improvisation Collective.  She joined Fittings late 2004 and has since enjoyed booking tours, raising and managing money, promoting and shuffling paper to enable an amazing and continuously exciting programme of work to happen. In her spare time she enjoys hobbies beginning with the letter 'C' - cooking, cocktails, cats and computer games.

Tanya Raabe (Associate Artist) was 'born to paint', and emerged from Scarborough, North Yorkshire to establish herself as a pioneering visual artist. Since 1987, she has produced artwork which explores the concepts of identity, a disabled self, and the nude in contemporary art. After exhibiting her work in group shows throughout the UK, Tanya embarked on a career as a solo artist, making and exhibiting artworks nationally. Tanya's series of portraits: Who'S WhO, was particularly successful and was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery as part of The Meet The Artists programme. The Who'S WhO project went on to tour nationally, with destinations including DaDaFest 2008, Oriel Wrexham, and Shape in London. The collection continues to make periodic appearances around the country. In 2010, Tanya won the Ability Media International Award for her work within visual arts. Prior to this, Tanya was presented with a Visual Arts Award from DaDaFest 2008. She has also received a number of Grants for the Arts awards form Arts Council England - funding the 2008 Who'S WhO project and the 2009-2011 project, Revealing Culture: HeadOn. Tanya has had many private and public art commissions including: Architects Inside Out: Tate Modern, Art Matters: Tate Britain, Shape and Engage: Explore, Unlimited Cultural Olympiad commissions through: DASH and Fittings Multimedia Arts and Raspberry Ripple triptych and screen based installation. Tanya has also been an artistic advisor on the West Midlands region of the Cultural Olympiad commissioning fund: Artists Taking the Lead. She has been featured discussing her latest work including Revealing Culture: HeadOn and R:Evolve whilst creating a live portrait of Mat Fraser on BBC's flagship arts programme; The Culture Show. She is an Associate Artist and Director with Fittings Multimedia Arts. Tanya also continues to work as a workshop facilitator, creating collaborative participatory projects with theatre companies, art galleries, universities and colleges both nationally and internationally. Her work has been published internationally in Representation of Sex, by H. Hagiwara, Osaka Women's University, Japan, and more recently in the magazine; Art of England.

Liz Fox (Finance and Administrative Officer)