Community Theatre and Opera Direction
Ellen directs community theatre and opera, working specifically with refugee and migrant women, children and disabled adults. Projects are participatory, and performances are devised through a collaborative workshop process.
Check out examples of her work below, and please get in touch if you have a project, community or school group in mind.
Assistant directing credits include Barefoot Opera’s Bloom Brittania (2021) and Loud Crowd’s The Silly Little Mouse (2023).
She also facilitates music and theatre workshops for Kiln Theatre, Dream Arts, and The Company.
THIS LONDON
A devised performance project with Lewisham Refugee and Migrants Network’s women’s group
The sounds of carnival street dancers and faulty generators, the smell of fresh fruit and baked bread atop market sellers' heads, the heat of the Nigerian sun: A stark contrast to the harsh reality of a cold British winter.
“What? THIS is London?”
Through storytelling, theatre and song, 'This London' followed the journeys of migrant women arriving to the city to build a new life: the expectations, first impressions, challenges, and achievements.
2022: Commissioned by We Are Lewisham, performed at the Horniman Museum for Refugee Week.
2023: Commissioned by Artelier Armonico, performed at the Living Seams Exhibition at Morley College.
2026: Commissioned by Luminescent, performed as part of the LOST VOICES project at Morley College.
RED! An Outdoor Children’s Opera
A feminist adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, which centre’s Red (Little Red Riding Hood) as the story’s hero. After being bullied at school for having red hair, Red develops confidence and self acceptance through taking on Wolfie (the Wolf), alongside her brave and wacky grandmother.
The project involved 3 professional opera singers, a 5 piece band and 160 students from 3 Hastings Primary Schools. It was performed outside at The Stade on Hastings seafront (East Sussex) in July 2022.
A Barefoot Opera Production composed by Lucy Mulgan
BEING HERE - HIER SEIN
An International Women’s Theatre Project at Hellerau - European Centre of the Arts, Dresden Germany
Being Here was a weekly community theatre group for international women, meeting over two years from 2017-2019 to create and perform two devised pieces. Each experimented with a range of different theatrical mediums to explore group members personal experiences.
The first employed Bunraku and shadow puppetry, music and storytelling to unpack themes of migration, identity and belonging, inspired by Shaun Tan’s graphic novel - The Arrival.
The second used a Body Puppet, dance and chorus work to explore intercultural Mother - Daughter relationships.
The project was commissioned by Refugee Arts Center Hellerau, with performances at Hellerau, the State Theatre Dresden’s Klein Haus, and Kleine Hoftheater Meißen .
CITIZEN’S PLATFORM - DIE BÜRGER:BÜHNE
Two weekly community theatre clubs with Dresden’s State Theatre
Beherrschen wir uns! - We Master Ourselves September 2017 - March 2018
A club for international residents of Dresden, of all ages and backgrounds. Using theatre games and movement improvisation to bridge language and cultural barriers to create a performance piece in response to the theme of Power.
Gegenwind - Headwind September 2018 - March 2019
A club for time conscious residents of Dresden, stressed and accelerated. Going against the gain, swimming against the tide and slowing down to devise a performance piece around the theme of ‘Resistance’.
