Artistic Directors of the Future’s Board Shadowing Programme will immerse four diverse creatives in the boardrooms of Dance Umbrella and Without Walls.
We’re pleased to announce Aerial Mel Stevens, Debbie Bandara, Maria Tarokh and Vanessa Maria Mirza as the shadowers for 2022.
Top row: Aerial Mel Stevens & Debbie Bandara; Bottom row: Maria Tarokh & Vanessa Maria Mirza
Artistic Directors of the Future’s award-winning Board Shadowing Programme is designed to connect creatives, performers and anyone working in the performing arts from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds with existing arts boards. The programme is open to ADF who may or may not have served on a board before, providing an opportunity to experience different boards and demystify the responsibilities.
Over the next 9 months (March-November 2022) the cohort with shadow the board and subcommittee meetings of Dance Umbrella and Without Walls, attend shows, networking opportunities and other engagements. In addition, the shadowers will receive board training from experienced trustees and will engage in board meeting simulations.
The programme aims to increase the diversification of boards in mainstream theatres and arts organisations across the UK.
Meet the shadowers
Aerial Mel Stevens +
Aerial Mel Stevens
Artistic Director of Aim To Fly
“I feel privileged to learn more about how our sector works from real people which will strengthen so many qualities in a priceless opportunity, that traditionally would never have been accessible to any person like me. I feel honoured to be an advocate for my peers.”
Aerial is a performer circus, spoken word poet, music and film producer, teacher, consultant and an active member in their Buddhist community.
Assisting on many boards of local, national and international levels, including NASA UK, EYCO, CircusWorks facilitating a clearer understanding of Exclusion and what real inclusion looks like, and the differences that lead to access diversity and equity.
Lived experience with of barriers of disability, hearing loss, race, culture, sexuality and inherited lessons, it seemed natural to try to bridge the gaps between all of these marginalised groups, rather than compete with them.
All of Aerial’s achievements in the last 20 years are a result of the access, that is vital to their existence in the sector and many of their peers and by sharing how combined they create a whole new body of evidence to reach excluded communities creating new dialogue.
Debbie Bandara +
Debbie Bandara
Artistic Director of Forest Tribe
“The programme has come at a time where there is shift in thinking about how boards are truly represented. The Shadowing opportunity will be a valuable asset to observe how two National Portfolio Organisations are governed.”
Bandara is an Immersive Theatre Digital director, producer and choreographer. She is the Founder and Artistic Director/ CEO of the Award-Winning Organisation, Forest Tribe Theatre.
Her repertoire spans over 20 years making engaging work for audiences both neurotypical and neurodiverse. She is a “Leader of Tomorrow” alumni, a programme supported by Tiata Fahodzi, 20Stories High, Talawa Theatre, Freedom Studios and RTYDS, to promote diversity. She currently is the lead Facilitator for the Young Company Maker’s Cohort at Royal Exchange Theatre.
Her work has reached internationally including at Folkteatern, Gävle Sweden, assisting directing and lead choreographer for “Stranden”, a piece crafted for children with Profound Multiple Learning Needs.
Maria Tarokh +
Maria Tarokh
Dancer, Choreographer and Producer
“I am honoured, privileged, and very excited to be participating in the board shadowing programme. This is a fantastic opportunity to unlock access to understanding how boards work and becoming a trustee. I am very grateful to ADF for making this accessible. I know it’s going to be very instrumental in my journey to becoming a leader in the arts sector. I can’t wait to get stuck in!”
Maria is a British- Iranian Dancer, Choreographer and Producer, professionally trained in ballet, contemporary and Middle Eastern dance. A first-generation immigrant to the UK, she has performed and taught at shows, festivals and events across the UK and Europe. Currently, she is the Creative Producer of a theatre and circus company, NDP Circus. NDP works with theatre, circus and dance and uses a participatory approach, combining site-specific workshops, residencies, and performances at heritage sites across the UK, Europe, and Middle East.
For the last 10 years, Maria has also worked in the non-profit sector as a researcher and evaluator, particularly with organisations working with vulnerable women and refugees and asylum seekers. Most recently, she was Programme Manager at The Fore. Maria holds an MA from SOAS in Middle Eastern Studies and speaks French, Spanish and Farsi.
Vanessa Maria Mirza +
Vanessa Maria Mirza
Dance Programmer, Choreographer and Visual Artist
“The ADF Board Shadowing program is a remarkable initiative for training and professional development for people of diverse backgrounds. I absolutely love the empowerment that this programme carries with it and the fantastic opportunity it presents to engage with world-class organisations such as Dance Umbrella and Without Without Walls.”
Vanessa Maria Mirza is a contemporary dancer/choreographer, visual artist and curator from Kolkata, India. She is the Founder-Director of Dance Bridges, an international contemporary dance festival with residencies, workshops, artist talks and regular classes. Vanessa has represented the festival in platforms in such as Aerowaves, Lyon Biennale de la Danse, CINARS and TPAM among others. She has curated events for Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (Mumbai) and the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (Kolkata) as well as done consultations for arts organisations such as Chaitown Community (USA/India).
She is an ATSA (ARThink South Asia) Fellow for 2018-2019. She studied contemporary dance at Taipei National University of the Arts and business at St. Xavier’s College (Kolkata). She is the Artistic Director of Vanessa Mirza Creations through which she presents her painting and choreography internationally. She is currently a postgraduate student in the MA, Arts Policy & Management program at Birkbeck, University of London.
About Artistic Directors of the Future
Artistic Directors of the Future (ADF) is a charitable organisation dedicated to increase the number of culturally diverse artistic directors of mainstream theatres. Since its conception in 2014, ADF has built a growing membership of over 350 culturally diverse practitioners and have forged strong relationships with over 30 NPO theatres in the UK, US and Canada. ADF works with a wide range of culturally diverse artists at varying levels of experience to inspire, prepare, support and empower the next generation of artistic leaders giving them the leverage they need to progress to the next step. By working in collaboration with the theatre industry, academia and numerous leading producing theatres located nationally and internationally, ADF delivers a bespoke development programme, generates access to positions of authority and cultivates artistic & leadership opportunities.