Scene & Heard is an award-winning charity and professional theatre company; a treasured community resource and a highly regarded part of the London theatre scene.

We are an established participatory arts organisation that has been working in Somers Town since 1999; a Centre of Excellence recognised for best practice in the arts, education, mentoring and volunteering.

Read on below to learn more about our vision & mission, staff & volunteers, trustees, advisors & patrons, funders, and our founders.

About Us

Vision & Mission

Our vision is for children and young people to have the support, attention and encouragement to discover the power of their own imagination and where it can take them.

Scene & Heard is committed to the children of Somers Town, to improving their prospects and providing an environment where they can have fun, learn and grow. We:

  • Work with volunteer professional theatre artists to give children high quality one-to-one mentoring with positive adult role models

  • Bring the words of the children to life on the stage, celebrating their success, boosting self-esteem and raising aspiration

  • Invite children to work with us from age nine onwards, throughout their adolescence and beyond

  • Additionally serve the wider Somers Town community by providing varied arts activities and quality theatrical productions

Staff

Rosalind Paul MBE
CEO & Artistic Director

Roz was appointed MBE in the Queen’s New Years’ Honours 2022 for charitable services to Theatre, to Young People and to Families in Somers Town, London Borough of Camden.

Roz has over 30 years’ experience as an actor, director, teacher and drama facilitator. She has taught for schools, the National Youth Theatre and Service Children’s Education. Her career as a professional actor included appearing in numerous national repertory theatres, Unicorn and Polka theatres for children, Regent’s Park Open Air, UK and international touring companies and BBC Radio.

Roz first volunteered for Scene & Heard in 2003, became Associate Artistic Director in 2008 and CEO & Artistic Director in 2010. As CEO & Artistic Director, Roz is responsible for the voice, vision and integrity of Scene & Heard, for producing the courses, performances and all creative output. Day-to-day she manages staff, runs courses, curates our Arts Hub and leads the pastoral care of the children and 350+ volunteer theatre professionals.

Roz has a Dip. DA and LRAM in Speech & Drama from Middlesex, and a First-Class Honours degree in Humanities and English Literature from the OU. She studied Mask and Physical Theatre with John Wright and Philippe Gaulier. She is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Natasha Shaw
Head of Development

Natasha joined Scene & Heard with a background in fundraising and youth work. As Head of Development for Scene & Heard, Natasha is responsible for raising the charity’s profile and generating income through Trusts & Foundations, Corporate Sponsorship, Individual Giving and Events.

Katie Wee 
Arts Officer, Course Co-Ordinator

Katie graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle, Washington in 2017 with a degree in Acting & Directing. As Arts Officer for Scene & Heard, Katie is an important point of contact for children, families and volunteers. She works alongside our CEO & Artistic Director delivering courses and productions.

Cath Hylton
Finance & General Manager

Cath started her career as a stage manager and was part of the team at English National Opera. Before joining us, Cath held management roles in the festival and music industries. As Finance & General Manager for Scene & Heard, Cath has oversight for charity finances and the day to day running of the organisation, including management of our HQ in Somers Town.

Our Volunteers

We work with over 350 professional actors, directors, writers, composers and artists who give their time and dedicate their talents to us and to the children of Somers Town. 

Scene & Heard holds the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, recognising the commitment and dedication of our volunteers. We could not do the work that we do without them. Their generosity of spirit, commitment and enthusiasm make Scene & Heard the success that it is.

Our volunteers are all arts professionals working in the industry. When not at Scene & Heard they can be found at The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre, The Globe, London’s West End and in repertory theatres throughout the UK. They appear in The Crown, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Casualty, Doctors, Happy Valley and countless TV dramas, comedy shows and BBC Radio. Our writers write for a range of theatre, TV and radio, including Casualty, Holby City, The Dumping Ground, CBeebies, CBBC and numerous comedy and sketch shows.

Click here to see some of our volunteer actors on our films page.

Take a look at our Third Person Roll Call - roles played by Scene & Heard volunteers throughout our history.

Trustees & Advisors

Keith Ackerman (Chair)
Founding partner in ENA Investment Capital

Emma Bell
VP, Creative and Brand, Executive Producer at International Literary Properties

Jo Millard 
Independent consultant in voluntary, education, and charitable sectors

John Nevin (Deputy Chair)
Partner in the Real Estate Group at Slaughter and May law firm

Anthony Obi 
Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience in financial management

Jim O’Shea
Headteacher for the last 17 years. From 2006-2016 Jim was headteacher at St Aloysius Junior School in Somers Town.

Emily Plosker 
Employment lawyer

Andrew Porter
Partner in Ashton Porter Architects and Deputy Director of Post Professional MA programmes at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

John Rolph 
Social worker for an inner-London borough, John previously volunteered for Scene & Heard as a director and dramaturg

David Stewart (Treasurer)
Partner in the insurance advisory practice at Baringa Partners

Fiona Mallin-Robinson (Strategy Advisor)
Consultant in the performing arts and charity sectors.

We are extremely proud of our patrons who serve as ambassadors for Scene & Heard. Their support of our work and of the children of Somers Town is crucial to our success.

Our Patrons

  • Hugh Bonneville

  • Anna Chancellor

  • Tom Goodman-Hill

  • Sir Max Hill KC

  • Damian Lewis

  • Bill Nighy

  • Michael Sheen

  • Nina Sosanya

  • Zoë Wanamaker

  • Emily Watson

  • Samuel West

Scene & Heard has been a self-funding charity since its creation in 1999.  All of our courses, performances and activities are free, ensuring equal access for all.  We are reliant on the trusts, foundations, corporations and individuals who believe in our work and fund us either directly or through their in-kind donations.

Funders

The Boris Karloff Charitable Trust

Crescendo

Foyle Foundation

The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation

The Joseph Mindel Trust

The Shadworth Hodgson Bequest

The Sir James Roll Charitable Trust

The Thompson Family Charitable Trust

The Woodward Charitable Trust

South Camden Community Trust

Benefactors

Scene & Heard's benefactors make a significant long-term commitment to our work and our future.

Thank you to

Esther Caplin, The Carlile Family, Simma Gershenson, Bob Grover, Patricia Kanter and Juliet Wrightson.

In-Kind Support

We are grateful to the talented people and companies who donate their skills to support our work. They include:

Ian Bass Illustration

The Quiz Team

Spare Part Films

Our Founders

Scene & Heard was founded by Sophie Boyack and Kate Coleman who, inspired by Kate’s work with New York’s 52nd Street Project, set up Scene & Heard in 1999.

Their combined and varied experience of theatre, new writing, education and young people came to fruition with the creation of Scene & Heard. They successfully ran the charity, raising funds, building its reputation and expanding the volunteer base until they stepped down in 2010.

Find out more about 52nd Street Project.