Geoffrey Stevenson
Geoffrey is Chair of the Puppet State Board. He worked for 20 years as an actor, specialising in mime and physical theatre. He was Director of the Centre for Christian Communication at St Johns College, Durham University before coming to Edinburgh where he teaches preaching, media and communication at New College. He helps us stick to the agenda, understands well the life of the touring performer and in 2011 completed his PhD in homiletics and the development of preachers.

Phyllis Steel
Phyllis of Inclusion Matters brings a wealth of experience from her work as artistic director or producer for festivals, touring companies and high-profile events. She founded Giant Productions in 1989 and has been Specialist Advisor on Equalities for the Scottish Arts Council. Well before Puppet State even had a board, Phyllis’s wise counsel kept us on an even keel.

Chloe Dear
Chloe works through Iron Oxide as an independent street arts producer. She specialises in international touring of content-driven, outdoor performance art and is pro-active in the National Association of Street Artistsand Scottish Street and Circus Artists Network. She has been a Drama Specialist Advisor for the Scottish Arts Council. She is unfazed by paperwork and empowers us to leap unscathed through flaming bureaucratic hoops.

Timothy Brink
Timothy is manager of the Demeter Certification Schemeof the Biodynamic Agricultural Association. For 25 years he was a biodynamic farmer at the Copake Camphill Community in the Hudson River Valley of New York State and at the Loch Arthur Camphill Community Farm in Southwest Scotland. His refined understanding of group dynamics is an asset to the Board.

Jennifer Williams
Jennifer is Literary Officer at the Traverse Theatre and has been active as a director and producer on Edinburgh’s cabaret and performance poetry scene since 2001. She brought arts administration skills to Puppet State during their period of incorporation and was invited to join the Board in 2010. She is also an accomplished poet whose recent collection Condition of Fire is published by Shearsman Books.

Playwright Zinnie Harris has also been a valuable member of the board and stepped down in 2010.