About

Leeds Studio was set up with the idea of supporting new artists and new theatre in Leeds. Our first project was to produce the tour of Nine Lives by Zodwa Nyoni – a one man show about a gay Zimbabwean asylum seeker and the people he encounters in Leeds. We toured that over 2 years, reaching over 2000 audience members including over 400 refugees and asylum seekers. Set up and managed by Alex Chisholm (in the time she has from co-running Freedom Studios and being mum to 3 kids) Leeds Studio is keen to support new Leeds artists in any way we can. If you have an idea you’d love to chat about, do get in touch on alex@leedsstudio.org

The directors of Leeds Studio are:

ALEX CHISHOLM is a director, dramaturg and Co-Artistic Director with Aisha Khan of Freedom Studios in Bradford. As a freelance director, productions include Nine Lives by Zodwa Nyoni, and Consciencious by Adam Z. Robinson. Alex was appointed Literary Manager at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in December 2001 and Associate Director in January 2006. Productions for West Yorkshire Playhouse include Schoolboy/Lover by Richard Cameron, Dust a community play by Kenneth Yates, Mela by Tajinder Singh Hayer, Scuffer and Sunbeam Terrace by Mark Catley, Tender Dearly and Non-Contact Time by Jodie Marshall, Huddersfield by Ugljesa Sajtinac, English version by Chris Thorpe, and two radio programmes in co-production with the BBC: Night Lights and Writing the City. In January 2005 she was invited by Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade to direct the Serbian Premiere of Huddersfield which ran for over 10 years.

MADELEINE IRWIN is a PhD researcher in the Drama Department at The University of Manchester.  Madeleine is also a freelance consultant specializing in creative and cultural education, applied theatre, change management, partnership working, action research, and young people’s participation.

KHADIJAH IBRAHIIM is of Jamaican parentage, born in the city of Leeds, England. Educated at the University of Leeds; she has an MA in Theatre Studies. She is the Artistic Director of Leeds Young Authors and the Producer of Leeds Youth poetry Slam festival.
Peepal Tree press published her poetry collection Rootz Runnin in 2008 that same year she toured the USA with the Fwords Creative Freedom writers.

As a delegate for the Art Council England (Yorkshire) she attended Calabash international Literature Festival in Jamaica. Recently, she became one of the first international writers to attend the El Gouna Writers Residency in Egypt, 2010.

She was a member of the advisory group that organized some of the events, which marked the visit of Dr Nelson Mandela to the City of Leeds. Hailed as one of Yorkshire’s ‘most prolific’ poets by BBC Radio, she continues to make various stage appearances across Britain, the USA, the Caribbean and Africa. Her latest collection of poetry ‘Another Crossing’ is published by Peepal Tree Press.

TIM WHEELER is a performance maker, arts consultant, and teacher. He makes inclusive performances, supports organisations to open up to disabled people as artists, audiences, employees and board members, and teaches aspiring artists how their work can reach a wider audience.