The Team

Adam Cooper, Senior Finance Manager (He/Him)
adam@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Adam joined the Without Walls team in November 2018, and is responsible for the day-to-day finances Without Walls, working alongside the rest of the team to ensure the accurate and efficient keeping of both organisations’ financial records. Adam also supports the rest of the team with the general administration of Without Walls.

Adam is an artist and musician, producing performance and installation works for reel-to-reel tape and old Super 8 film, has shown work at Lakes Alive, FACT, and was commissioned to create a large-scale video installation and performance for Light Night 2018 in Liverpool Cathedral.As well as several years as a freelance bookkeeper and Director in a workers’ co-operative, Adam has had a number of roles supporting the arts in the North West. Originally from Bradford, West Yorkshire, Adam has previously lived in Liverpool and arrived in Manchester to take up this role at Without Walls.

Anaïs Biaux, Head of Festival Networks (She/Her)
anais@withoutwalls.uk.com

(Fr / En)

Anaïs is a skilled Producer and Project Manager with 10+ years’ experience in the arts and cultural sector. Before moving to the UK, Anaïs worked on a number of well-established and high profile street arts festivals in Europe including Chalon dans la Rue and Les Invites de Villeurbanne.

Passionate about the Outdoor Arts Sector, Anaïs has developed extensive experience in programming and delivering large-scale outdoor festivals (both city centre and green field events), commissioning new work, managing partnerships projects, and supporting artists in creating and touring ambitious outdoor work.

At Without Walls, Anaïs manages the Creative Development Network (CDN) and Touring Network Partners (TNP), provides advice and guidance to artists creating new outdoor work, develops artists and festivals training programmes and leads on Environmental Responsibility. She also manages the Environmental Responsibility Action Group (ERAG) and Artists Advisory Group (AAG).

Danielle Sherwood, Operations Manager (She/Her)

danielle@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Danielle joined the Without Walls team in July 2023. Before joining the organisation, she worked as a Duty Manager in several leisure centres across Manchester including The National Cycling Centre. After over four years in leisure, she decided to make a career change and work in a different sector. While completing her Masters in History, she decided that the Arts and Heritage Sector was a much better fit. She has most recently worked at Rochdale Pioneers Museum – the birthplace of modern day cooperation. She is now looking forward to supporting the team at Without Walls.

David Morgan, Head of Programme (He/Him)
david@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En / De)

David is Programme Manager with overall responsibility for managing the programming and governance of Without Walls. Before joining the organisation David spent over ten years producing touring theatre, dance and visual art projects in both indoor and outdoor contexts. As the former General Manager of Suspect Culture and Executive Producer of Breaking Cycles he has extensive experience in running arts organisations and has produced work on all manner of scales with artists from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. He has also worked as an Artistic Assessor for Arts Council England.

Originally from Scotland David has a passion for new work, especially when it has a taste of the anarchic. He also has a particular interest in environmentalism and promoting sustainable practice.

Ed Cox, Senior Communications and Development Manager (He/Him)
ed@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Ed Cox has over 14 years experience in the arts across marketing, communications, development and events. Working within cultural and commercial sectors with organisations such as Contact Theatre, Manchester International Festival, Royal Institute of British Architects and Opera North.

Ed has a degree in Fine Art and Design and is keenly interested in arts’ value in place making. He has previously helped to create a roaming exhibition called ‘New Work’ – a series of art installations in domestic locations.

Grace Neville-Evans, Project Manager (She/Her)

grace@withoutwalls.uk.com

Grace works with Without Walls as a Project Manager on the Programming Team. She is passionate about all things outdoor arts with a particular interest in Circus and Community projects.

Having studied at The National Centre for Circus Arts in London specialising in tightwire, Grace has since travelled the world teaching and performing circus for an array of companies.

On her return to Liverpool in 2019 where she is from and still based, Grace noticed a real lack of access to space for artists working on large scale practices. Alongside her 3 colleagues in 2020 Grace established ‘The New Strand Studio’ a space for artists in Merseyside to develop new work. TNSS is based in The New Strand Shopping Centre in the heart of Bootle, Liverpool.

Irene Segura, Head of Artists and International (She/Her) (Maternity Leave)
irene@withoutwalls.uk.com

(Ca / En / Fr / Es)

With a background in Dance Theatre, Arts Management and Show Production, Irene’s professional career includes producing and touring site-specific projects, working in outdoor festivals and managing and delivering cultural, corporate and academic events as well as being a dance critic for the Spanish magazine Por la Danza.

Irene is currently on maternity leave, but previously lead on the international strategy and activity for XTRAX (the previous management organisation of Without Walls), including planning and delivering collaboration projects with partners in Europe and further afield, as well as supporting artists and festivals in the UK and Europe to navigate the challenges of touring post-Brexit. Through her role in Without Walls, she provides artist support while also working on a number of initiatives to address issues around diversity and inclusion, working alongside the Access Advisor and Development Producer as well as managing the Diversity and Inclusion Action Group (DIAG).

Fluent in four languages, Irene was an elected Steering Committee member for the European Circus and Street arts network Circostrada for three years.

@i_segurac

Kutlwano Mongae, Finance Coordinator (He/Him)
kutlwano@withoutwalls.uk.com

(Tn / En / Zu / Af)

I studied at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, in South Africa, majoring in Accounting, Taxation as well as Management Accounting & Finance. I subsequently worked for Liberty Life for 4 years, processing transactions, and keeping financial records accurate, and in line with reporting standards.

I made the move to Manchester in 2021, in a quest to expand my knowledge and awareness. I’ve always wanted to be part of the Arts and Performance industry, having been a performer in my early childhood. Working for Without Walls has provided me with the opportunity to actively be involved in the industry I never had the opportunity to explore.

I have a constant thrust for knowledge, and driven by my passion for creativity, I find myself studying again.

Mimosa Connor, Project Manager (She/Her)
mimosa@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En / Fr)

Mimosa joined the Without Walls team in April 2023 and works with the team as a Project Manager.

Mimosa’s career began with performing circus shows across Europe and facilitating circus and acrobatics workshops in community settings. She has also worked extensively producing outdoor work and tour management. At Without Walls, Mimosa is mainly responsible for the Touring Network Partnership. Mimosa is passionate about bringing the joy of outdoor art to all and loves anything community based.

In her spare time Mimosa loves exploring all things sustainable living – organising clothes swaps and scouring second hand stores with friends.

Ralph Kennedy, Director (He/Him)
ralph@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Ralph is an experienced leader in the social and cultural sectors. Before joining Without Walls, he worked in senior roles at a range of organisations,  including Making Music, Clore Social Leadership and Manchester Jazz Festival, while his early caareer was spent working at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Ralph has a undergraduate degree in Peace Studies and a postgraduate degree in Cultural History.

Sara Riccardi, Project Manager (She/Her)
sara@withoutwalls.uk.com

(It / En)

Sara first joined Without Walls as Office Administrator, to then move into the Festival Team as Project Manager.

An art historian by training, Sara has worked with the Fringe Arts Bath Festival, and then as a freelancer with creative institutions, community groups and festivals in Greater Manchester, where she has been living since 2016. She is highly passionate about widening accessibility to art, theatre, creativity and beauty, and believes that these can enrich everyone’s life.

In her current role at Without Walls, she is mainly responsible for working with the Creative Development Network, supporting the partners in it.

Alongside working at Without Walls, Sara is currently a part-time PhD researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she is exploring art history communication and performativity.

Sophie Akbar, Development Producer (She/Her)
sophie@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Sophie has over 20 years of experience creating, planning and managing national and international small to large scale events, spectacles, multidisciplinary festivals, young people’s theatre, community outreach projects and dance productions.

Between 2000 and 2014 Sophie was the Producer of Greenwich + Docklands Festivals (GDF) where she presented shows by some of the world’s leading outdoor theatre companies, staging the intimate to the extraordinary and collaborating on innumerable cross art-form commissions and partnerships. While there she worked closely with the Mayor of London’s team to deliver a range of cultural and celebratory festivals and events including Diwali, Eid, Vaisakhi, Chinese New Year, Africa Day, Liberty and The Trafalgar Square Arts Festival.

Between 2004 and 2006 she also produced The London Mela (2004), helped to deliver Kinetika’s Carnival in Kolkata and worked with Artreach on their Three Cities Create and Connect programme, where she commissioned and produced large scale shows presented across the East Midlands. Before moving to the world of the outdoors Sophie worked in theatre with organisations including Theatre Centre, Kali Theatre, Tara Arts and Waterman’s Arts Centre. She started her life in the arts in Barcelona where she founded A.C.T. theatre company, writing and producing original plays that ran at Barcelona’s Teatreneu before touring across Catalunya.

She is now returning to the work she loves after taking some time away to focus on her young children (the other work she loves).

Steph Lumby, Marketing and Project Administration Coordinator (They/Them)
steph@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Steph is a creative at heart and takes up any opportunity to try new projects and get their hands dirty.

They graduated from a Bachelors in Advertising in 2019 and loves to take on graphic design and illustrative projects in their spare time.

Steph is passionate about the potential marketing and social media has to create positive social change, and utilises this on their own platforms.

They are also a huge fan of gaming, and would argue that Animal Crossing is the ultimate antidote to a stressful day.

Tess Farley, Senior Project Manager (She/Her)
tess@withoutwalls.uk.com

(En)

Tess is a Project Manager for Without Walls,  looking after artists and new commissions – from our Blueprint R&D Programme to Project Managing a portfolio of companies in our current Artistic programme. She also looks after our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group and works on Access. She is working class and Neurodivergent.

Tess is passionate about nurturing artists and about increasing equity and access for artists and audiences who experience barriers and who might not typically feel welcome to engaging with, forging and developing careers in the arts.

Tess has an extensive background as a specialist in Theatre of the Oppressed, Director, Facilitator and some-time Writer. She’s passionate about making bold and urgent new work happen; often in unusual spaces and working with the ‘hardest to reach’ (she prefers ‘let’s make it easier to access’) communities. Her work as an artist uses interactive, co-created and cross-arts processes.

Tess has worked with and for large and small scale NPO’s, third and public sector organisations. She’s been commissioned by organisations including Mind The Gap, Cardboard Citizens, GMCA and Theatre Temoin. Her short film, We still Believe in Love, recently won an award for Best Writing, as well as many other official selections, including being selected by HOME’s audiences to be part of a film festival.

In her spare time Tess loves art in all its forms, music, cinema (especially the French New Wave), travel, picnics, being outside, the beach, a weekend Negroni and baking