meet the trustees & patrons

Co-founders of theatre works! are Dr. Sharon Louise Studer and Graham Beckett. 

Sharon Louise has loved theatre from the age of six when she played a shepherd in the school play. Although her family and friends thought she moved to London for a tech job, it was so she could go to the theatre as often as she wanted. 

Her day job included being a partner in the KPMG Consulting Practice and various executive roles in technology and media multinationals across Europe, the US and Asia. She has served on a variety of boards, including Simmons & Simmons, the international law firm, Oxford Univ Audit Committee, and TNS, the worldwide market research firm (before being acquired by WPP). 

Sharon spends time in Miami during the winter, where she is a member of the Funding Arts Network.

A teenage trip to see Fiddler on the Roof was Graham’s first memorable theatre. The magic of that evening has led to a lifelong interest in all forms of theatrical performances, whether it be a play, an opera or contemporary dance. 

Graham tries to avoid too much drama in his working life. He was the founding partner and principal of Results International, a leading advisory firm in the global marketing, technology, and communications businesses. Prior to setting up Results International, he spent his career building and running a number of successful private advertising and marketing services businesses in London.

Graham Beckett serves as the charity’s Operations Director.

Doris, The Lady Butterworth of Warwick, has considerable experience in encouraging young people.  She chaired the Warwickshire Assn of Youth Clubs for 18 years and served as Chair of two Local Education Authority Schools (Stoke Park, Aylesford). She was Vice Chair of the Independent Schools Council for 8 years. For the NHS, Lady Butterworth chaired the Primary Health Care Committee for Coventry for 8 years and The National Assn. of Voluntary Help Organisers.

Dr. Moira Hamlin was until recently the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Bristol University. She spent over 30 years working in the public sector where she held a number of senior positions in criminal justice and health.  She was Chair of Avon and Somerset Police Authority from 2003-2010 and Deputy Chair of the National Association of Police Authorities from 2003-2008. Moira is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with a PhD (Clinical) from the University of Birmingham.

Her first theatre experience was seeing the ground breaking production of Hair in London. This life-changing experience helped her understand the transformative power of theatre and other creative activities for young people. Over a number of years she has been involved in arts and literature festivals and was co-founder of the new Arts Festival in Wedmore, Somerset.

Beverley Grimster has worked with vulnerable children and families in the health and social care field for over 30 years. She started in London and moved to Gloucestershire in 2002. She is a Trustee for Cheltenham Festivals and serves on the Board for Cheltenham Borough Homes. Her experience working with the disadvantaged provides a strong foundation to help theatre works! reach out to children and families in our target population.

Beverley believes that every child should have an opportunity for a life full of options and opportunities. That starts with an awareness that anything is possible and that only happens when you see people that look like you in books, on television and on the stage. Theatre is a fantastic way for young people, no matter what their background, ethnicity or race to gain confidence, build self-esteem and dream BIG.

Suzanne Ross is a chartered accountant by profession but her heart has always been with the theatre, having studied English and Theatre studies at University. She spent her early accountancy career with KPMG and then moved to IBM where she worked in tax and mergers & acquisitions (including a few years in Paris).

For the last 10 years Suzanne was Head of Investments for the IBM Pension Fund. In 2012 she moved to Cheltenham and joined Cheltenham Festivals - a job which enabled her to merge her financial skills with her love of the arts. She was Director of Finance for the Festivals and now serves as the charity’s Treasurer.

We are delighted to welcome Ann Morrison as our first US trustee for theatre works! Ann brings a wealth of experience from her distinguished career as editor at AsiaWeek magazine in Hong Kong and as co-editor of Time Magazine Europe, based in London.  As reporter, writer and editor, she has covered global affairs, culture, and the arts.

Ann has a deep appreciation for theatre’s power to inspire and transform and supports theatre companies where she and her husband Don now spend most of their time -- Miami, Florida, and the Massachusetts Berkshires.