TOTNES FRINGE CORE TEAM

Danielle McIlven is a theatre director and educator with almost two decades of experience working across the UK and internationally. She trained at Birkbeck, University of London, completing an MFA in Theatre Directing, and was resident assistant director at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre. Her directing work spans new writing, devised performance, and community-led projects, and she has held roles including associate director at The Space Arts Centre in London. Danielle has delivered theatre projects with young people in schools, youth theatres, and alternative education settings, as well as with refugee and Traveller communities. She has led international work in Bosnia, Kolkata and Beijing. Now based in Totnes- where she grew up- she founded Moveable Type Theatre Company and is a teaching fellow in Acting and Drama at the University of Plymouth.

Shelley Hodgson studied at Dartington College of Arts and has an MA in Performance Writing. She is a freelance Creative Producer, artist, and photographer.

She works on many projects in different roles, developing creative relationships and partnerships across Exeter and Plymouth. Her focus is on facilitating socially engaged arts organisations' work directly within communities to improve access to culture for everyone across the South West. 

She has also performed devised performance work, Twiceness with co-collaborator Mark Leahy, at SOAK in 2024. She recently gave an in person talk at The Three of Cups in Penryn about the themes running through the performance and an online talk to CAMP network members with Mark Leahy about processes for devising new work.

She is also a member of Artist Collective Room To Manoeuvre who are currently in R&D for an exhibition at The Plough in 2026.

She also loves cats.

Julie Mullen trained at the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy. She has worked across film, TV, voice-over, and theatre since 1990. As founder of The Word Café, she produced shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Pleasance & Assembly, Soho House, and Chelsea Arts Club, collaborating with leading poets including Alice Oswald, Roger McGough, and Brian Patten. She co-creates musicals with Martin Seager (Herbert Kretzmer Award winner), and hosts a regular gig in Totnes, Poets & Pints. A performance poet and published writer, she brings extensive creative and production experience to Totnes Fringe, with a passion for making poetry and theatre bold, beautiful, and brilliantly engaging.

Playwright, actor, and theatre-maker trained at RADA. Rosie is a Soho Writers Lab alumnus, where she wrote Filthy Animal, which was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award 2024. She is currently commissioned by Middle Child, Exeter Northcott, and is a mentored writer with Paines Plough. Associate Artist of Theatre Royal Plymouth, Documental, and Theatre Alibi, she has been passionate about bringing theatre to Totnes for 15 years, from devising performance with women and non-binary people on themes of grief, directing and co-producing the much loved Rotherfold Bull and founding Theatre Loco, a pop-up venue bringing award-winning work to the industrial estate every week for three months.

Jessica Wooller is an interdisciplinary artist and creative producer whose practice is rooted in socially and politically engaged theatre. She recently completed a Master’s degree in Theatre Practice from Exeter University. Her creative portfolio includes Wild Territories, a solo theatre performance; a supporting role in Finite Films' And Then Come the Nightjars; and an artist residency as part of Wide Open, where she developed Spinning Infinite Tales. In addition to her performance work, Jessica produces live cinematic visuals that create immersive audience experiences. She is currently the Project Lead at St Luke’s Hospice, delivering an arts programme for an upcoming art trail in collaboration with Wild In Art.

Susie Hudson is a digital marketing strategist and creative project manager with a passion for community storytelling and inclusive arts. Through her consultancy, Huabode, she supports purpose-led organisations with strategic marketing, fundraising and project management. She brings a collaborative, audience-first approach and works across sectors to amplify underrepresented voices. A theatrical highlight from her past includes being understudy for Starlight Express—an experience that left her glad to  be on the other side of the curtain. At Totnes Fringe, Susie is thrilled to help bring joyful,  theatre and performance to the heart of the town.

With a drama degree and years of acting experience, Lucy Matthews has a deep love for theatre in all its forms. Transitioning into a career in PR, she authored a best-selling book on how entrepreneurs can leverage PR to stand out, be heard, and attract clients. She is helping the Totnes Fringe secure sponsors and working on the marketing and PR initiatives for the festival, combining her passion for the arts with my expertise in brand visibility.