Staff
Toby Ealden
Artistic Director
Toby trained as an actor at Bretton Hall and has specialised in creating theatre for young people since 2004. Toby spent 3 and a half years as the Youth Theatre Director for Nacro, the National Crime Reduction Charity, before establishing Zest Theatre in 2007. From grassroots beginnings in Lincolnshire, Zest now has a national reach, having engaged 134,000 young people over the last 10 years. As Artistic Director, Toby strategically oversees Zest's development whilst also directing Zest's professional touring work. Recent highlights include: Gatecrash (2013), Boy Meets Girl (2014), Thrive (2015), First Person (2017) and What Once Was Ours (2017), which went on to win Best Production for Young People 13+ at the Off West End Awards 2018. Toby has been Theatre Director for Lost Village Festival since 2015.

Catherine Fowles
Producer
Catherine has worked in various arts management roles in New York, London, and Birmingham. She holds an MFA in Creative Producing from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and has completed the Stage One Regional Producer Placement scheme. While in New York, Catherine worked for Jessimeg Productions operating St. Luke’s Theatre and Actors Temple Theatre, and has general managed over 25 Off-Broadway productions, including Cougar The Musical, Rain Pryor’s Fried Chicken and Latkes, Black Angels Over Tuskegee, The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, and Danny & Sylvia: The Danny Kaye Musical. In the UK, she has worked with BROKENSTEREO, Defibrillator, Nick Thompson Productions, Reading Rep, Hannah Kendall Productions, ENO Baylis, and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Board
Aggi Doughty
Aggi Doughty currently works at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate in York where Aggi promotes her unique vision, which integrates a careers and employability narrative within the mainstream curriculum. Having worked as a careers education and guidance practitioner within a number of educational settings since 2003, Aggi was inspired to pursue this area of work through working on a theatre in education show promoting careers in schools. Aggi worked as a freelance actor on various tours across the UK and Europe, having gained a first degree in dramaturgy from Bretton Hall. Aggi is passionate about enabling young people's voices to be heard, in whatever medium they see fit! She lives in Lincoln with her husband, three cats and Furious George the tortoise.

Peter Holland
A graduate of Bretton Hall, Pete is the Producer at Frantic Assembly and leading the company into its 25th Anniversary year. Prior to working for Frantic Assembly Peter was the Producer at the Lyric Hammersmith and has produced, managed and delivered a wide and varied portfolio of work. Notably, the reopening events of the Lyric Hammersmith, the UK and International Tour of Lyric and Filter Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Australia and Ireland. Of merit for Birmingham Stage Company, Peter secured the theatrical rights to adapt the number one best seller ‘Gangsta Granny’ by David Walliams and earned an Olivier Award Nomination in 2018. Born and raised in Nottingham, with a stint in selling Jewellery in Lincoln, Pete is delighted to be working with Zest Theatre.
Simon Hollingworth
Chair
Simon has worked for more than 20 years in arts & education. In 2004 he became the first Director of Lincoln Drill Hall, a new multi-use arts venue that was run by the City of Lincoln Council. In 2010 he oversaw its transfer to an independent charity and helped set up the Lincolnshire One Venues network, securing funding for 5 of the venues as a single National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England. In 2013 he began a freelance career producing, programming & project managing for a wide variety of venues, festivals & creative projects. He has been a proud member of the Board of Zest Theatre since 2013 and was delighted to take on the role of Chair in 2016.

Dr Rona Mackenzie
Dr. Rona Mackenzie spent twenty years in education, having worked in six local authorities during her career. She held an array of posts ranging from teacher of Physical Education to Deputy Head. Rona was the founding Principal of Lincoln UTC, a college specialising in Science and Engineering, a post she left in December 2016. Rona completed a Masters in Educational Disadvantage and SEN in 2005 and a Doctorate in Education in 2012. She returned to university in 2017, completing an MBA, and embarked on a career in industry in January 2018. Rona is currently the Chief Operating Officer at David Fowkes Jewellery. A keen sportswoman and mountaineer, Rona is most at home in the gym or out in the mountains: she recently trekked over 6000m in the Indian and Nepali Himalayas.
Helen Molloy
Helen Molloy is a solicitor at Wilkin Chapman specialising in employment law and HR matters. More recently, her focus has moved to military employment matters. Originally from Liverpool, but having moved around as a child, studied in London and trained in Leeds, she then settled in Lincoln 7 years ago with her husband. Helen's hobbies used to include snowboarding, keeping fit, good food and wine. Helen enjoys going to the theatre when she can find a babysitter...her kids also inject significant drama into her life!

Adam Pownall
Adam is Theatre Programmer and Producer at Hull Truck Theatre. Previously at Lincoln Drill Hall where he was Artistic Programme & Participation Manager following programming & producing for Derby Theatre. In 2014 he won the Olwen Wymark Award for supporting New Writing within Theatre for the Writer’s Guild for his work in opening and running Create Theatre, a state of the art studio theatre in Mansfield. Adam is also an artist himself having self-produced and performed in the national tour of ‘Getting Better Slowly’ 2016 -2017 - an inspiring story of recovery told through new writing, movement & sound . He specialises in supporting emerging companies, artist development and new-writing and is a proud advocate for regional theatre. Adam is also a Trustee & Vice Chair for GAIN Charity.

Luke Vernon
Luke trained as an Actor at Birmingham School of Acting and has worked on a wide range of Zest productions and projects since 2014, including: Jonno in Gatecrash (national tour), Gravedigger at Lost Village Festival and Raph in Thrive (national tour). Luke has also joined the Research and Development processes for Thrive, What Once Was Ours and 2030, taking inspiration from both personal experiences and the voices of young people to create new work. Outside of Zest, Luke’s credits include: Doctors (BBC), the short film Bless You and The Crown (Netflix).
Simon Wesley
From his earthy Lincolnshire farming routes Simon has spent the past 17 years promoting positive community and economic growth, supporting businesses and more recently the voluntary and charitable sector in the county.
A science graduate from Staffordshire University who took a big detour into the world of business, Simon is passionate about seeing organisations develop and grow and support their people. At Zest he keeps a keen eye on the finance and has been part of the board since its inception in 2011. At home he is the proud father of his three young children and an ever doting husband. He also loves the theatre!
Collaborators
Zest works with a huge bank of performers, designers, technicians and stage managers who bring a vast range of skills, passion and expertise to our work. These artists are central to everything that Zest does; with many regularly returning to the Zest family. Recently Zest has worked with:
Joel Peter Atkins
Sound Designer / Composer
Jess Bark
Actor / Company Manager
Sophia Bebyck
Actor / Dancer
Pippa Beckwith
Actor
Emily Bickerdike
Actor
Martyn Bignell
Actor
Jordan Blackwood
Company Manager / Director
Ross Bremner
Actor / Dancer / Choreographer
Dr Roger Bretherton
Psychology Consultant
Ellen Carter
Actor / Stilt Walker
Phil Clarke
Lighting Designer at Half Moon Theatre
Alexander Clifford
Actor
Guy Connelly
Sound Designer
Laura Cork
Aerialist / Circus Artist
Jenny Daniels
Theatre Maker / Stage Manager
Fliss Donnelly
Actor
Chris Elwell
Dramaturg and Director at Half Moon Theatre
Claire Gaydon
Actor
Barney George
Set and Costume Designer
Rosa Glover
Company Manager
Alex Harvey Sporle
Actor
Laura Hopwood
Actor
Myk Hoyle
Technical Manager / Lighting Designer
Justyn Huntley
Actor / Dancer
Jaz Hutchins
Actor
Pierre Lafayette-Marsh
Dancer / Actor
Chelsey Lee
Actor
Ari Levy
Sound Designer / Touring Technical Manger
Ruth Luckins
Touring Technical Manager
Mike McCallum
Aerialist / Circus Artist
Mark McCreadie
Actor
Daniel Morgan
Actor
Gareth Morgan
Dramaturg
Alice Morgan-Richards
Actor
Laura Murphy
Aerialist / Theatre Maker
Stephanie Newall
Actor
Amy O'Sullivan
Performer / Movement Director
Ben Pacey
Lighting Designer
Amelia Parrilion
Actor / Dancer
Jay Petherik
Actor / Company Manager
Scott Perry
Magician / Magic Consultant
Rob Pomfret
Actor
Ella Redhead
Actor / Dancer
Verity Quinn
Set and Costume Designer
Kyle Sterland
Dancer / Actor
Helen Symonds
Costume Designer
Luke Vernon
Actor
Phoebe Wall-Palmer
Actor
Rose Wardle
Actor
Sam Wilson
Actor Musician