Here at Tobacco Factory Theatres we are well supported by a fantastic board of trustees. Read on to find out more about who our trustees are.
BERTEL MARTIN (CHAIR)
Bertel Martin has been involved in Bristol’s voluntary sector and arts scene for over 30 years, as a director, producer, manager and freelance writer. He has worked for the Black Voluntary Sector Development Unit, Bristol Old Vic and Kuumba and sat on the board of Circomedia, Albany Centre, Bristol Broadside, Theatre Bristol, Come the Revolution, Nilaari and Bristol Short Story Prize. A founding member and coordinator of Bristol Black Writers Group that helped change the perception of Black arts in Bristol, his national work has included being director of Plymouth International Book Festival. He has sat on Arts Council England advisory boards for developing Black theatre in England and he currently works as Finance & Operations Manager for acta Community Theatre.
JOSEPH BELL
Joe is a Digital Producer with a particular interest in immersive & interactive media. He has produced a range of innovative and award-winning digital projects, many during 7 years spent at the BBC. As an associate for The Space, he supported over 60 arts organisations develop and produce their own digital projects to build online audiences, and with his company, Sideburn Panda, delivered a wide variety of projects for the arts & heritage sector. He is currently a Senior Producer at Aardman Animations.
ALISON EYNON
Ally’s professional mission is to tackle educational inequality and she has been teaching and leading in ‘challenging’ schools for 20 years. She is a Teach First alumnae and has worked nationally to affect change, improve outcomes and transform communities. She co-founded an Ofsted Outstanding free school in Feltham, London in 2012, and joined Oasis Community Learning upon moving to Bristol. She has held Senior Leadership positions in two Bristol schools, has improved Oasis schools nationally, and has developed the new Oasis free school on Silverthorn Lane. Ally is a keen ambassador for partnership working and has worked with Bristol’s Learning City Partnership on employability, and has held Trustee positions for Teach First and Clifton College. Ally is a keen supporter of the arts, and is delighted to join the board of Tobacco Factory Theatres.
Mike Forrest
Mike is a retired Chartered Accountant. After qualifying in Bristol with one of the major accountancy practices, he worked for twenty years in the financial services sector (insurance and banking) before moving to the charity sector for the following ten years. He was finance director of the YHA for five years, and then held director of resources posts at a number of smaller charities, before retiring in 2013. He brings strong financial skills and significant charity experience to the board of trustees, of which he has been a member since 2018.
EWEN MACGREGOR
Ewen is an adopted son of the West Country having moved to Bristol (from his home town in the north of Scotland) in 1989. He is a solicitor and a partner at TLT, within the firms nationally recognised alcohol and gambling licensing practise. Ewen represents a number of nationally recognised clients (as well as significant number of independent operators) in the retail and hospitality sector, including theatre operators. He has previously undertaken other voluntary roles within the city including being a trustee and board director at the Trinity Centre. Over the years Ewen has enjoyed numerous productions at the Tobacco Factory, notable amongst them Othello, Jigsy (Les Dennis – a revelation!), Living with the Lights On and the wonderful Christmas productions.
RICK STONE
Rick is a senior engineer for a leading insurance company with over 30 years experience in the Motor, Insurer and Customer Service industry.
He returned to his native Bristol in 2020 after a 15 year hiatus in Devon where he developed a love of local theatre gained after years of backstage assistance and chaperoning. He was naturally drawn to the history of the building and both the quality and affordability of the productions. He shares the TFT desire to promote theatre to the whole community making it a safe, inclusive place for all.
Despite not having a professional background in theatre, his eclectic taste in genre and passion for diverse production types means he brings a vital ‘audience perspective’ to the board.
Grace Sims
Grace is a communications, content and fundraising professional with more than ten years’ experience in the UK and internationally within the arts and higher education. Currently at the University of Bristol, she leads on the creative and strategic direction of the University’s editorial and fundraising content and is editor of Nonesuch, the University of Bristol’s alumni magazine. Grace has formerly worked at Back to Back Theatre near Melbourne, and Tate gallery in London and is passionate about storytelling, the arts and creativity.
Emmeline Rodman
Emmeline is an operations professional and lecturer. After studying advertising and fine art, she began an art practice of photography, sculpture and illustration. During her studies, Emmeline developed a career in operations management, supporting venues and events in the leisure, hospitality and arts sectors. Specialising in customer experience and ticketing, she held management roles at Southbank Centre, St James Theatre, The Comedy Store and The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Emmeline developed a secondary career in teaching and has lectured in design and event management at universities in London, Bristol and Cardiff.
Since relocating to Bristol in 2017, she fostered a new career strand in community engagement, supporting social change through digital inclusion facilitation, developing impact reporting and running community buildings including roles at Knowle West Media Centre, Filwood Community Centre and BS3 Community Development. In 2022, she founded Screens of Matter CIC, a cinema project to support neurodivergent audience development.
Caitlin Anniss
Caitlin works with a range of arts sector organisations including theatres, creative charities, venues, film companies and ballet companies, providing strategic HR support and working with senior leaders. Her background is an employment lawyer and she practiced law for many years before moving into HR. She co-founded and is a Director of Narrow Quay HR, an organisation which works with clients from a range of sectors, including education, healthcare and a wide range of charities. She has lived in Bristol for many years and is a keen supporter of arts organisations across the city.
Andrew Marshall
Andrew is an experienced business leader and is currently the CEO of Our Media in the heart of Bristol. Our Media is a specialist media business creating content across a range of genres service worldwide audiences. Previously Andrew has held board level roles at Immediate Media, Origin Publishing and was a senior leader at Future PLC. He has also served as trustee and co-chair of the board of trustees at The Crafts Council for a number of years. Andew and his wife have been supporters of Tobacco Factory Theatres for over two decades and enjoy coming to the theatre as often as they can.