See A Voice Team
Claire Saddleton - Project Manager
Having worked as a touring actor for just over 10 years Claire spent time learning British Sign Language before going on to work for Graeae Theatre Company, Britain’s leading disabled led theatre company, as Access Coordinator. Claire stayed with Graeae for 7 years, progressing to join the senior management team as Access and HR Director, where she led on access support within core activity, touring productions and the company’s extensive outreach programme. This work included developing audience resources for blind or visually impaired people, completing access audits, advising venue staff and creating accessible marketing resources.
Claire is pleased to join the See a Voice team, from June 2008, as new Project Manager.
Fran Chabrel - Project Administrator
Fran has worked in theatre for over ten years, beginning as a work placement at the Young Vic Theatre, Education department. Following university she worked for Wakefield Theatre Royal in both Box Office and Front of House capacities. She then returned to London to work for touring theatre company, Shakespeare 4 Kidz, and most recently as Education Officer at Polka Theatre. At Polka Theatre Fran had particular responsibility for a scheme called Arts Access, supporting wider access to drama and the theatre for young people, including drama workshops in schools and touch tours at the theatre for young people with visual impairment. Arts Access also incorporated a Summer School and holiday workshops for deaf and hearing young people and to support her involvement in this project Fran completed BSL Level 1.
Fran is happy to be joining the See a Voice team, July 2008.
Kirin Saeed – Audience Liaison Officer (Audio Description)
Kirin has over ten years experience working in the Disability field. She is also a professional actress who has worked with Graeae Theatre Company. Kirin has travelled widely throughout Britain and Europe representing the RNIB and various local groups for the visually impaired. For the last five years she has focused her attention on all aspects of audio description both on television and in the theatre, and has lobbied the BBC and ITV about increasing audio description. Kirin is a keen advocate of increasing greater access to theatre for visually imapired people via the use of audio description.
Deepa Shastri – Audience Liaison Officer (Captioning)
Deepa has worked mainly in the voluntary sector for organisations including the British Deaf Association as a Project Officer in development technology for deaf people. She then becamse an Information Officer working to improve the relationships between the Citizens Advice Bureau and deaf clients. Deepa went travelling and volunteered at the Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia. She is currently working with STAGETEXT as well as See a Voice, as their Audience Development Officer, creating new audience development tactics for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences.
