Arzhang Pezhman

Arzhang's first play, Local, was produced by the Royal Court Theatre in 2000. He has since had shorts developed by the Royal Court (Come Around), as well as full touring productions at the Birmingham Rep (Tics, Bolthole, Gravity). He has been writer-in-residence at Soho Theatre.

Gravity, his last play for the Birmingham Rep was awarded the British Council's ‘New Connections’ recognition award. He collaborated as writer with Untied Artists in their devised show, For Their Own Good, which won a Scotsman Fringe First Award for outstanding new writing.  

Arzhang has worked as a playwriting tutor, with marginalised groups (teenage pregnant mothers, young people excluded from school, inmates at Winson Green prison and senior citizens) as well as across all Key Stages in mainstream education.  

He recently attained a creative/critical PhD, with a focus on workplace plays, from the University of East Anglia. 

Gaby Dellal

Gaby Dellal’s feature film On a Clear Day opened The Sundance Film Festival in 2005. Starring Peter Mullan and Brenda Blethyn, Gaby received a Scottish BAFTA for best film/director and Locarno Film Festival’s Piazza Grande. Gaby’s short Football starring Helena Bonham Carter also featured at SUNDANCE.  

Gaby directed Sienna Miller in her first lead in the feature film Two Wheels Only and gave Max Minghella his debut role (aged thirteen) in her short film Toyboys. Gaby then went on to direct Tube Tales starring Rachel Weisz. Angel’s Crest with Elizabeth McGovern, Kate Walsh and Jeremy Piven was in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival 2011. 

Gaby wrote and directed her most recent feature film Three Generations starring Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon, released in 2017, currently available on Netflix. 

TV includes the much acclaimed 3-part drama for ITV LEAVING starring Helen McCrory. 

Theatre includes: AVA with Elizabeth McGovern at the Riverside Studios 2022. Stitchers by Esther Freud starred Sinead Cusack at the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2018. Ghosts at the Almeida Theatre, London (associate director). This transferred to the West End, with Lesley Manville, and had a BAM run in 2015/2016. 

Liz Cooke

Liz studied English at Oxford University and trained in theatre design at the Slade School of Fine Art. She works as an artist, maker, writer and deviser and principally as a stage designer, for companies including the NT, RSC, Royal Court, and in the West End and principal regional theatres. 
She has been designing professionally for around fifteen years. 

Liz works collaboratively with directors, designers and performers and has designed extensively for physical performance, often incorporating aerial and circus techniques. She has designed frequently for directors such as Kathryn Hunter, on shows from Rebecca Gilman’s The Glory of Living to Pericles at the Globe and Othello for the RSC.