Announcing the emerging producers going to Edinburgh Fringe

Photograph: David Monteith-Hodge

We're excited to announce the 15 producers who will take part in this year's Emerging Producers Development Programme, run by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in partnership with the British Council.

The programme aims to help UK producers with up to five years' producing experience learn about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and develop their professional networks, both in the UK and internationally.

British Council staff will offer the participants advice on how to develop their international ambitions. The group will gain special access to the Edinburgh Showcase, our platform of UK performance for international programmers. This includes attending selected Showcase networking events as well as introductions to international promoters, experienced UK producers and a wide range of artists at different stages of their careers.

The producers receive a travel bursary to attend the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as ticket vouchers, which enable them to see a wide breadth of work during the festival. They will also meet artists on our Artist Development Programme — a professional development opportunity aiming to encourage diversity in performing arts.

The 2017 Emerging Producers are:

• Daisy Douglas, a multidisciplinary arts producer based in Glasgow interested in immersive and surprising performance.
  
  
• Emilie Labourey, an independent producer and Co-Founder of YoPro Collective who is passionate about feminist and queer art.
  
  
• Erin Siobhan Hutching, a writer, performer and creative producer and a lead artist with the Deaf & Hearing (DH) Ensemble.
  
  
• Helen Bovey, a Plymouth based producer/theatre-maker who is particularly keen to create innovative and contemporary work for children and family audiences.
  
  
• Joanne Matthews, has worked in both marketing and producing and is interested in work concerned with movement and community-building, voices on the margins and environmental issues.
  
  
• Josie Dale-Jones, established her own theatre company ThisEgg in 2010, and has worked with a variety of companies including Gecko and The Paper Birds.
  
  
• Kirsten Peters Roebuck, a freelance producer and Assistant Producer at Mahogany Opera Group who is passionate about socially and politically engaged theatre.
  
  
• Liz Johnson, a theatre producer based in Sheffield, currently working primarily with young artists and companies, who loves compelling, unique and untold human stories.
  
  
• Lottie Barker, a dance producer who is passionate about inclusive and accessible dance. Lottie has worked for many dance companies including Scottish Dance Theatre, Arts 4 Dementia, and Dance House Glasgow.
  
  
• Lydia Wharf, an independent producer, working principally for the Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership on the Compass Commission programme.
  
  
• Madelaine Moore, Producer and Artistic Director of The Thelmas, a new writing theatre company set up to develop and promote early career female writers and theatre makers.
  
  
• Mungo Arney, a freelance theatre producer based in Hull, he likes work that happily challenges the stereotype of what theatre is supposed to look and feel like.
  
  
• Sarah Shead, a freelance producer and Director and Creative Producer for Spin Arts, who actively seeks out artists with a cultural heritage or influence from outside the UK.
  
  
• Suzie Kirk Dumitru, a freelance producer with a passion for cross-artform and international work. She has worked for companies including Theatre-Rites, Company Three and The Ruby Dolls.
  
  
• Toni Lewis, an independent/freelance arts producer working in the live art sector who is currently exclusively supporting the work of culturally diverse artists.

Visit the Fringe website to find out more about the producers.

"It was great to meet so many international makers and promoters"

This is what previous participants on the programme have said about their experiences:

"It was great to attend the Visiting Arts reception as well as the Producers Breakfast and be able to make more international connections. It was great to meet other emerging producers working across different performance practises. It was really invaluable to have the ticket voucher, as I would not have been able to afford to see a variety of productions."

"This was the first time that I was at so many networking events, and it was great to meet so many international makers, promoters and producers."