Stuart directed a Forum theatre piece, Rising, which toured hostels and prisons with great success; an excellent show, which was pacy, moving and inventively staged. Adrian Jackson, Artistic Director and CEO at Cardboard Citizens
Stuart’s drive and creativity has always been at the core of Theatre Is... and he has been instrumental in putting the company at the forefront of the development of arts as a tool to enrich the lives of disadvantaged young people. Jo Askham, Former Chair of Theatre Is
Stuart’s ability to build positive relationships with our young people has been fantastic. Herts Young Homeless works with young people who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and Stuart demonstrates a deep understanding of the challenges they have faced. Leonie Maddin, Live Life Team Leader
About All Fall Away: 'The work might seem less impressive than it is without a superb production from Stuart Mullins. It spirits you away to the vast metropolis. Samantha's son, possibly autistic, is played by a puppet, brilliantly manipulated by Seong Kyun Yoo... At the raging drama's still centre is Tanya Franks's shining Samantha, a woman who is gloriously and essentially human in her courage and determination.' Lyn Gardner The Guardian
Stuart shares a passion with Identity, to develop a more diverse and representative industry with regards theatre, film and TV. Sam Miller Head of Acting Identity School of Acting
Stuart is a dynamic workshop leader who inspired the students to engage fully with improvisation and forum theatre work and left them with a strong understanding of the genre and a genuine desire to make their own work. Diana Hillier, Head of Drama, Fulham School

Producing

As a producer I have worked in many settings.

Most recently I produced a number of community productions for Cardboard Citizens, most notably Trespassers Welcome in partnership with the St Albans arts team at One Life. This was part of Squatlife, a large scale project working with the homeless community in Hertfordshire funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Previously, in my role as producer with the School of Humanities and UHArts at the University of Hertfordshire I produced Julia Cheng's Ghost Papers, a collaboration between this highly talented choreographer and Dr Janice Norwood. The project was based on Janice's research into five unknown Victorian actresses. See Janice's recently published book, Victorian Touring Actresses - Crossing Boundaries and Negotiating the Cultural Landscape.

Throughout my career I have collaborated on and produced regional and national tours with a number of artists and companies, including the brilliant Steve Tiplady, Pursued by a Bear, Oily Cart and the Royal Opera House. In doing so, I have raised investment through Arts Council England, Esmee Fairbairn, The Port of Tilbury, Thurrock and Luton Borough Councils, and many other partners and individuals.

Sparks Might Fly - Ghost Papers

Play Trailer

Working with researcher Dr Janice Norwood and choreographer, Julia Cheng from Kolesk Dance, the piece will focus on the careers of two actresses, Alice Marriott and Julia Seaman. Janice Norwood:

'When we met at the one-day creative workshop for researchers and artists, Julia and I soon discovered that we shared an interest in uncovering the past and were enthusiastic about exploring women’s histories in particular. Initial discussions with Julia were fascinating and proved really valuable is making me think about my research in new ways. It quickly became obvious that both Julia and I found visual images of the actresses and theatrical ephemera (playbills, posters and adverts) could be useful as prompts to energise ideas. At the end of a couple of hours of discussion, Julia performed an unrehearsed interpretive dance starting from the image of the actress playing Hamlet and holding Yorick’s skull. For me, one of the most powerful and moving moments was when she translated information we’d discussed about the women’s performances into physical gestures representing the projection of their voices. What had begun as text was re-emerging in a somatic response: sparks were definitely beginning to fly.'

Play Trailer

Claytime

In 2007 I produced in collaboration with Stephen Tiplady’s company Indefinite Articles, a national tour of Claytime. It combined improvised storytelling with clay sculpture making. At the heart of it lay the imaginations of its young audience.

Pool Piece

In 2008 in partnership with Oily Cart I co-produced Pool Piece an innovative and poignant piece for young people with complex disabilities. Set in the hydro pools that exist in so many special schools the piece was visually and acoustically stunning inspiring the young participants to take giant steps into the pool and giant steps in their personal development. As Lyn Gardner said 'Watching the children's responses to Pool Piece, it is clear that Oily Cart's work is testament to the fact that theatre created with a strong aesthetic and high artistic values can also have tangible other benefits. A silent, unresponsive child suddenly whoops with delight; another moves her eyes to follow both sound and light.'

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