Youth Advisory Board

Anoushka Chakrapani works in the Press Office at the National Theatre and is also a representative for the Amplified Network- the network for the Global Majority community at the NT. Recently, she produced Tara Theatre’s Constellations programme, an artist development initiative fostering up and coming talent.

Anoushka is keen to build a symbiotic relationship between theatres and is passionate about representation in storytelling and off-stage.

Casper Davidson is currently a Private Secretary and Manager at the Bank of England. He has previously worked in Front of House roles in the West Midlands and is a frequent theatre-goer inside and outside of London.

Casper is keen to widen accessibility to theatre for young people, encourage a greater use of data within the theatre sector, and promote risk-taking drama.

Maxi Himpe is a director and interdisciplinary artist. Various works have previously been presented at Thames Festival, the Barbican, Camden Fringe and Oakland Theater Project. They are currently under commission from UCL to develop a collaborative verbatim piece about the education system in East London. They are interested in stretching our definitions of performance, working across genres such as cabaret, new writing, devising, and classic plays. 

They hold administrative positions in arts fundraising and community programming, and are a Trustee at festival.org.  

Zahra is an actor, writer, and theatre maker who has a BA Politics from King’s College London and an MA in Collaborative Theatre. She is a current participant of Soho Writer’s Lab and had her first play, ‘Honour-Bound’, published in early 2023 alongside its VAULT festival run. Influenced by her social science background, her writing and work focuses on issues of race, power, injustice, and culture, and Zahra aims to work primarily with, and provide opportunities for, artists of colour throughout her career. She’s extremely passionate about equality, diversity, and inclusion, and the substantive representation of artists of colour on and off stage.

Reuben (he/him) is a writer from London, currently working in brand design. He’s interested in the changing role that theatre, as an embodied medium, plays in a digital age; and how pushing the boundaries of the wider audience experience can make drama more accessible to young people. Reuben studied Philosophy and Theology at Edinburgh, where he wrote and edited for various publications with the ambition of connecting students with their local theatre and arts scene. 

Selena currently works in Improvement, Coordination and Strategy at the Local Government Association, supporting local government sector-led improvement. She graduated from UCL with a Masters in Education Policy and is committed to advocating for young people. 

Her past experience includes work for a diversity and inclusion charity dedicated to improving career outcomes for disadvantaged young people. She is passionate about inclusivity, accessibility, and community building and hopes to channel these, alongside her love of theatre, into the Almeida Youth Advisory Board. 

Hetty is a London-based Creative who is passionate about storytelling that centres those from marginalised communities. Having recently graduated with a policy degree from the University of Cambridge, she is excited to develop her interest in policy and communication strategy during her time on the Youth Advisory Board. She hopes to embark on a career that straddles the private and creative sectors with the aim of widening engagement with the performing arts, particularly to those from immigrant communities and from outside of London. 

Madison is a producer, creative, and educator hailing from Essex, currently serving as the Program and Producing Coordinator at the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch. Beyond her role at the theatre, Madison wears multiple hats as she produces and consults for her own ventures, including The 5 O’Clock Club, Madison Parker Productions Ltd, and Parker & Newes Productions Ltd.  

Having earned her Master’s in Creative Producing from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2022, Madison distinguished herself as the Leverhulme Scholar. Her dedication to the arts industry is further underscored by her recent achievement as a Stage One New Producers Bursary recipient, earned upon successful completion of the Stage One Bridge the Gap program. 

Madison is not only committed to shaping the future of theatre but is also a staunch advocate for accessibility in the arts, particularly for disabled and working-class creatives. With a vision for inclusivity, Madison aspires to ascend to the role of Artistic Director or Executive Director within an arts organisation, embodying her dedication to fostering diverse and equitable opportunities in the world of performing arts. 

Elina is a South London based creative and producer. She is passionate about Latinx representation and has created the community space Encuentros, celebrating Latin American artists in London.

Her work is focused on spatial politics and supporting displaced communities through urban regeneration initiatives. She works closely with the charity Latin Elephant, promoting the reintegration of the LATAM community in Elephant and Castle.

In 2023 she was the Young Vic’s Taking Part Young Associate and worked as an assistant producer on their shows Tribe and Sundown Kiki Reloaded. She is currently the Community Engagement Coordinator at Sadler’s Wells.

Kieton is a recent graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) BA Acting, and also holds a Foundation in Acting at the Young Actors Theatre Islington. He is a writer and producer with Wooden Arrows – and has written four full-length plays, which have been performed at King’s Head Theatre, Pleasance London, Camden People’s Theatre, and the Blue Elephant Theatre. His latest play, Block’d Off was awarded the Generate Fund by the Pleasance and had a month run in Edinburgh 2022, which transferred to London. Other credits as an actor include Frantic Assembly’s UK Tour of Anna Jordan’s The Unreturning, Give Me Your Skin (BAC/CPT), Machinal at the Orange Tree Theatre, R&D of Why Am I So Single by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, and was the Lead in the Feature Film – Yes-Man (Daniel Glenn-Barbour). He specialises in combat performance with multiple weapon qualifications and has just completed Wire & Ariel Stunt Course with IDFight. Kieton has taken part in Young Vic’s Intro to Directing, WoLab Actor-Writer cohort, was a Royal Court Agitator, NYT Creative Leaders, and performed in the Young Companies of Theatre Royal Stratford East, Lyric Hammersmith, and more.

Luke works in PR, helping to tell the stories of startup technology businesses with meaningful missions in the media. Luke graduated from Durham University in 2020 with a BA in Sociology, and UCL in 2021 with an MSc in Social Policy and Social Research. After first attending the Almeida (and the theatre) as part of the inaugural Almeida for Free scheme, Luke is excited to be continuing with the Youth Board to help extend schemes that democratise theatre for young people.