The Play's The Thing

John Heffernan
Actor and CSS Patron

John is known for playing the lead roles in The National Theatre's Edward III, RSC's Oppenheimer and Young Vic's Macbeth. He has gained multiple Ian Charleson Award nominations for his roles in King Lear, Richard III and Major Barbara (winner, third prize). TV credits include: Luther, Dickensian, Ripper Street, The Hollow Crown and Dracula. John first discovered his love for Shakespeare through The Animated Tales (produced by our founder Chris) and starred in SSF's fundraiser The Trial of Hamlet as Hamlet.

John Lightbody
CSS Artistic Associate and Actor

John is an actor, voiceover artist and freelance director. Among his many classical roles he has played Richard III, Benvolio and the Ghost of Christmas Present. He has delivered Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s workshops for over ten years, and most recently in the role of Senior Artistic Associate has overseen the devising of Teacher Workshops.

Poppy Miller
Actor and Director

Poppy trained at the Webber Douglas Academy. On stage she has worked with Ed Hall, Michael Grandage, Laurence Boswell, Rupert Goold, Hettie McDonald, Sean Holmes, David Farr, and John Tiffany. She created the role of Ginny Potter in the original West End cast of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the What’s On Stage Awards 2016. She reprised the role on Broadway. Poppy reunited with director Rupert Goold and actor Tobias Menzies in The Hunt at the Almeida Theatre, after playing Ophelia to Menzies’ Hamlet, and again in Goold’s 2026 Hamlet, this time playing Gertrude alongside Raymond Coulthard as Claudius. Film credits include The Second Best Marigold Hotel, and Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll. Her numerous television credits include Line of Duty, A Song for Jenny, Endeavour, as well as series regulars in Mapp & Lucia, Golplated and The Commander. Her recent credits are The Syndicate, The Gathering, and Such Brave Girls. She recently plated guest lead in Death in Paradise, and filmed a regular role in the upcoming Britbox series Tommy & Tuppence.

Samuel Blenkin
Actor

Samuel Blenkin currently stars as the megalomaniac billionaire antagonist Boy Kavalier in Noah Hawley’s new Alien: Earth for Disney / FX, produced by Ridley Scott. The series just launched to huge critical acclaim, having premiered at Comic Con! He recently completed a highly praised run playing Hamlet for the RSC in Hamlet: Hail To The Thief, a collaboration with Radiohead, and stars opposite Myha'la Herrold leading Black Mirror: Loch Henry.  Blenkin gave such a stirring performance in his guest star role on the hit FX series Atlanta opposite Donald Glover, that Bong Joon Ho approached him for a role in Mickey 17 alongside Robert Pattinson.  He also stars in the upcoming feature Misper opposite Emily Carey, and can be seen in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, and Misbehaviour opposite Keira Knightly.  Samuel played a major role in Sky and AMC’s historical psycho-drama Mary & George, opposite Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine, as well as The Witcher: Blood Origins & Sandman for Netflix, Dracula & Peaky Blinders for BBC, and Pennyworth for Epix.   He's very established in the UK theatre scene, having led the National Theatre's Ocean at The End Of The Lane, starred opposite Simon Russell Beale in Bach & Sons, directed by Nick Hytner, and starred as Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter: The Cursed Child.

Sheryl Malcom
CSS Artistic Associate and Theatre Practictioner

Sheryl is a Theatre Practitioner, who has over twenty years’ experience as a facilitator, director, devisor, Theatre-In-Education actor and project producer. She enjoyed her role as Participation Manager and Youth Director after graduating Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Sheryl has delivered programmes for the Young Vic, Donmar Warehouse and Marlowe Theatre. Primarily her work is with young people aged 8-24 years and she loves witnessing pupils’ confidence develop whilst performing text. Sheryl believes that the exploration of drama encourages creativity, empathy and curiosity.

Richard Weinman
CSS Artistic Associate and Theatre Maker

Rich is a theatre-maker, director, facilitator and teacher, based in London. He is an associate of the National Youth Theatre and CSSF and regularly facilitates workshops and projects for organisations including the Lyric, National Theatre, drama Schools and charities. He has a strong background in devising and working with new writing and is interested in theatre as a way to social inclusion. He has recently directed The Video Store at the end of the world, working with James Fritz and Indi-rock band The Howl and the Hum and is currently collaborating on another show with the same team alongside developing a new show by Paddy Hughes.

Alfred Enoch
Actor and CSS Patron

Alfred Enoch began his acting career as a child, playing the role of Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films. He has gone on to work on both stage and screen, taking on major roles in Shakespeare productions including Edgar in King Lear at the Royal Exchange. More recent credits include BBC'S Troy, the Wyndham Theatre's critically-acclaimed run of two-man play Red and the Young Vic's production Tree.

Iain Jones
CSS Artistic Associate and Actor

Iain is an actor, director and practitioner. As a director he has worked at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, Greenwich Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre and Edinburgh Festival. He was introduced to Shakespeare at school and loved it. “He's a great storyteller and takes us on adventures that are full of extraordinary characters.”

Eleanor Rhode
Actor

Coming soon!

Ellie Kettleton
CSS Facilitator

Ellie has worked for Chickenshed, an inclusive theatre company based in North London, directing Youth Theatre and Children's Theatre productions, developing outreach programmes for young audiences, facilitating sessions for all age groups and maintaining the membership of the Young Company. She has worked with Brit Kids at the Brit School in Croydon, and has worked for Lost Text/Found Space, a company based in and inspired by the locality of Peckham. She has co-created and performed in a variety of productions for families and young audiences across London and continues to work as a one-to-one support and part of creative teams at Chickenshed. Ellie works with the Old Vic as a facilitator for their Schools Club and Take the Lead programmes, with Little Creatives Theatre School, and with Kit Theatre in their various Adventures in Learning.

Lucy Phelps
Actor

Coming soon!

John Lightbody
CSS Artistic Associate and Actor

John is an actor, voiceover artist and freelance director. Among his many classical roles he has played Richard III, Benvolio and the Ghost of Christmas Present. He has delivered Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation’s workshops for over ten years, and most recently in the role of Senior Artistic Associate has overseen the devising of Teacher Workshops.

Paterson Joseph
CSS Patron, Actor, and Author

Paterson is well known for performing the Bard's work, as seen in his award winning role as Oswald in King Lear and Dumaine in Love's Labour's Lost for the RSC in the early 90s. Theatre credits include: Sancho: An Act of Remembrance (Oxford Playhouse/Birmingham Rep/US Tour) and Julius Caesar (RSC). TV and Film credits include: Green Wing (Bafta Winner Pioneer Award, Talkback) and Paddington Bear (Marmalade Films).

Kate Hughes
CSS Artistic Associate and Actor

Kate (stage name Kate Middleton) is an actor based in London and originally from the West Midlands. She performs in theatre and on screen, and has a penchant for anything period.

Brian Mullin
CSS Artistic Associate and Writer

Brian works as a writer, deviser and dramaturg. He studied Theatre at Yale and went on to research Elizabethan theatre at Oxford. He loves Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation's approach to Shakespeare, letting young people jump into the imagination of the world's greatest dramatist.

Jordana Golbourn
Youth Board Project Manager, Theatre Maker and Facilitator

Jordana is a theatre maker and facilitator working with community artists. She has a decade of experience working with companies such as Almeida Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, and Old Vic Theatre. She is the director of Almeida Academy, a programme that gives 5 to 14-year-olds the opportunity to work with theatre professionals to devise and stage brand new plays. Jordana has also trained with Oily Cart on making theatre for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).