Say My Name: TOE-bee MIT-shull

Tall Stories’ Artistic Director Toby Mitchell, co-founded the company in 1997. Toby is behind many of the company’s triumphant shows over the last 27 years and most recently directed Tall Stories’ hugely successful Olivier Award-nominated, West End and Edinburgh Fringe 2024 sell-out, The Smeds and The Smoos.

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

As a director, ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’, ‘The Snow Dragon’ and ‘The Snail and the Whale’; as a writer/performer, ‘Future Perfect’ (a show I performed with my then 10-year-old son).

What animal would you be in the jungle and why? 

In the jungle I’d be a giraffe – because I’d get to be up high and look at all the other exciting animals and birds.

What is your favourite prank?

My favourite prank is when one person leaves the rehearsal room to make a cup of tea, I get everyone else to hide around the room!

Say My Name: Ah-man duh Mass-car-ren-has

Amanda is a Designer and Visual Artist. She works mainly in Theatre, Television and Events. She designs in a variety of styles including, but not limited to Touring, Musicals, Opera and Immersive work. Amanda prides herself in creating bold spaces that encapsulate the audience from every aspect, she creates sensory spaces that engage the viewer even before the performance has started.

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

The Sorcerers Apprentice at Northern Stage, was definitely one of my favourites. It’s such a fun story with lots of surprises and I got a make a very magical world come to life

What colour describes you?

The orange/gold colour of a mango.

What tune gets stuck in your head most often?

I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross. It’s always a good day when that song is stuck in my head!

Say My Name: ee-VON st-OHn

Yvonne studied Puppetry at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London having previously attended the Byam Shaw School of Art. She is now an independent puppet designer, director, maker and performer for theatre, television and film.

Yvonne was behind the Olivier Award-winning puppetry design in Hey Duggee (Kenny Wax family entertainment) and worked on the National Theatre’s Warhorse and His Dark Materials. Her television credits include The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix); Space Pirates, Doodle Do and Mr Blooms Nursery (CBeebies); Mongrels (BBC3) and Jurassic World Dominion (Amblin Entertainment) on the cinema screen.

What was the first show you saw as a child?

It was a pantomime in London. I’d just got over chicken pox and was a bit shy, but then I was asked to come up on stage and suddenly all my shyness was gone!

What animal would you be in the jungle and why?

I would be a monkey as they live in big family groups and I love spending time with others.

What’s your favourite prank?

It’s got to be the old classic – a whoopie cushion! What’s not to love about that?!

Matthew is best known as one half of the wildly successful musical comedy double act Frisky & Mannish, who have been headliners on the international comedy and variety circuits for over a decade. More recently he wrote the music and lyrics for the critically acclaimed West End hit Kathy & Stella Solve A Murder!

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

Projects for kids are the most rewarding – you can’t get away with anything false or smug or gimmicky, they see RIGHT through it and they won’t pretend not to.

What was the first show you saw as a child?

The musical Oliver! at the London Palladium, and apparently I was leaning so far forward I almost fell over the balcony — clearly I wanted to be onstage!

If you had a trunk for a day what would you do with it?

I’d reach round and give the middle of my back a proper scratch for the first time ever.

JAYMS PICKER-ing

James is a composer, songwriter, music producer, and poet. He has lived in East Kent for the last ten years. Previous theatre credits include The Chambers of Flavour (immersive dining/Gingerline). Previous film credits include County Lines (feature film/Two Birds Entertainment), The V&A Presents Alice Curiouser and Curiouser (feature documentary/Serpent Films), Gus & Son (short film/Two Birds Entertainment), County Lines (short film/Two Birds Entertainment), I Give It A Year (feature film/Studio Canal) and Hello Carter (feature film/Revolution Films).

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

Obviously Elmer! Also County Lines: a real indie feature, nominated for a few BAFTAs. Anything that introduces me to interesting and talented people.

What colour describes you?

I’d like to say lilac or yellow but it’s usually an erratic and confusing combination that can’t make up its mind.

If you had a trunk for a day what would you do with it?

I’d probably give my family rides on it, help my neighbours move things that they’d been putting off and skim stones really far across the sea.

Say My Name: sun-deep say-nee

Sundeep is a movement director and choreographer who is passionate about driving narrative through physicality.

Recent projects have included The Importance of Being Earnest at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester; Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Scotland’s Pitlochry Festival Theatre; and the touring production of Little Shop of Horrors, where she was responsible for musical staging, choreography, intimacy and fight direction.

What colour describes you? 

Yellow – happy and full of sunshine.

What animal would you be in the jungle and why?

I would be a monkey, cheeky and mischievous with lots of energy and always bouncing around and getting into trouble.

What was the first show you saw as a child? 

I first saw Button Moon at The Queens Theatre in Hornchurch.

Based in London, Rajiv is a freelance lighting designer who graduated from LAMDA in 2014 with qualifications in stage management and technical theatre, specialising in lighting, sound and AV.

Rajiv was nominated for the Broadway World UK Award for Best Lighting Designer in 2022 for the production of Yellowman and nominated for the Off West End Award for Lighting Design in 2021 for Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, both at the Orange Tree Theatre.

Say My Name: HA-tee naw-th

Hattie is a Sound Designer from Leeds, she studied at LAMDA and graduated with a BA in Production Arts. Recent work includes: Crying Shame (Stanley Arts), Really Good Exposure (Underbelly), Bitter Lemons (Park Theatre), Twelfth Night (Stafford Gatehouse) and Two Rounds (Jermyn Street Theatre). Associate work includes: How I Learned To Swim (Roundabout/Bristol Old Vic), Two of Us (HOME) and Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stafford Gatehouse).

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

One of my favourite projects to work on was a production of The Borrowers- we used giant puppets and props to make the actors look very small!

If you had a trunk for a day what would you do with it?

It would be great for moving speakers in high places without a ladder!

What was your favourite story as a child?

My favourite stories as a child were the Brothers’ Grimm fairytales. I liked the scary bits!