Our Board

Meet our Board of Trustees

headshot (compressed smaller size)

Raeesa Rajmohamed – Chair (She/Her)

Raeesa is a UK-trained Canadian/South African lawyer residing in Britain. Having lectured on international and human rights law at the University of The Gambia in West Africa, she is currently a researcher at the University of Notre Dame Law School and writes for the French National Research Agency on human rights violations. In her work with the Human Rights Implementation Centre, Raeesa also works on confidential and sensitive cases to be put before the UN. In 2023, Raeesa received the internationally recognised Bristol Alumni Community Award. She was Called to the Bar of England in Wales in 2022.

Raeesa’s involvement in the arts has been continuous from a young age. She had extensive training from Toronto Second City performers via the Paul C. Duckett Theatre in Ontario, Canada, and has acted and performed in the dramatic arts since 2012, most recently with the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in London in their small ensemble of You’re on Mute Your Honour, an original production. She does freelance directing, video-editing and photography work. Her relevant accolades include the Toronto Masquerade Award 2016 (for costume design) and the Drama Achievement Award 2015 (for acting in Ontario, Canada).

Angela headshot

Angela Kingdon (She/Her)

Angela is an American-born writer, academic, and autistic advocate now based in Portishead, North Somerset. She holds a PhD in Communications from the European Graduate School, a BA and MA in Journalism and Media Affairs from George Washington University, and an MSc in Psychology from the University of Kent. She is the author of eight books, including Am I Actually Autistic?: Your Guide to Processing the Identity Shock of Late Autism Discovery & Living Unmasked, which has been widely recognised as a guide for adults navigating late diagnosis. Her earlier works include the Wall Street Journal bestseller Make ’Em Beg to Work for You and The Equalizing Quill, which explores the role of AI in expanding access to publishing. She also hosts The Autistic Culture Podcast, a Substack bestseller and finalist for Best Society & Culture Podcast at the Quill Podcast Awards, and serves on the editorial board of Neurodiversity Journal.

Angela’s involvement in performance began with winning the Theatresports™ Next Wave Festival in 1989 in Melbourne, Australia, and continued in Washington, DC, for over 30 years where she trained and performed improvisational comedy before relocating to the UK. Since moving to Bristol, she has developed a research interest in neurodiversity and improvisation, examining how improv methods intersect with autistic ways of communicating. Beyond her work on stage, she is an active cultural organiser, producing events such as the Neurodivergent Voices Live festival at We The Curious in Bristol.

_X2A1502 copy

Shaun Dewfall (He/Him)

Shaun is a CIPD-accredited senior Human Resources professional with over ten years of experience in the field.  

Emily Griffiths

Emily Griffiths (She/Her)

Emily has been a dedicated supporter of theatre and the arts for over 30 years. Her passion for performance, from theatre to stand-up comedy, lead to a degree in creative arts, majoring in theatre media and drama.

Her enthusiasm was further nurtured through years of patronage to the Edinburgh Fringe, both as a director and an audience member.
With over a decade of experience on charity boards, Emily now balances family life with her professional work in the Communications and Marketing team at Brandon Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting autistic people and individuals with learning disabilities to live the lives they choose.

Having witnessed the transformative power of improv in fostering connection, building confidence, and bringing joy, Emily is passionate about ensuring this vibrant and inclusive form of theatre continues to thrive in her home city of Bristol.