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about us
Fabula Arts is a not for profit company that believes in the importance of a creative education. We also know that all young people are inherently creative. As such our aim is to provide inclusive opportunities for young people to experience the creative arts both in school and outside of school.
Having been based in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire for the last few years, we recently relocated to Dulverton, Exmoor and we're keen to get things up and running in the West Country.
We organise creative projects in schools which involve workshops in drama, music, art and creative writing, and we run youth theatre groups and holiday Creative Arts sessions. Whatever the project is, however, Fabula Arts aims to put young people, community and storytelling at its heart.
Fabula Arts is an Artsmark partner and an Arts Award Centre trained to deliver the Discover and Explore awards.
Our Team
James Gillam
co-director and Drama/Creative Writing practitioner
James is a qualified teacher of twenty years’ experience. Having graduated with an MA in Classics from Cambridge University and a PGCE from King’s College, London, James has taught English, Drama, History, Latin and Sport during his career. For eight years he was the Head of Drama at Winchester House School in Brackley and for five years he was the Director of Masque Youth Theatre in Northampton. He has a passion for the creative arts and for working with young people. James is a particular devotee of Shakespeare and has a Postgraduate Award in the Essentials of Teaching and Performing Shakespeare with Children and Young People from the RSC/University of Warwick. James loves writing too and has written various scripts for young people.
James is very excited to have founded a company that allows him to combine his love of stories in all forms with a love of working with young people. James is also an Arts Award adviser trained to deliver the Discover and Explore awards.
Annie Chatfield
co-director and Community Choir Leader
Annie qualified as a teacher in Secondary Music in 1996, but her love of music started earlier. She played piano and recorder by ear before she went to school and following an inspirational school visit from a county musician when she was 7, music became one of the most important things in her life and she started viola, piano and recorder lessons. After being a student at Brackley Music School, she went on to become a member of the Northamptonshire Youth Orchestra. The opportunity to teach at Brackley Music School confirmed that this was the path for her and she graduated with a BMus(hons) from Birmingham Conservatoire which included a fourth-year teaching specialism. A PGCE at Brookes University, Oxford then followed.
After 24 years as a Music teacher, Director of Music and Arts Coordinator in primary and secondary schools, she currently combines her teaching job at a school in Oxfordshire with her role with James and the Fabula Arts team.
RACHEL SMITH
co-director
Rachel has been a classroom teacher for over twenty years, involved with primary and KS3 pupils. She teaches English and History, but has a particular love for books and writing. She can often be found in the school library!
Rachel is an invaluable supporter of Fabula Arts and provides practical support with various projects.
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AMANDA BATTEN
co-director
Amanda's background is in the charity sector. She was formerly CEO of Contact, a charity that supports families with disabled children.
Amanda provides strategical support with Fabula Arts' fundraising activities.
Tim Cole
Drama Practitioner
Tim Cole has been working as a professional performer for over 20 years and has been a member of Equity since 1998. He is also one of the Company Directors for Laugh Out Loud Theatre Company.
He started his performing career working as an actor at The Royal Theatre, Northampton playing the part of “Billy Dean” in their Theatre in Education tour of “Killed” written by Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. Other credits include Edinburgh Fringe as “Kev” in “STAND” by David Bown and “Graham” in “Talking Heads” by Alan Bennett (Peppers’ Ghost Theatre Company, Milton Keynes). He has also had regular touring pantomime work with Broken Pipe Productions. He has performed in a number of street theatre shows including as “Otter” and “Heron” in “Ranger Ricks’ Animal Adventures and Animal Amble” for Nene Valley Wetlands and Rushden Lakes. He also performs in Murder Mysteries (Laugh Out Loud Theatre).
Tim has also had numerous minor television appearances in the past including regular spots playing a soldier or a policeman in Dalziel and Pascoe for BBC Television and crime re-construction scenes for ITV. He was also cast as a policeman for BBC Films’ “Friends and Crocodiles” by Stephen Poliakoff. He has worked as an actor/facilitator for Wing Training and as an actor for Roy Leighton Partnerships. Tim has also provided “Voice over” work for BMW training UK, The Open University and Shiney Film Productions in Valencia.
For a number of years Tim worked for Northampton College as a Theatre Technician and Drama Lecturer for the Supported Learning Team.
Tim was a key leader with the Fabula Arts Youth Theatre group, when it was in Northampton, and passionately believes in the value of theatre as a tool for self-esteem, communication and confidence building for young and not so young people.
EMMA KENDRICK
Drama Practitioner
Emma Kendrick is an actor, writer, director and producer for film and theatre. She has toured the UK in several pantomime productions, completed multiple Theatre in Education tours and performed a solo show as the rat catcher, ‘Jack Black’, in ‘I’m A Victorian, Get Me Out of Here!’ (Grim Times) which toured around Haven Holiday Parks.
Emma has also worked as a character actor and scare actor at ‘Chessington World of Adventures’ and ‘The London Bridge Experience and London Tombs'. She has appeared in several short films and feature films as an actor, writer and producer, including ‘Treading the Boards’ and ‘Darkness’ (Broken Pipe Films / Sky TV).
Emma was assistant director for the Centre of Performing Arts at the University of the West of England and has provided drama workshops for primary, secondary and FE years.
She is currently one of the Company Directors for Laugh Out Loud Theatre.
Theatre credits include: Jocasta / Alison in ‘The Canterbury Tales’ (CPA), PC Pong in ‘Aladdin’, Fairy Godmother / Dandini in ‘Cinderella’ and Maleficent in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (Fame Factory Spotlight), Kate Green in ‘Safe House’ (Broken Pipe Theatre), Carol Capstick in ‘Over My Dead Body’ (TADS), Fairy Ring-A-Bell in ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, multirole characters in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (Broken Pipe Productions), Robin Hood in 'Robin Hood' (Laugh Out Loud Theatre) and Owl, Spider and Bat in two street theatre shows: "Ranger Ricks' Animal Adventures" and "Ranger Ricks' Animal Amble" (Laugh Out Loud Theatre) for Nene Valley Wetlands and Rushden Lakes. Emma also performs in Murder Mysteries across the UK (Laugh Out Loud Theatre and Organise Events).
Film credits include: ‘Muppets Most Wanted’ (Disney), ‘Paddington 2’ (Heyday Films and Studio Canal), ‘The Legend of the 5ive’ (Retribution Films), and ‘Dead Love’ (Zombee Video).
Writing credits include: ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Treasure Island’, 'Robin Hood', ‘Ranger Rick’s Animal Adventure’ and ‘Ranger Rick’s Animal Amble’.