Board of Trustees
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DirectorMarie Nixon has worked at the intersection of business, music, culture, and education throughout her career. She has held roles at Arts Council England, in artist and product management in the commercial music industry, and as a charity chief executive of the University of Sunderland Students’ Union. Now Theatre Director at Sunderland Empire, the largest lyric theatre between Edinburgh and Manchester, she is also a Trustee of MAC Trust and Sunderland Culture. A musician and songwriter, she has released four albums with Kenickie and The Cornshed Sisters. She is a Clore Fellow and an MBA graduate. She is particularly interested in how creativity can support social change, especially in North East England.
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DirectorHannah Matterson works in the arts, heritage and charity sector as the Executive Director at Open Clasp Theatre. She has predominantly worked in the creative industries for over a decade, taking on key roles at Kielder Observatory, Generator, MAC Trust, Manchester Metropolitan University and more. She is passionate about partnerships and fundraising, helping organisations, artists and communities to reach their potential. Hannah was previously the Lead Governor for career focussed curriculum at Sunderland College, and is currently a non-executive director of Felt Nowt, supporting the development of comedy in the North East. If she's not at a gig, you'll find her in the kitchen baking.