Stephanie studied Drama & Theatre Arts at Middlesex University. Her time there was spent exploring everything from physical theatre to performance art; culminating in a site-specific performance in a found space in North London. When her tutor asked how she had managed to acquire the vacant stone turret at the side of the River Brent (next to the North Circular road) she replied ‘I paid the homeless guy that lives in it a fiver and bought him a packet of fags.’. Incidentally, he was so intrigued about this student who wanted to perform in his ‘home’, while audience members wandered through the trees listening to a soundtrack that she had created, that he came back early, and watched the performance himself!
After leaving University Stephanie worked for 1 year as a performer for street-theatre company Creature Feature; touring internationally and nationally. Her performance highlights include 7 performances in the Theatre & Circus Field at Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts & Montreal’s comedy festival Juste Pour Rire, where she performed alongside world-renowned circus artists Circus Ronaldo.
Stephanie’s specialist area is drama or performance work that challenges the notion that theatre ‘should be’ something prescriptive. Stephanie began teaching in 2002 and has since worked full-time in further education. She was inspired by her own lecturers when she was a student and continues to find teaching a rewarding and inspirational lifestyle choice.
Stephanie continues to work as a street theatre performer. In the last few years her interest has been in political and documentary theatre; leading her to create verbatim theatre pieces with students.