Beth has written 5 plays for Strange Town Youth Theatre and one short for the Young Company. Oxford University Press has published three of her short plays and drama lessons for their English language resource materials. As an actress she recently helped develop and perform a show with Puppet Animation Scotland and took it to France. Beth has performed with Strange Town Young Company 3 times in the Edinburgh Fringe to rave reviews, as well as in touring productions across Scotland. She performs street theatre internationally, helps devise and perform interactive, site specific theatre at festivals and dabbles with spoken word. She likes words.
0131 629 0292
info@strangetown.org.uk
Meet more of the Team
Grace Marshall
Assistant Director - Wednesday 11-14s
Grace is an actor and theatre-maker based in Edinburgh. She is currently finishing an HND in Acting and Performance with Performing Arts Studio Scotland, and is about to begin a BA Honours degree in Dance and Drama.
She has performed in theatres all across Edinburgh, including at the Royal Lyceum and the Traverse Theatre.
She is passionate about creating theatre that sparks conversation, and using it as a unique tool to educate, and hopes to inspire young people to do the same!
James Beagon
Youth Theatre Manager
James is a director, playwright and creative learning facilitator who has lived and worked in Edinburgh for over a decade.
He has worked with Strange Town since 2015 and has written and directed a number of Strange Town productions including Stolen Futures (Traverse Theatre, June 2019) Beneath the Surface (Traverse Theatre, June 2022), Heart of the Storm & Something Special (Scottish Storytelling Centre, Dec 2021), Over the Waves (Traverse Theatre, June 2023) and My Kind of Weird (Traverse Theatre, June 2024). In addition to his role as Youth Theatre Manager, he leads the Tuesday 8-25s and Wednesday 11-14s youth theatre groups.
Previous credits with his own group Aulos Productions include the award-winning Fringe productions First Class (2014) and Gobland for the Goblins (2017) and the award-nominated Women of the Mourning Fields (2015) and Antigone na hEireann (2018).
James has worked extensively as a freelance drama practitioner with companies including East Lothian Youth Theatre, Lyceum Youth Theatre, Youth Theatre Arts Scotland, Theatre Sans Accents and Acting Out Drama School.
He holds an MFA in Directing from Edinburgh Napier and an M.A. (Hons) in Ancient and Medieval History from Edinburgh University and has run workshops and guest-lectured at both institutions.
Ellie Duncan
Ellie is a Scottish theatre-maker, facilitator and performer, who graduated with a First Class BA (Hons) in Drama and Dance with Kingston University and Edinburgh College in 2023.
Ellie has been involved in the industry from a very young age and has experience and training in both Film and Stage. Ellie is fascinated about moments of history and implementing that into her work. In 2023, she wrote and co-directed her own show ‘The Fool’ which was set in the regency era and performed in The Voodoo Rooms.
Ellie enjoys exploring theatre through improvisation and play and strives to create work that activates the voice of young people, whilst having a lot of fun in the process.
Victoria Giambalvo
Victoria Giambalvo (she/they) is a previously New York-based, currently Edinburgh-based actor and creator. They have a passion for developing and performing in immersive and interactive experiences, particularly in personal development for audiences of all ages. They hold a BFA in Musical Theatre from Long Island University and MSc in Film Studies from University of Edinburgh, and are one of the co-founders and producers of Play Full: A Scratch Night. Most recently they appeared in Hopscotch Theatre’s interactive children show ‘The Play, Play’ funded by University of Glasgow, and will have been seen touring Scotland in ‘Pinocchio’ during the 2024 Christmas months.
Lori Cook
Lori graduated from Performing Arts Studio Scotland in 2023 with a BA Hons degree in Dance and Drama with Kingston University.
She has been involved in theatre her whole life from performing to assistant-directing and choreographing for amateur theatre groups. She wants to encourage children get into drama and to make it a fun enjoyable way for them to express themselves.
Katie Fraser
Katie is a playwright, teacher and workshop leader. Since finishing the MSc in Playwriting course at the University of Edinburgh she has been working with Framework Theatre Company to develop her script Play Pretend. She has extensive experience working with young people from 8-18 in schools and in youth theatre groups.
