Meet the team

Katie Mahon

Artistic Director and Founder of Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company

Katie has a BA HONS Theatre and Performance in Industry and an MA in Applied Theatre and Intervention from the University of Leeds. Katie is passionate about the company’s mission to increase access to opportunity and to the arts for working class communities with professional verbatim theatre. This is as a result of her own barriers accessing higher education, being the first in her family to go to university and tackling the stigma of being working class in the arts.

Company Manager of Bloomin’ Buds Theatre Company

Jennifer is a recent Psychology Bsc graduate with an enthusiasm for empowering the working-class. She has taken part in amateur dramatics from childhood and transitioned to more professional theatre pieces in recent years and has demonstrated a passion for acting, producing and the background mechanics of what it takes to run a company. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Jennifer has the drive and know-how for keeping the Bloomin’ Buds cogs turning.

Jennifer Johnson 

Our Arts and Heritage Officers

Bloomin’ Buds are one of four hubs working with Kala Sangam on their new Arts and Heritage Project, working with our community to bring arts and heritage stories to life over a two-year programme of work.

The four partners will form a network of creative venues, with each organisation having an Arts & Heritage Officer embedded in their team to work with local communities to build a programme of activities inspired by their heritages. The unique model sees the four Arts and Heritage Officers employed by lead organisation Kala Sangam, but jointly managed with their parent hub.

Meet our two officers below! Check out the others here.

Grace Wilkinson

Grace began her journey with Bloomin’ Buds theatre company in 2020 as a student and has worked in the community arts sector ever since. Grace’s work ranges from running community workshops, directing plays telling real working class stories and working in early years settings, bringing arts to the next generation. Inspired by her proud council estate upbringing, her work is embedded in bringing access to the arts for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Ellie Cansdale

Ellie Cansdale is a freelance artist and writer, with a passion for the arts. She facilities workshops in Leeds and Bradford, working with different communities across West Yorkshire. Ellie believes in access to the arts for everyone, wanting to bring the arts to people through explorative and creative workshops. Her passion for writing is focused on poetry, and script, and is motivated by her love for storytelling. Last year Ellie graduated with a BA in Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds, and has since started a period positivity project aiming to tackle taboos and encourage period empowerment.

Ellie is very excited to be working on this project with the Bloomin’ Buds team. In this role, Ellie is keen to engage and work with Rockwell’s community and participants, bringing arts and culture to them, while learning about their stories and heritage through creative activities.