Amelia Shipton is an actor and mental health researcher. She joined NYT in 2018 through the Senior Acting Course and has a background in musical theatre. She’s the founder and creative director of The Tiny Company, an online theatre and production company dedicated to creating inclusive digital spaces where people can access training and resources from home.

She also runs Talk More Together, a platform encouraging open conversations about mental health. Alongside performing, Amelia holds a Master’s of Research in Mental Health, focusing on preventive interventions and people-centred approaches in higher education and corporate spaces. She’s passionate about using storytelling to spark conversation and change, whether on stage, on screen, or through her research.

Amelia is also an advocate for chronic illness representation, particularly within the acting industry, and works to ensure actors with long-term physical health conditions are represented and supported.

Daisy Shaw is an undergraduate student from Hounslow, West London. She joined the National Youth Theatre on the Junior Course in 2019, created a time capsule for NYT through 2020, and later undertook her creative facilitation training.

She is set to graduate from the University of Cambridge in Summer 2025, with a degree in Education, English, Drama and the Arts. While at university she has juggled her studies with various extracurricular activities including acting in and directing plays as well as turning her hand to producing, recently for the Cambridge University American Stage Tour, which took a production of Julius Caesar to schools and Educational venues on the East Coast in September 2024. She is passionate about the intersection between Education and Theatre.

Dela Ruth Hini (she/her) is a Ghanaian-Canadian multidisciplinary creative with a growing portfolio as an actor, writer, and producer. She joined NYT in 2022 as an actor on the Epic Stages course, and later completed NYT Creative Leaders training in 2023. As a producer, Dela founded the non-profit theatre company Stoke The Embers, which specialises in new writing and live events. Stoke The Embers champions the potential of both emerging and established artists through development and performance opportunities, such as writing workshops, industry panels, and scratch events. Prior to immigrating to the UK, Dela completed a BA in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and she actively draws from an interdisciplinary background to inform her work, especially with regard to community-based practices. Dela also holds an Acting Diploma from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and her other training includes Almeida Young Producers and the Old Vic Facilitators. Dela is looking forward to working alongside her fellow youth trustees to champion the voice of NYT's membership, especially those like her who come from an international background.

Francesca is an actor-artistic director currently undertaking their master's at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, having previously trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She served as a member of the Youth Advisory Board for Chichester Festival Theatre from 2022-24, communicating the interests and needs of local young people to the Board of Trustees as well as taking on a sub-committee team leader role (for Programming, 2022-23 and Marketing & Outreach, 2023-24). As a young queer person, Francesca believes that storytelling should not just continue to reflect the current distribution of power but should also challenge audience's perceptions.

They are excited to engage with the NYT membership and look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions!

Find them on Instagram @francesca_mcb_ and @left_eddy

Gabi is a Bulgarian actor, freelance creative producer and facilitator. She is an Arts University Bournemouth and NYT Senior Course (Northampton, 2023) acting alumni and co-founder of production company StageBase. Also a Gonsalves Method accredited teacher, Gabi has produced for Burnt Orange Theatre Company, which received a Commendation for Excellence from the Pub Theatre Awards 2024.

Her passion for theatre-making and arts leadership has pushed her to get involved with Masterclass Theatre Trust as a Youth Board Member, Almeida Theatre as a Young Producer, NYT as a Youth Trustee and the Young Arts Fundraisers as an Events Board Member. Gabi's most exciting acting credit thus far includes working with Gecko and Good Chance on 'From Here On' and as a freelance facilitator, her experience includes work with Moving Waves, The Ben Kinsella Trust, KIT, NYT, Burnt Orange and others.

Hannah Balogun (she/her) is an actor and freelance creative who joined NYT in 2021 through the Epic Stages course. At NYT she has been a social media Ambassador and last year, performed in an R&D of Make Me, a NYT x HighTide Collaboration directed by Blythe Stewart. Outside of NYT, she is the Creative Producer of her theater company, Imagiphoria Productions. Acting wise, she graduated from the Oxford School of Drama in 2023 and credits include her debut feature film “Run” and playing Understudy Roshi in the UK Tour of Wonder Boy.

Oliver Johnson (he/him) is a comedian, director, and writer from South Wales. He joined the National Youth Theatre in 2022 after completing the Epic Stages intake course. Since then, he has remained actively involved with NYT, serving as Assistant Director for My Brother's a Genius at StoryFest 2024, volunteering as an Ambassador and Facilitator, and collaborating with Youth Theatre Kenya on I Am Not a Robot, a project integrating his backgrounds in theatre and emerging technologies. In 2025, his work will further explore the intersection of the arts and sciences.

Beyond NYT, Oliver has trained extensively in multiple creative disciplines with The Old Vic, The Free Association, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and the University of Cambridge. He is the Founder of Camel and Tortoise, a company dedicated to telling accessible and comedic stories that connect diverse audiences, and the Co-Founder of the Clown Funeral Collective, a London-based new writing collective. He has also founded multiple improv troupes and regularly performs both improv and stand-up comedy across London and beyond.

Passionate about expanding access to the arts for young people, particularly in rural areas, Oliver is eager to work with his fellow Youth Trustees to drive this forward. He is also committed to making NYT as welcoming and inclusive as possible for young people across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Phoebe Constantine (She/Her) is a triple-threat performer, writer & producer. She is an Alumni of Shakespeare’s Globe Young Company & the Burnt Orange REP Company.

Producer credits include the National Theatre

& I’m Not A Robot Productions for Wandsworth Arts Fringe. She is a proud Ambassador for Just Like Us an LGBT+ young people’s charity. After a successful audition at NYT she joined in 2020 through a Junior Intake Course. During her time at NYT she has not only performed in scratch nights, R&Ds & a show but facilitated in the company as an ambassador & course-assistant.

Shona M’gadzah (she/her) is an emerging lighting designer and programmer based in Scotland and London and joined NYT in 2022 through the Lighting, Video & Projections Backstage Intake Course. She has enjoyed being involved in a range of projects with NYT such as the backstage community workshops and regularly works as a course assistant, most recently for the Digital Accelerator workshops - a joint partnership between NYT and Microsoft. Outside of NYT, she has had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects including productions with Byre Opera and the National Theatre of Scotland. Alongside her lighting endeavours, Shona is currently completing the clinical years of a degree in medicine at the University of Glasgow having recently graduated from the pre clinical phase with a degree from the University of St Andrews.

Ya’Eesh Ghodiwala is an actor and consultant based in London. With NYT he has taken part in Stepping Up, Summerversity, AI workshops and succeeded in getting a place on this year’s Playing Up course.