Since graduating from Goldsmith’s College, University of London, with a BA (Hons) in English and Theatre Studies, Melanie has worked with young people in a diverse range of fields including for 8.5 years at the Royal Shakespeare Company and 4-years at the National Theatre for whom she oversaw regional learning partnerships for both War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. She has been an Educational Consultant for Touring Consortium Theatre Company, produced and directed Blackpool Grand Theatre’s first NT Connections Young Company projects and managed participation projects for NW organisations such as The Lowry, LeftCoast, Tameside Borough Council and Fleetwood Festival of Transport.
She has a Masters in Applied Theatre and Post Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Shakespeare as well as a Chartered Institute of Marketing Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing. She has also been on the Board of Directors previously for Geese Theatre and the dukes, Lancaster.
In April 2013, she bought a derelict warehouse in Blackpool to turn into a family home and it was here that she used on street and desk based research to found The Electric Sunshine Project cic, a company inspired by the town’s historical connections to enterprising showcasing of creativity via the illuminations. In 2019/20 she led the organisation to taking it’s first home in The Old Electric through an ambitious Lottery Communities funding bid.
