Aleisha Mainwaring – Intern
Aleisha is a second-year film studies student at the University of Southampton, and is thrilled to be joining the Crying Out Loud team as a summer intern. This is her first foray into the creative industries, and she’s eager to immerse herself in this vibrant world and collaborate with like-minded individuals. Her interests lie in capturing the raw emotions of characters and exploring the intricate relationship between storytelling, visuals, and sound. Aleisha is particularly fascinated by the power of film to evoke empathy and spark conversations about important social issues. She’s looking forward to applying her passion and knowledge to Crying Out Loud’s summer projects, especially the Revel Puck events, where she hopes to contribute her positive energy and fresh perspective to create impactful and engaging experiences.
Lucy Babb – Programme Producer (Solent)
Lucy joins the team at Crying Out Loud with boundless enthusiasm, ready to bring their exciting plans for a new programme in Portsmouth and the Solent region to life. Her time at Glastonbury Festivals’ Theatre & Circus Fields sparked a fascination with the vibrant world of festivals and live performance and she spent 15 incredible years at Larmer Tree Festival, where her love for outdoor events grew. Combining her extensive management experience of programming, marketing and operations, Lucy more recently stepped into the role of Lead Producer for Salisbury International Arts Festival for Wiltshire Creative. With her roots firmly planted in the South West, Lucy is driven by a strong commitment to amplify the impact of the arts within its communities.
Minnie Boardman – Administrator
Minnie was an arts lover working in the monochrome world of desktop publishing, until she clicked her heels and joined the technicolour offices of Crying Out Loud. Since her epiphany she has also worked as a freelance administrator and project manager for organisations including ISAN, the British Library, Bill Gee Associates and Charles Wallace India Trust.
Rachel Clare – Artistic Director
Rachel started her career mixing paint as a theatre designer but soon changed palettes for international touring with Ra Ra Zoo. To work her way up she assisted the GLC outdoor events team on her sit-up-and-beg bicycle in Battersea Park and Jubilee Gardens and, with Muldoon’s Cast New Variety, organized the Save the GLC 32 London Boroughs tour. She then rode her way round London venues as a freelancer programming performance and late night music clubs at Acklam Hall, The Diorama, Watermans Arts Centre, Riverside Studios, Lyric Hammersmith, Broadgate Arena and the Southbank Centre. In between she finished a Contemporary Arts Practice degree at John Cass School of Art. After many flat tyres and bell ringing Crying Out Loud was established in 2002 with an Arts Council Bursary and a red velvet curtain, 7m x 9m, recycled from the Purcell Room. She has since cycled far and wide.
Sarah Macnee – Executive Director
In essence, Sarah oversees the use of money and other resources for COL, reporting to the Board, and working with Minnie. Together, we are the back office. Starting from a passion for Mathematics alongside a love of the arts and their politics, Sarah has worked with many companies: both those that are commercially independent and those that receive public support. She has also crossed over and worked for funders, the Arts Council and NESTA for ten years. In addition to working with COL, she continues to work as a consultant and is a Director of Culture in Flux. She likes problems – and working out how to solve them.
