“Stories are wild creatures. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they may wreak?”
– A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness
Shedlight Stories was set up with the express aim to bring to light amazing true stories that don’t get the coverage that they deserve, using these stories to inspire and educate.
With a specific focus on female, BAME, and LGBTQ+ stories, we hope to uncover the stories of incredible people lost to history.
After being commissioned to create a project for the RAF’s centenary at the Royal Air Force Museum, London, Shedlight’s Artistic Director, Nell Thomas, realised that the kind of work she wanted to be making centred on real-life stories and was inspired to start her own company.
Nell Thomas (she/her) – Artistic Director
Nell has worked in numerous roles in theatre from producing to stage management and almost everything in between. She loves working on projects that are based in storytelling, especially true stories, which is what inspired her to start Shedlight Stories.
In 2014, Nell co-founded Front of House Theatre Company and was the Artistic Director for 6 years. During this time she oversaw several major projects, including collaborations with the National Trust and the Royal Air Force Museum.
As a freelancer, she has worked on large scale projects including we’re here because we’re here, the 2016 UK-wide artwork by Jeremy Deller and Rufus Norris to mark 100 years since the Battle of the Somme. Nell has also produced several short films, including award winning music film Where You Are for Outlier films and Socially Distanced Dirk, a special Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency lockdown short starring Samuel Barnett.
Before working in theatre, Nell was a secondary school science teacher and hopes to bring her science background together with her love of theatre in the future to create work about lesser-known scientists. She also has a background in dance and has performed in several films (Including The Little Stranger) as well as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Theatre credits include:
As producer: One Write Stand (The Vaults); 1918: Foundation (RAF Museum, London); A Christmas Carol (Site-specific); Much Ado About Nothing (The Dell, Royal Shakespeare Company); Let The Write One In (The Vaults); Stormy Seas and Starry Skies (Rainham Hall, National Trust); Write Here, Write Now (The Vaults).
As writer: Make Believe Calls! (Pre-filmed, interactive pantomime); A Christmas Carol (Site-specific)
As stage management: Never Not Once (Park Theatre); Horse Country (Wilton’s Music Hall); Park Bench (Park Theatre); The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Frinton Summer Theatre); Hell Yes I’m Tough Enough (Park Theatre); Knock Knock / Who’s There? (Old Red Lion); Naked (Jack Studio Theatre); We Grew Up In The Back Of A Van (White Bear Theatre); Blush of Dogs (Tabard Theatre); This is Living (Edinburgh Fringe & Tour); The Den (Site-specific in conjunction with Barbican); The House of Bernarda Alba (King’s Head Theatre).
Katie Overstall (she/they) – Associate Artist & Dramaturg
Katie is a dramaturg, writer and performer, with a particular interest in non-naturalistic theatre, including performance poetry and storytelling. She also has a massive soft spot for Shakespeare. She is the writer and performer of Shedlight Stories’ first production, Around the World with Nellie Bly, and is a long-term collaborator of Nell’s.
Katie has recently graduated with an MA in Dramaturgy and Writing for Performance from Goldsmiths, University of London. In her work as a dramaturg she is interested in how dramaturgical practice can be used throughout the creative process, not just working with writers, but with all members of the creative team.
Katie is also the co-artistic director of The Underground Clown Club, a theatre company specialising in new writing and performance poetry. The company celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2020.
Theatre credits include:
As a performer: The Little White Bird (Churchill Theatre); Knock Knock (Old Red Lion); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Limb2Limb/Hikapee); The Boy Who Lost Christmas (The Space).
As a writer: Knock Knock / Who’s There?, The Boy Who Lost Christmas, Love & Rabbits and Pictures, Petals and Rain for The Underground Clown Club; A Christmas Carol and Stormy Seas and Starry Skies for Front of House Theatre Company. Her poetry has also been published in Popshot Magazine.
As a dramaturg: Solicitation Games (The Vaults); Much Ado About Nothing (The Dell, Royal Shakespeare Company).
Shedlight Stories 