Kate is a storyteller and theatre-maker with a particular interest in facilitation and community arts. 

 Kate's directing career began almost thirty years ago as a staff director at the National Theatre of Germany in Hamburg. She went on to tour with the English Shakespeare company, and run the Community department at the Orange Tree Theatre, before establishing herself as a freelance director and arts practitioner, working with theatres - including The RSC, The Royal Albert Hall, The Watermill, Bath Theatre Royal, Salisbury Playhouse, Watford Palace, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Theatre Clywd and many more - arts centres, schools and community organisations around the world.

 She has been a freelance associate in the National Theatre's learning department for over 20 years, working with adults and young people of all ages, directing shows, and devising creative participatory projects (her most recent NT project was a devised Living History production based on War Horse, with 4 actors and 180 primary school children, performed to the Duchess of Sussex). She also co-leads the NT learning’s diversity programme in facilitation training.

Kate has taught drama for the primary classroom at London South Bank University, and is a visiting tutor for New York University in London, where she teaches The Arts in London, Storytelling and Shakespeare. She has created programmes for many different groups and communities, ranging from refugees to injured veterans, and she also facilitates theatre-based communication skills workshops for professionals across the world.

 Kate loves working with writers on improv and voice. She collaborates regularly with playwrights at the NT, and has devised an improv workshop with author Shelley Harris, and a voice workshop with agent Jo Unwin. She is delighted to be working with Andrew and Kellie to explore the relationship between writing and Fire. 

Twitter: @katebeales13

Words Away workshop guest: Finding Your Fire: A Four Elements workshop on writing and creativity