Alia

Hello! I’m a theatre maker, writer & opera singer living and working in Gosport. I co-run Gosport Creates, a community-directed, artist-run project supporting the creativity of women in Gosport. We organise workshops, performances and experiences that celebrate play, exploration & community, currently these run on Tuesday evenings at venues across Gosport. My award-winning show It is I, Seagull originated in Gosport, and toured around the UK and to Australia in 2025. I have a Masters with Distinction in Opera Performance from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and a First Class (Hons) degree in English and Drama from the University of Kent. My work is supported by ACE, the Mayflower Theatre, the Winship Foundation, & an HCC grant.

I am a freelance heritage professional, dedicated to supporting museums to connect with communities and tell stories that matter. I am experienced in (i) oral history interviewing and museum audio production (ii) interpretation and exhibition development, (iii) co-curation and co-production; (iv) project management; (v) training & facilitation (vi) securing grant funding; (vii) audience development; and (viii) charity sector leadership. I am based in Hampshire and work throughout the south of England and the Midlands. I am passionate about the power of museums to promote wellbeing and place-shaping. I have an affinity to the Solent region and especially enjoy helping a wide variety of people to flourish through community-led participation.

I am a painter and art educator living in Yateley, Hampshire. As a painter, I have exhibited in Hampshire, Reading, Margate, London and Edinburgh, including Women’s Society of Artists and ING Discerning Eye. Mostly working in oils, but also watercolour, pencil and printmaking, my paintings are about challenging stereotypes in representation of socially disadvantaged groups, and very often about motherhood. I teach painting and drawing regularly to small groups and one-to-one. I love to give people confidence to explore different mediums as well as their own creativity.