Annelies James

I am a theatre-maker and director working across Hampshire and the UK. My background is in new writing and site-responsive performance; I ran High Hearted Theatre with writer Marcelo Dos Santos, making productions for Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, Southwark Playhouse, Brighton Fringe, Omnibus London and more. I currently work mostly in participatory practice and co-creation, creating work in collaboration with professional creatives and communities. I am also an artist-researcher with a particular interest in place, space and identity, and how theatre for social change.

I am a professional visual artist and creative producer, celebrated for vibrant, layered explorations of colour. Guided by synaesthetic perception, my meticulously crafted abstract works transform sound and emotion into striking abstractions that captivate with both energy and depth. I collaborate with musicians and sound designers closely and have exhibited internationally, with work represented by Saatchi. I have over 20 years of working in the Rushmoor community as a creative producer, founded the music charity Forward 4 Wiz Trust in 2007 and currently work at Aldershot’s West End Centre as the Community Programmes Manager.

With over 40 years of experience in the performing arts industry, I work as a theatre consultant, offering tailored solutions in the fields of interim management, artistic programming, leadership and team development, business planning and delivery, and project management. In 2024, I completed a five-year contract at Reliance Industries Limited, where I leveraged my expertise in performing arts development and management to support one of India’s largest corporations in the further operation and growth of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre.