Meet Our Team
Licketyspit sessions are facilitated by our Actor-Pedagogues, who know how to give children agency and create safe friendly spaces for everyone to play in. They are specialists in children’s rights-based, intergenerational imaginary play, and collude with families in what goes on at the sessions.
Licketyspit also has a core team of three: Virginia, our Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Shona our Executive Producer, and Ruby, our Children & Families Network Producer.
Virginia
I started working with early years children when I had my own children – Ruby & Iona. Having children reminded me how much I love to play, sing, dance, dress-up, read, explore and make up and act out stories! Play is so important. Its how we learn to become ourselves. Play is how we discover the world around us and what we think about it. And play is how we get to know each other and build strong relationships.
When we play we can relax and open up our imaginations. Anything is possible! We can be anyone, go anywhere, do anything! Grown-ups can get so busy with work that we sometimes forget the serious business of play! Everyone needs what children need – to be seen, heard, valued and included; to be LOVED! to have somewhere to live; enough to eat and enough sleep; to feel safe and respected and to have time to relax and PLAY!
Grown-ups who know children are so lucky because children are the WORLD’S PLAY EXPERTS.
Actors are ‘Players’. We are experts at playing too, and Licketyspit actors are experts at playing and talking with children and families. Licketyspit asks children to be our experts when we create our shows and all the other things we do. Children have so many amazing ideas that Licketyspit has to run to keep up with all the things we want to do with them!
Theatre is just a way of sharing a story – which we all do every day. Stories in theatre are called PLAYS – I have written lots of plays for children – The Hare & the Tortoise, Molly Whuppie, Quangle Wangle, Magic Spaghetti, Wee Witches, Green Whale, Heelie-go-Leerie A Piece of Cake and LicketyLeap (the story of Margaret & Margaret). A theatre is called a ‘House’ but theatre can happen everywhere. Licketyspit wants all the children and families who play with us and come to our shows to feel at home and very welcome!
My Mum Bridget, was a teacher who sang and played the piano and my Dad, John, taught me lots of songs to play on the guitar! I grew up in London with lots of stories, rhymes and songs and grown-ups who read and played with me and my brother and sister. I grew up with lovely grannies too and one Scottish grandad! (And Aunts and uncles, cousins and friends who were interested in what I thought!) But I have learned how to do my job running Licketyspit by playing and talking with children, mostly in Scotland, where my Mum came from and where I live now with my own family.
Shona
Shona joined Licketyspit in 2018, before which she managed Hopscotch Theatre Company and Scottish Youth Theatre’s Venue. She was Creative Producer at Birds of Paradise Theatre for 10 years and Company Manager for Suspect Culture for 7 years. In December 2013, she was Stellar Quine’s ‘Quine of the month’ a celebration of influential women working in Scottish Theatre. Quine is a Scots word for ‘woman’ – and Shona loves all the Scots words and songs in LicketyPlay, especially Ickerickeroo!
Ruby
Hello! I’m Ruby and one of my favourite things about Licketyspit play sessions is getting to sit down with everyone together and have a good blether about the games we’ve played and the things we’ve seen! I think imaginary play is great because you can be anyone, go anywhere, do anything, and everyone will go there with you. And what could be better than exploring a jungle full of colourful birds where you might find a friendly tiger, or having a picnic on the moon with your family and friends!
When I was little, I loved dressing up and making mud pies in the garden. I’ve been working with Licketyspit as an actor-pedagogue for the last 3 years. I want the Children & Families Network to be a community where everyone feels at home and supports one another, shares ideas for rainy days or sunny days out and about. You are all so welcome and I am always at the end of the phone for a chat, to hear your ideas for more CFN activities, or to hear about any drawings, characters or stories your children have made up & want to share in the Lickety Gallery!
Taz
Hiya! I’m Taz and when I Lickety Play I have great fun becoming ‘The Funky Chicken’ and meeting all the other exuberant creatures in the circle. Everyone makes up the most exciting animals you’ve ever imagined!
Itxaso (Taz) Moreno is a freelance actor who has worked with Licketyspit for over 12 years. She first joining the company to play Baletxo in Green Whale in 2006. She later trained as one of the first Margarets in LicketyLeap, and regularly performs LicketyLeap as part of our Storyplay programme. She has also worked as a Lead Actor Pedagogue on Big Porridge & Play Glasgow Year 1 & Year 2; Picnic & Play Year 1 & Year 2, and Playcard Play & Playground Play delivery as part of Storyplay in all of our Storyplay Schools.
Jack Tully
Jack has been an actor-pedagogue with Licketyspit since April 2018. He co-led Big Porridge & Play Glasgow 2019 and has also delivered Picnic & Play sessions.
Jack’s other work as a community arts facilitator includes work with Impact Arts and Mammalian Diving Reflex, and on the board of Justice and Arts Scotland. He is committed to supporting young people to develop and raise their voices through theatre!
Effie
Hi, my name is Effie and when I work with Licketyspit I love to sing songs – especially if they have lots of actions! When I was wee I was always making up songs and playing with my sisters.
Effie Scott is a freelance actor, director and producer. She joined Licketyspit as an actor pedagogue in 2018 and has worked on Storyplay, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow Year 2 and Picnic & Play Year 1. Outside of Licketyspit, she runs Glasgow-based company Shows on a Shoestring and also works with Websters Theatre and Geez a Break.
Sanjay
“Hello! My name is Sanjay, and I’m one of Licketyspit’s newest Actor-Pedagogues. I was so excited to join the fabulous team at Licketyspit because I’ve always enjoyed working with children and young people. Growing up, I rarely saw someone that looked like me in the arts and I wanted, through my theatre-making, to inspire other young people of colour and to show them that the arts is a pathway for a career. I enjoy working with young people and children because their imaginations are a powerful tool for creating new art.”
Sanjay joined Licketyspit in August 2020. Having trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Contemporary Performance Practice, Sanjay is an actor, facilitator and theatre-maker. He has worked in various settings, from schools to community groups to working in theatre and screen, and also enjoys writing his own poetry and theatre performances.
Bec Phipps
Bec is an actor & clown doctor who has worked for Licketyspit as a freelance actor-pedagogue since 2010.
She has worked on LicketyLeap, Porridge & Play and Picnic & Play.
Andre
“Hello, my name is Andre and I’m one of the new trainee Actor-Pedagogues with Licketyspit. My interests are singing, dancing, random adventures, and taking part in games with friends. Working with Licketyspit is so much fun because children truly are the best players out there! It’s so exciting to see what you all come up with, where we will all go, and what responses you all have. I am so happy that I get to work with you through Licketyspit and can’t wait to have many more adventures with you all! I have my stripy top, and I’m ready to play, the Licketyspit way!”
Andre joined Licketyspit as an Actor-Pedagogue in August 2020. Through varied work as a performance practitioner, he has performed in others’ and his own shows.
