Our Approach

Tonic Theatre was created in 2011 to support the theatre industry to achieve greater gender equality in its workforces and repertoires. Today, Tonic partners with leading theatre companies around the UK on a range of projects, schemes and creative works.

Tonic’s approach involves getting to grips with the principles that lie beneath how our industry functions – our working methods, decision-making processes, and organisational structures – and identifying how, in their current form, these can create barriers. Once we have done that, we devise practical yet imaginative alternative approaches and work with our partners to trial and deliver them. Essentially, our goal is to equip our colleagues in UK theatre with the tools they need to ensure a greater level of female talent is able to rise to the top.

Our Work Beyond Theatre

While we were created to achieve change in the UK theatre industry, it soon became apparent to us – and others – that the unique approach Tonic had developed could be of use beyond theatre alone. Today we work across many areas of the arts and the wider creative industries, and have collaborated with major dance and opera companies, delivered training to visual arts, literature and music organisations, and been consulted by film funding bodies and membership organisations.

Our Work Beyond Gender Equality

A commitment to gender equality remains at the core of our work but we also use the tools we have developed to support organisations that want to move forward in regards to wider issues around diversity, representation, and access. Tonic understands the intersections that exist between these areas and specialises in providing tools that enable a root and branch approach to addressing systemic imbalances.

Lucy Kerbel

Director

Prior to founding Tonic, Lucy was an award-winning theatre director. It was while directing around the UK that Lucy became interested in the question of gender equality in theatre. She recognised the industry would need better support if it were to achieve greater gender balance in its workforces and repertoires and so in 2011 she founded Tonic to go some way towards achieving this.

Vicky Long

Tonic Associate

Vicky is a consultant and producer, working across the arts. She tends to be involved in projects that aim at some kind of cultural shift. She has extensive experience of working with artists and arts organisations on the subject of climate change. She also works as a facilitator, looking with clients within and beyond the cultural sector at matters of organisational change.

Vanessa Kang

Coordinator

Before joining Tonic Theatre, Vanessa spent 8 years dancing at Rambert, performing in theatres and festivals around the UK, Europe and Asia. Since 2014, she also worked with Stephen Wright Photography and has helped the independent business secure clients in the British sports scene and the performing arts industry.

Trustees

Tonic Trustees

Tonic’s Trustees include Anna Vaughan, Craig Bennett, Eleanor Lang, Kirsty Starkey, Mee-Ling Skeffington, Moira Buffini, Sabina Mohideen and Trustee Chair, Sita McIntosh.