Who We Are
Vision
Mission
As a socially engaged theatre company we:
- Make work with communities that has national ambition and mass appeal.
- Equip artists to deliver socially engaged arts projects.
We do this to achieve the following:
- Broaden access to theatre for those who do not usually get the opportunity to engage.
- Empower young people through the arts.
What we do:
Wonder Fools (WF) are a socially engaged theatre company and registered charity.
Since its inception in 2017, Wonder Fools has a proven track record of delivering high quality arts projects through the three strands of our programme:
– co-creating ambitious theatre productions with young people and communities
– producing innovative artist development initiatives
– delivering ground breaking creative engagement projects
We are a deeply passionate and creatively restless young theatre company. We are based in Glasgow, but our impact extends across Scotland, the UK, and around the world. Wonder Fools’ work spans various communities in Scotland with strategic focus areas including East Lothian, Dumfries & Galloway, Ayrshire, Perthshire and the Highlands. We tour our productions and projects throughout Scotland and have a broader national and international presence through Positive Stories for Negative Times.
Since 2020 alone our work has reached:
30,803 digital audiences
8080 live audiences
1300 workshop attendees
9,000 Positive Stories for Negative Times participants
18 countries
How we work and what’s important to us…
STORYTELLING – We listen to the individual stories that together make up modern Scotland and we find
the most inventive, bold and entertaining ways of sharing them.
CONNECTION – We have conversations with individuals and communities to discover our collective lived
experiences and bring society closer together through culture.
JOY – We provide a good night out. Whether its onstage or off, artist or audience, we want everyone to
have fun when they engage with WF.
EMPATHY – We respond individually to everyone we work with to create the most inclusive spaces. We not
only remove existing barriers but actively lead on finding new ways of broadening access for our artists,
audiences and communities.
ASPIRATION – We aim high. We push the ambition of our programme and working practices to be the
most dynamic and forward-facing theatre company leading the cultural conversation
‘I am just so continuously impressed by the heart and values at the core of Wonder Fools, everyone who is a part of WF or works with you has been so lovely, every production and project seems to hang on questions of story and accessibility, and I can’t think of a single other company whose name is so synonymous with fun and hope. No one else is doing theatre like you guys and the impact you have in people’s lives is huge. Just, thank you.’ – Sophie, Wonder Fools Youth Board Member, 2021
“One of the most vibrant young companies to emerge onto the Scottish theatre scene in recent years” – The Scotsman, 2021
“Surely one of Scotland’s best new companies.” – David Byrne (New Diorama/ Royal Court), 2018
“Fiercely curious Glasgow-based Wonder Fools company” – The Herald
Core Team
Co-Founder – Robbie Gordon (he/him)
Robbie Gordon is a theatre-maker born in Prestonpans specialising in making work with and for communities. He trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduating in 2016 with the Drama in Education Award. He is the joint Artistic Director of Wonder Fools alongside Jack Nurse and Creative Engagement Director at the Traverse Theatre.
For Wonder Fools: Writer and Movement Director of 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (Wonder Fools in association with the Citizens Theatre); Writer and Movement Director of The Coolidge Effect (Wonder Fools); Writer and Director of McNeill of Tranent: Fastest Man in the World (Wonder Fools): Producer of Meet Jan Black (Ayr Gaiety in association with Wonder Fools); Associate Director of Lampedusa (Citizens Theatre in association with Wonder Fools); Engagement Director And Then Come The Nightjars (Wonder Fools).
Selected creative Engagement work: Project Lead for the Positive Stories for Negative Times Festivals (Wonder Fools, Traverse Theatre, Eden Court, Ayr Gaiety, Perth Theatre in association with Youth Theatre Arts Scotland); Director and Producer of Class Act On Tour (Traverse Theatre); Director of Ayr Gaiety’s Culture Collective projects with Jack Nurse; Co-creator of the New Scottish Companies Programme (Ayr Gaiety); Speaker at the 2022 Edinburgh International Culture Summit at the Scottish Parliament; Producer and Director of Traverse Young Writers 2022 (Traverse Theatre); Creator of Open Your Lugs (Ayr Gaiety); lead artist (Ayrshire) on Danny Boyle’s Pages of the Sea (National Theatre of Scotland and 1418 NOW); Assistant on Jeremy Deller’s we’re here because we’re here (National Theatre of Scotland and 1418 NOW).
Other selected theatre work: Writer of When the Sun Meets The Sky (Traverse Theatre and Capital Theatres); Co-movement Director of The Enemy (National Theatre of Scotland); Movement Director of Eve Nicol’s Svengali (Pleasance Theatre in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre); Associate Director of Square Go (Francesca Moody Productions); Movement Director of the Lost Elves (Citizens Theatre in association with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Assistant Director for Julius Caesar (Company of Wolves); Assistant Director on Graham McLaren’s Dream On! (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and BBC Symphony Orchestra) and Research Assistant on Locker Room Talk (Traverse Theatre).
Co-Founder – Jack Nurse (he/him)
Jack is a director and theatre-maker. He co-founded Glasgow-based theatre company Wonder Fools in 2014.
Jack was recently an Origins Artist with Headlong (2021-2) and is currently Creative Engagement Director at the Ayr Gaiety, Artist in Residence (Creative Development) at the Traverse Theatre and artistic lead of the international participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times.
Training: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Theatre Studio Directors’ Course.
As Director/Writer:
549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War, The Coolidge Effect (Wonder Fools); When the Sun Meets the Sky (Traverse Theatre/Capital Theatres)
As Director:
And Then Come the Nightjars (Wonder Fools); Lampedusa (Citizens Theatre/Wonder Fools); Meet Jan Black (Wonder Fools/Ayr Gaiety); The Essence of the Job is Speed (Almeida Theatre); Larchview (National Theatre of Scotland); The Lost Elves (Citizens Theatre/RCS); The Mack, The Storm (Play, Pie, Pint/Traverse Theatre).
As Associate/Assistant Director:
Red Dust Road (National Theatre of Scotland/HOME); The Broons (Sell A Door); Dr Dolittle (Music & Lyrics); Oresteia: This Restless House (Citizens Theatre/National Theatre of Scotland), Blackbird (Citizens Theatre); The Winter’s Tale (Royal Lyceum); Hay Fever (Royal Lyceum/Citizens Theatre).
Head of Marketing & Communications – Serden Salih (he/him)
Serden is a freelance Marketing Manager with 10 years experience in theatre, film and events. He works with companies and artists to help deliver and manage marketing campaigns for projects across the UK.
Serden works with clients to manage the full marketing mix of their projects from strategic campaign management, developing new/current audiences, liaising with venues, management of social media channels, content creation for both digital and physical media, budgeting marketing spend and grass roots marketing outreach.
He has a background in the creative arts and graduated with an MA in Film, Television and Screen Media from Birkbeck, University of London, this led him to work as a Distribution Manager handling press/marketing for one of the UK’s most recognised LGBT film distributors, Peccadillo Pictures. Projects he has worked on have been seen at various festivals across the UK and internationally including the Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh Film Festival.
Show’s Serden has marketed:
And Then Come The Nightjars (Wonder Fools), 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (Wonder Fools), Positive Stories Festivals (Wonder Fools), The Bunker (The Gaiety & Wonder Fools), Òran (Wonder Fools), The Events (Cumbernauld Theatre & Wonder Fools), Battery Park (Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company), To Save The Sea (Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company), Blood Harmony (ThickSkin), Peak Stuff (ThickSkin), Bloody Elle (Traverse Theatre), WILF (Traverse Theatre), Same Team (Traverse Theatre), The Grand Old Opera House Hotel (Traverse Theatre), ADULTS (Traverse Theatre) and Last Chance To Save The Planet (Traverse Theatre).
He is based in Barcelona but work across the UK.
WONDER FOOLS YOUTH BOARD
The Wonder Fools Youth Board was created in June 2021 as part of our international participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times. The youth board is made up of 20 young people who help guide our work to ensure the selected plays are made for young people and have them in mind. This includes working with some of the best UK playwrights to dramaturg their plays from idea to final draft and ensure all seasons of Positive Stories for Negative Times have young people at the heart.
Since joining, the youth board alumni have helped shaped 16 new plays and staged two productions, Revolting by Bryony Kimmings at the Traverse Theatre in April 2022 and And The Name For That Is…? by Robert Softley Gale at The Gaiety as part of the Positive Stories Festival in 2023.
Wonder Fools are governed by a board of trustees, they are:
Chair Jeremy Wyatt, Maureen Beattie OBE, Robbie Gordon, Dominic Hill, Anne McCluskey,
Gary McNair, Harriet Mould, Jack Nurse, and Youth Board alumni Leo Shak and Vicky Macrae.