Sat 18th October 2025, 12:00-17:30
Leeds Student
Creative Network
Are you a student or graduate ready to make your first industry connections? This is the place for you! The Leeds Student Creative Network is a new event dedicated to bringing students the opportunity to meet and connect with local theatre companies, businesses and creative spaces to help support upcoming talent in the North. Not only will there be stalls with some of Leeds' most pivotal companies, but there will be a chance to attend panels with some of Leeds' leading artists (see below)!
Wether you're a student from Leeds Conservatoire, Leeds Beckett, Leeds Arts, Uni of, The Mill School of Performance, Northern Film School, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Notre Dame Sixth Form, Leeds City College or elsewhere, we welcome you with open arms!
Our Panelists
Here are announced panelists for the event!
13:30 - 14:00
Being Black & British: Before, During and After Drama School
Dermot Daly
Dermot Daly is an actor, director, writer and academic. His edited collection 'Being Black and British: Before, During and After Drama School' (Routledge), is the first of its kind, bringing together luminaries across the industry to talk about Black British actors; how we nurture them, how we train them and how we champion them.
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Outside of his written and academic research work Dermot has played roles across stage, screen and radio, has been nominated twice as Best Director at the Black British Theatre Awards, directed award winning Radio dramas for the BBC, runs the award winning film company chocolate bear, is on the jury of the Alfred Fagon and Mustapha Matura awards, sits on the boards of several artistic organisations and teaches at Leeds Conservatoire and Leeds Beckett University.
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Cheryl Martin
Since January 2024, Cheryl’s been lucky enough to be Artistic Director at Red Ladder Theatre in Leeds. Her first Red Ladder show Sanctuary toured nationally last year, and her second, A Proper Merry Christmess, starts a national tour in November.
While Co-Artistic Director of Black Gold Arts, her company was part of the Liverpool Eurovision 2023 cultural festival and won Best Event at the 2023 Manchester Culture Awards.
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​A Manchester Evening News Theatre Award winner as both writer [musical Heart and Soul, Oldham Coliseum Theatre] and director [Iron by Rona Munro, Contact], Cheryl directed The Walk: A Sleeping Child for 2021’s Manchester International Festival, which launched the journey of the giant puppet Little Amal. She loved directing Dominoes and Dahlias (+ Oware!) [Royal Exchange], Best Age-Friendly Outreach, Fantastic for Families Awards 2023, and had a blast directing family show Alicia’s Amazing Adventure: Finding the First Black Britons [Big Imaginations 2025].
14:15 - 14:45
How we created a company after graduation
Tyler Pickles
Tyler is a leeds-based actor, writer and producer. most well-known for his portrayal of ‘Liam’ in Channel 4's ‘Dreamers’. Tyler is the Founder and Creative Director of Rebel Roots Theatre Company, which he founded with the ambition of amplifying working-class voices and creating work for new talent.
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At the age of 23, Tyler is a growing name in TV & FIlm, having worked with Emmy Award winners from shows such as Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’, and has worked with some of the minds behind the likes of ‘Happy Valley’, ‘This is England’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Discovery of Witches’ and much more!
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This year Tyler made his stage writing debut with ‘Family First’ which received 5 stars from the Yorkshire Evening Post, describing the show as ‘A privilege to watch and the prime example of why local theatre should never die.’
During this panel, Tyler aims to share his experiences of creating new work post-graduation and how to get past the hurdles funding and producing.
@tylerwpickles
Linda-Ray Ndlovu
Linda-Ray Ndlovu is a Leeds based actress, artist, producer, and activist. She was born in Zimbabwe and grew up between Manchester, Kettering and South Africa. Linda-Ray graduated in 2023 with a BA in Acting at Leeds Conservatoire as well as taking on professional roles within the theatre and entertainment industry. Now with her own production company in Leeds, Linda-Ray is an advocate for new work and is pushing to grow her company by producing new theatre and other artistic practices. Overall, a passionate artist and advocate for artists, marginalised groups and communities.
@lindaray_ndlovu
15:00 - 15:30
Creating TV in Leeds
Lisa Holdsworth
Lisa is a writer/producer based in Leeds. She started her TV career in unscripted TV, but her passion has always been drama. Her first script commission was an episode of Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends. She then went on to join the Emmerdale writing team, before writing for New Tricks, winning the RTS Yorkshire Best Writer award for one of her episodes.
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She wrote extensively for the original Waterloo Road and returned to the show when it was rebooted. She wrote on the final series of Robin Hood for the BBC before moving on to write for Midsomer Murders including the fan favourite “Death by Cheese” episode. She has also written for Ackley Bridge, Call the Midwife and All Creatures Great & Small. And was Executive Producer on the third series of A Discovery of Witches for Sky.
In 2025, her first original series Dreamers was broadcast by C4. She is currently the TV Chair of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.
Demarkus Marks
Most well-known for his portrayal of 'Koby' in Channel 4's 'Dreamers', Demarkus Marks is an up and coming name in the world of TV.
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Having originally trained in Dance, 'Dreamers' was Demarkus' first TV credit, giving him the chance to express a combination of the two talents on screen.
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At the Leeds Student Creative Network, Demarkus will be talking about the experience of his first TV credit, the do's, the don'ts, and the secrets transitioning to the world of screen.
15:45 - 16:15
The Importance of New Work
Rachael Halliwell
Rachael is a Director, Dramatist, Producer and Mentor. A passionate Yorkshire lass who believes in the life changing power of Theatre and Live Arts.Rachael creates and develops work which prioritises Women at the heart of the story. Rachael is an Associate Artist with Elysium Theatre, Harrogate Theatre and a Supported Artist with Sheffield Theatres and is delighted to be a Screen Yorkshire: Mayor’s Script Diversity Fund Recipient 2025.
Rachael is Co-Creative Director of All Points North Productions and is on a creative mission to amplify Northern Voices and champion female-led narratives. Their inaugural initiative Taking up Space micro commissioned 4 older Women Playwrights whose short plays were showcased at Leeds Playhouse and Sheffield Theatres.
Rachael’s critically acclaimed work has been supported by audiences across the UK including: Carriageworks, Lowry Theatre, Georgian Theatre Royal – Richmond
Key Theatre, Theatre Deli, The Space, Torch Theatre, Brockley Jack, Camden Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and Arts Theatre, London.
Finalist with Sirens at Short & Sweet Festival - Yorkshire.
Award Winner for One of a Kind - TTS Online Festival
She regularly mentors, champions and supports women, especially in the North of England and across the Yorkshire community.
Beth Knight
Beth is a director, dramaturg and facilitator with a focus on developing new, dynamic and heart-full theatre through a collaborative and socially-engaged practice. She is co-director of archipelago arts collective, an organisation that makes bold, generous, musical work. She is a supported artist at Sheffield Theatres and in 2025 was longlisted for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director's Award.
She has significant experience of making with and for young people and artists in training with organisations including Leeds Playhouse, Contact Theatre, Storyhouse, Sheffield Theatres, Theatre Centre and Leeds Conservatoire. She is a Mentor Director for the National Theatre on their Connections programme.
She is currently developing new works with writers Brid Addison-Child and Chloe Wade as a Director-Dramaturg; including archipelago’s newest production Shirley: An Awakening, a gig-theatre reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s novel.