Staff Team

ANN PAUL
Chief Executive

Ann Paul joined Pluto Productions this year following her role as inaugural Chief Executive at the Doctors In Distress charity. Ann has had a lengthy and varied career, having spent nearly two decades working in the commercial sector in the UK, Singapore and the Philippines. After moving into the not-for-profit sector, Ann has held leadership positions in a range of health and social care settings.

“Having commissioned a play from Pluto Productions in a former capacity,” says Ann, “I have an excellent understanding of the impact that these plays have on audiences. I was very keen to work with the Pluto team and use my knowledge and experience along with theirs, to enable the charity to grow and develop further.

“Pluto Productions has some very gifted and committed people involved in its work. They have an alchemy that produces some powerful and sometimes intensely moving dramas all based on real stories that deserve to be seen.”

Brian Daniels
Artistic Director/Writer in Residence

Brian Daniels is an established and award-winning playwright whose plays include ‘Where’s Your Mama Gone’ a play exploring the impact on her children of the first victim of the Yorkshire Ripper; ‘The Good and the True’ toured the UK and then was produced in New York, off-Broadway and was widely reviewed and acclaimed. Since 2015 Brian has developed a unique reputation for writing plays around health and social care issues. “These plays have largely been commissioned by the NHS and hospice sectors, “he explains, “as well as by individuals and social care organisations wanting to raise awareness of particular health issues.

“‘Let’s Talk Lymphoedema’, for example, is a play exploring the issues around this little-known disease and ‘Beneath the White Coat’ looks at the challenges faced by members of the medical profession and their own mental health challenges. ‘Unforgettable - telling the care home story’ explores the impact of the Covid pandemic on the residential care sector.”

Brian was the Artistic Director of the New End Theatre, Hampstead between 1997 to 2011 where he produced more than 200 new plays and musicals. In his own right, he has written 27 plays for Pluto Productions.

BEVERLY TAYLOR
PA to Brian Daniels

Bev joined Pluto Productions in 2008 as a Personal Assistant to Brian Daniels who was also running the New End Theatre, Shaw Theatre and New Players Theatre in London’s West End. Over the past 15 years, Bev has embraced all administrative aspects of Pluto Productions and manages the finance and statutory side of the company. Prior to joining, Bev worked for a range of NHS and Academic institutions and is also the Administrator of a major UK Dance Organisation.

SOPHIE TURNER
Programming Director

Sophie has worked as Programming Director for Pluto Productions since 2018. She started her working life at Theatre Royal Bath and has also worked as as a PA/administrator in various roles, including in BBC TV Drama/Plays, Film & TV tie-ins for Penguin Books, the Marketing Department at Christie’s and in the Events Office at the RIBA.  Most recently she has worked as a project manager for the drama-based training company, Steps Drama.

Shwan Rashid
Team Support Manager

Shwan came to the UK from Northern Iraq as an economic refugee. He joined Pluto Productions as a volunteer intern nearly 10 years ago and has learned the language and technical aspects of theatre production. He assists the company with technical and practical support for all performances and looks forward to becoming more fluent and attending technical classes to develop his skills further.