tutt frutti club

This year the tutti frutti club is coming to Harehills, Leeds. Local children from Harehils School will have the opportunity to attend this weekly creative club and experience a variety of different art forms after school.

Thanks to funding from Leeds Inspired and George A Moore Foundation, we will be running weekly creative sessions at Harehills School and Shine in Harehills for free for local children. The weekly workshops will explore a variety of theatre related art forms and are designed specifically for primary age children.  Participants will explore design, drama, storytelling, music, movement and puppetry.  A group of talented artists will be delivering a variety of workshops across the programme bringing innovative, age appropriate activities that are truly inspiring and creative.

The aim of the club is to develop self-expression, self-esteem, future aspirations, discover team working through the arts and uncover participants creative abilities.

To get in contact about the Tutti Frutti Club please email suvi@tutti-frutti.org.uk.

Creative Team

Chris O’Connor

Chris O’Connor is a professional playwright from Leeds who has written for organisations such as the Leeds Playhouse, BBC Radio and Red Ladder Theatre Company. His work has covered a range of topics from the IRA, masculinity to the migrant crisis. As well as this he also co-hosts the Mantality Magazine podcast, promoting positive mental health practices in men.

Christella Litras

Music Director

Christella Litras is a songwriter, musicians, composer, vocal arranger, record produce, creative support officer (Leeds Playhouse) and founding member of Caution Collective. Christella has a strong interest in World music, is heavily interested in Caribbean music and is known for her collaborations and tours with World Musicians, such as Ella Andall and Motown legends, such as Martha Reeves. She assisted in the production of Rob Green’s album Blue which was 3rd in the ITunes RnB Charts. Recently she was comissioned to compose the musical score for Windrush: Movement of the People by Phoenix Dance Theatre, which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush and the Caribbean residents that traveled to the UK. A protégée of Geraldine Connor she is heavily involved in the Geraldine Connor foundation contributing to many successful projects.

Dora Rubinstein

Dora trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Credits include Cinderella (Cast, Doncaster), Digital Ghost Hunt (York Theatre Royal), Peter Pan, Aladdin (The Dukes, Lancaster), The Wizard of Oz (Leicester Square Theatre), Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (The Young Shakespeare Company), The Ballad of Robin Hood (Southwark Playhouse). She also performs and teaches circus skills such as contortion and acrobatics, and is currently developing an interactive circus/theatre show for families in partnership with Dance City, Newcastle. Dora lives in York and is very happy to be spending Christmas at Castle Howard!

Eleanor Manners

Eleanor Manners is a Theatre Maker, Voice & Dialect Coach and facilitator, having graduated from The Arden School of Theatre, Birmingham Conservatoire and Rose Bruford she now works nationally in theatre across the UK. As a Theatre Maker she was an Associate Director on The Wizard of Oz at Leeds Playhouse, Assistant Director on Searching for the Heart of Leeds and is currently part of the RTYDS New Directions programme.

Eleanor also works as voice & dialect coach on productions at theatres including The Royal Court, The Bridge, Talawa Theatre, Young Vic and The National Theatre. Eleanor Has always had participation work at her core starting initially working with young people and is a member of the award winning Creative Engagement department at Leeds Playhouse as their Associate Participation Practitioner.

Sandrine Monin

After graduating from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Danse de Lyon (France), Sandrine pursued her studies in Germany as part of the European programme D.A.N.C.E and graduated from Palucca Hochschule Dresden with a Masters Degree.

As professional dancer, she worked with varied choreographers and performed for renowned companies (Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Phoenix Dance Theatre) around Europe and the UK.

In parallel of her performing career, she has developed her own choreographic work, creating works on companies, youth groups and music video as well as teaching classes and workshops. She is now based in Leeds, working as a freelance dance artist and choreographer.

Set & Costumer Designer- Warda Abbasi

A Miniature Model-Maker with a focus on sets for Theatre, Film, TV and Commercials. Of my own initiative over the past few years, I have self-taught many of the necessary skills for design and model making. I am furthering my personal development within Prop Making & Set Decorating. Currently I am freelancing as a Craft Creator for Tutti Frutti and I am a mentee on Set Access: A UK Film Talent Development Programme from Creative Access & Guy Ritchie.