Gordon Poad
Gordon founded and led Cap-a-Pie from 1996 to 2016 developing an innovative and high quality programme of theatre and drama experiences for many and diverse audiences. In 2016 Gordon stepped down as the company director to pursue a career in education consultancy. Gordon is still very much involved with Cap-a-Pie through his role as the company’s honorary patron.
Gordon’s notable achievements at Cap-a-Pie include establishing The Store, a theatre based healthy living centre and venue in North West Durham; developing, producing and touring over thirty small and medium scale theatre productions and developing a rich programme of partnership projects attracting over £4m non arts funding into a wide range of theatre arts projects.
Gordon started his career as a member of Skin and Bones Theatre Collective in Newcastle in 1981. After completing a two-year acting training course at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, he worked as an Actor and opened the Quayside restaurant and venue Heartbreak Soup. On graduating with a first in Drama from the University of Northumbria, Gordon founded Cap-a-Pie. In 2012 Gordon gained a Masters with distinction in Creative and Critical Practice in Educational Settings based on personal research.
An experienced performer, director and facilitator, Gordon’s principal skill is the ability to blend all three. His strong sense of theatricality underpins a thorough practical and theoretical ability to deliver inspiring group workshops, and he believes passionately in sharing these skills with emerging artists. His facilitation style celebrates the notion of “enquiry” and his Dramatic and Creative Enquiry approaches have been used across the UK and as far afield as Malaysia, Norway, Sweden and Latvia.
