Tricky Hat Productions is a company that makes multi-art form theatre with and about people who live on the margins of our society. They work with people to find a creative and credible voice through participation in high quality, collaborative, cross-arts events alongside high calibre artists. They work in collaboration with agencies, artists and areas in Scotland and internationally.
The Flames is Tricky Hat’s performance company for creative people aged 50 plus. Tricky Hat first established The Flames in Autumn 2016 as part of the Luminate Festival with participants working with professional practitioners to explore ideas, before devising pieces for live performance. The company uses performance, film and specially composed music to explore stories about life after fifty, challenging our perceptions of ageing.
Tricky Hat Productions brings The Flames to Cove Park at the beginning of every year for invaluable time and space to explore and experiment with the theatre, dance, music and audio-visual art forms they use. They challenge themselves, and The Flames, to create new ideas and approaches through art form collaborations.
Fiona Miller, Artistic Director
Fiona Miller is the Artistic Director of Tricky Hat Productions and the Director of The Flames. Fiona has worked extensively as a freelance director and theatre maker, immersing herself in large scale productions in Scotland such as “Witches Blood” in Dundee, and “City ” in Glasgow (European City of Culture 1990), to 1 to 1 performances for National Theatre of Scotland’s “99…100”. She pioneered Youth Theatre in Scotland – helping establishing the importance of theatre in younger people’s lives. A big focus of her work at the moment is to help recognise the importance of theatre created by older people in Scotland and internationally. As well as producing new work, Fiona teaches and is a consultant for arts organisations and has been part of many pilot research projects in Scotland. The key to Fiona’s success is always working collaboratively across art forms, devising productions with the full participation of all involved. She continues to engage with, deliver and understand the breadth of work constituting her field.
Eoin McKenzie, Assistant Director and Outreach Office
Eoin McKenzie is the Assistant Director and Outreach Office at Tricky Productions. Eoin is an artist from Glasgow who works across performance, choreography, and research. At the core of his practice is a deep engagement with methodologies of participation and collaboration with his artistic works-and their processes-emerging in response to the people, places, and context she is working with. He was an Accelerator Artist with Imaginate 22/23 and is currently an Associate Artist with Platform in Easterhouse.
Kim Beveridge, Audio Visual Designer
Kim Beveridge is a freelance digital artist, documentary film maker and Audio Visual Designer for The Flames. Alongside Tricky Hat, Kim has worked with companies such as the National Theatre of Scotland, Tramway and the Arches. Her portfolio includes creating audio and visual work such as The Missing Audio Journey for the National Theatre of Scotland, and Roadkill by Stef Smith, directed by Cora Bissett. Alongside her freelance artistic work, Kim is also a Film & Television Lecturer in New College Lanarkshire in Scotland.Mick Slaven, Musician & Composer
Mick Slaven is a musician and composer and creates original music for The Flames. As a musician, Mick has worked with many artists including Deacon Blue and Del Amitri. His theatre portfolio includes Passing Places by Stephen Greenhorn, and Gagarin Way by Gregory Burke. Alongside creating credits and writing and performing in shows, Mick immerses himself within community projects; using music to connect with elderly people, children and mental health groups.
Aya Kobayashi, Dancer & Choreographer
Aya is a Glasgow-based dancer and choreographer originally from Japan and directs movement with The Flames. She works in the field of performance and movement exploration. She teaches, performs and creates her own work with both professionals and communities. She practices improvisational performances and is a member of Collective Endeavours. Aya works extensively with inclusive and intergenerational groups, recently she joined Barrowland Ballet as an Associate Artist and leading their intergenerational company Wolf Pack. She directed a large-scale community dance in Ofunato, one of the tsunami disaster area of North Japan as part of Sanriku International Arts Festival in 2015/16. Aya’s work has been presented in Tate Gallery, The Place, Royal Festival Hall, Northern Ballet, Paralympics 2012 torch relay ceremony, Cairo, Madrid, Tokyo and Queretaro in Mexico.
Laura Bradshaw, Performance & Movement Artist
Laura Bradshaw is an artist working within performance, movement and dance, and directs movement with the Flames.
Working with the autobiography of the body, intuitive movement and practices of embodiment Laura makes performance works for theatre and dance spaces, galleries, healthcare contexts and outdoor spaces. She develops creative movement processes which invite a connection to the living, present body in relationship with other and environment. Laura graduated from BA (hons) Contemporary Theatre Practice at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and MA Dance and Somatic Wellbeing at University of Central Lancashire.
Elle Crockart, General Manager & Producer
Elle Crockart is Tricky Hat Production’s General Manager and Producer of The Flames. With a background in theatre and live performance, Ellen has worked in a number of roles as an Arts Manager, Producer, Stage Manager and Performer. She has worked across festivals, national tours, venues, outdoor performance, community engagement and digital projects. She has worked for a number of Scottish-based organisations including Tramway, Take Me Somewhere, Festival 2018 and Rapture Theatre.
