About Us

Meet the Team

Gemma Paget, BA (hons), MA, FRSA, Associate Creative Director

Gemma is a highly skilled creative therapist who holds a Masters Degree in dramatherapy from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.   This, combined with her training as an actress at Manchester Metropolitan’s School of Theatre, and her vast experience as both an actress and a theatre-maker over the past 20 years, has given her a unique perspective on how to use clowning, story-telling, role method and internal family systems to inform the development and the application of our applied theatre projects and interventions.  She is a fellow of The Royal Society of Arts and believes passionately in the power of theatre and stories to create change.

Directing credits include:

Unacceptable, Click, Behind Closed Doors, CountyLines, Chelsea’s Story, Going to Extremes, In the Net, ToughLove (AlterEgo).

Performing credits include:

Loaded, She Stoops to Conquer, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Stand, Behind Closed Doors (AlterEgo). Gut Girls (Outfox Productions), Othello, Romeo & Juliet, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, As You Like It (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), Eight (Henley Fringe Festival), Never Saw the Day (Walking Forward Theatre), Blue Eyed Cat (Etcetera Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tacit Theatre), Richard III (Bloomsbury Theatre). FILM & TV : The Streets of Narm (Feature), Ford Vignalle (Commercial), The Hunt (Web Series), Bide (Short Film), HP Printers (Commercial), The Ex, the Date & the Lover (Short Film), Last Breath (Music Video), The Three of Us (Short Film), Call Me (Short Film).

Sean McGrath, FRSA, Creative Director

Sean’s journey through the world of theatre can be viewed through the lens of narrative alchemy. As an actor, he was exposed to the transformative power of storytelling, and as a director and writer, he learned how to shape and guide narratives to create something new.

Through his ongoing professional development, including his current pursuit of an MSt in Writing for Performance at The University of Cambridge, Sean continues to refine his understanding of the alchemical process of storytelling. His work as Creative Director for AlterEgo and associate director for The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival demonstrates his commitment to harnessing the power of narrative to create immersive theatrical experiences.

Sean’s academic interests, including behavioural and cognitive psychology, narrative theory, trauma-informed approaches, and Jungian alchemy, reflect his desire to delve deeper into the transformative potential of storytelling. He believes that these theories can be used to create meaningful connections between actors and audiences, enhance the rehearsal process, and improve the delivery of a project.

He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.

Directing credits include:

Unacceptable, Invictus, Breaking the Chain, CountyLines, Click, Chelsea’s Story, Going to Extremes, Kourtney’s Choice, In the Net, Enslaved, Working it Out, Missing the Picture, Behind Closed Doors, ToughLove, Beyond the Warzone, Money Matters, She Stoops to Conquer, Stand, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Meeting Shakespeare, Loaded (AlterEgo), Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival),, 7Beats (University of Northampton 3rd yr BA Acting), Macbeth (BlackCat Theatre), Rated, In the Dark, Smashed (Jackpot Training).

Assistant directing credit include:

Hedda Gabler (Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton – 2012 Cultural Olympiad)

Writing credits include:

Unacceptable, Invictus, Breaking the Chain, CountyLines, Crossing the Line, Click, Enslaved, Chelsea’s Story, Going to Extremes, Kourtney’s Choice (US adaptation), Missing the Picture, Behind Closed Doors, In the Net, Crashing, Working it Out, ToughLove, Beyond the Warzone, Money Matters, Meeting Shakespeare (AlterEgo), Rated, In the Dark, Smashed (Jackpot Training).

Performing credits include:

Othello, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors, Macbeth (Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), Welcome Back, The Price (Walking Forward Theatre), To Close & Kill (Theatre 503), An Imperfect Instrument (Arcola Theatre – Scratch), Tamburlaine II (Shakespeare’s Globe – Read not Dead), A Guinea Too Much (Mansfield Palace Theatre), The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing (ShakespeareWorks), An Urban Folk Tale (Diorama Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tacit Theatre).

Marian Allen Finance Administrator

What do we do?

AlterEgo Creative Solutions Ltd is one of the leading Applied Theatre & Film production companies in the UK.  As a not-for-profit social enterprise, our primary focus is on creating positive change through the art of storytelling. We call this approach ‘Narrative Alchemy.’

Our team collaborates with various organisations, including schools, colleges, charities, government bodies, the NHS, and private companies, to develop and deliver impactful productions. We explore topics such as safeguarding, cultural, health, wellbeing, and social issues through our unique Narrative Alchemy style.

Our portfolio of work includes projects on child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, domestic abuse & coercive control, radicalisation & extremism, hate crime, knife crime, sexism & sexist behaviours, emotional resilience, internet safety, and diversity. By raising awareness and initiating conversations around these issues, we hope to contribute towards a better world.

Why Applied Theatre?

1. Empowerment: We believe that Applied Theatre can empower individuals and communities by giving them a voice and helping them to take action on issues that affect them. By creating opportunities for observation, participation and collaboration, applied theatre can help individuals to feel more engaged and invested in creating change.
2. Awareness-raising: Applied Theatre raises awareness about social issues by presenting them in a theatrical context. By using storytelling and performance, we can create an emotional connection with audiences, leading to greater understanding and empathy.
3. Dialogue and discussion: Applied Theatre provides a platform for dialogue and discussion, allowing audiences to reflect on the themes and messages presented in the performance. This can help to create a sense of shared understanding and can lead to greater collaboration and action.
4. Skills development: Applied Theatre helps to develop a range of skills, including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity. These skills can be applied to a range of contexts, helping individuals and communities to become more empowered and effective in creating change.
5. Policy change: Applied Theatre can also be used to influence policy and create change at a higher level. By presenting issues in a compelling and engaging way, applied theatre can help to shift public opinion and put pressure on decision-makers to take action.

Our projects create change by empowering individuals and communities, raising awareness, fostering dialogue and discussion, developing skills, and influencing policy.  They are a powerful tool for creating positive social change and can help to promote greater understanding, empathy, and collaboration within organisations and communities.

How do stories create change?

Theatre is a form of storytelling and can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and creating behavioral change.

1. Identification: Stories allow audiences to identify with characters and their situations, helping them to see the relevance of the story to their own lives. This identification can help to create empathy and understanding, which can in turn lead to positive behavioral change.
2. Experiential learning: Stories provide audiences with an immersive experience that can allow them to observe and explore different behaviors and their consequences. This can help to create a sense of empathy for others and encourage audiences to consider the impact of their own, and others’, behavior.
3. Emotional impact: Stories evoke strong emotions in audiences, such as fear, anger, sadness, and joy. This emotional impact can create a sense of urgency and motivation to take action and make a change.
4. Role modeling: Stories present positive role models and demonstrate behaviors that audiences can emulate. By seeing and hearing about positive behaviours, audiences may be inspired to adopt these behaviors in their own lives.