We work together to strengthen the voices of parents & carers. We encourage a new mindset, that parents and carers enrich the performing arts. We show what’s possible by amplifying the successes of our partner organisations. We respect and value what everyone brings to PiPA.
We respect and value what everyone brings to PiPA.
We work together to strengthen the voices of carers and parents.
We encourage a new mindset – that parents and carers enrich the performing arts.
We show what’s possible by amplifying the successes of our partner organisations.
With an anti-racist approach, we seek to address the intersections of race, gender, class, disability, and homophobia with caregiving responsibilities.
This is an ongoing journey, and we are dedicated to continuous listening, learning, reflection, and action.
We may not always get it right but we are open to feedback and ready to listen.
As a team, we will approach this work with humility and determination to create lasting change.
They were there to confront the career-stalling impact of caring responsibilities on working in the performing arts. They heard from actors suddenly unable to work because they’d had a baby and dads missing the birth of their child because ‘the show must go on.’
Three months later, PiPA was born. Actor and director turned changemakers, they set about building a force for equity in the arts. (Photo 1 & 2 by Abby Warren)
Bringing together a consortium of organisations including The Old Vic, Equity and UK Theatre, they started to reshape policy and practice.
Their work sparked sector-wide transformation, with organisations urgently embracing the need to support this struggle and under-represented community of parents and carers.
This fuding allowed PiPA to become a small but mighty sector support organisation, and play a part in the agenda for change and inclusivity in the performing arts.
In 2021, PiPA officially become an Investment Principles Support Organisation as part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio.
The future for PiPA and the performing arts is bold, inclusive, and flexible. Workplaces are evolving and offering support, adaptability, and equity.
But we have to keep up the work and continue to support and educate the sector – so that a new generation of creatives can thrive without compromising care, creativity, or ambition.
Laura is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has over 25 years’ experience in Human Resources. She spent 14 years at the BBC. After taking a career break to have her 4th child Laura went on to spend 5 years at University of the Arts , London as Associate Director of HR. In 2022 she joined the National Theatre as Director of People. Along with her work on the PiPA board she is Chair of Trustees at The Theatre Shed, an inclusive theatre company based in Buckinghamshire where she lives with her husband, 4 children and dog.
Gemma is Head of Finance at the Wales Millennium Centre and is a member of the Senior Management Team. The Centre is a Charity working closely with communities and young people, bringing the arts to a wider audience as well as being a presenting house for large-scale productions. She worked at the Young Vic and Lyric Hammersmith before moving into the commercial theatre sector, working on a number of commercial productions including Dirty Dancing, Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake and The Bodyguard.
Taio is the Genesis Fellow/Associate Director of the Young Vic. He has also been Associate Director of Kiln Theatre. He is RTYDS Resident Director at Sheffield Theatres. As a director he works across theatre and installations. Director credits include: Hamilton (Resident Director). An Unfinished Man (The Yard
Theatre), NW Trilogy (Kiln Theatre), HOME Digital (Young Vic Theatre), Macbeth (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), Hang (The Crucible, Sheffield), White Devil (East 15 Acting School), Home – Installation (Young Vic Theatre).
Constance Oak is a Freelance Stage Manager and Facilitator and has worked for a number of major venues including The Royal Court, National Theatre, Young Vic, and West End.
A visionary for inclusive workspaces, Shazia Mustafa is PiPA’s Interim Co-Chair. As founder of Third Door, she created the blueprint for family-friendly coworking. She now leverages this expertise through Inclusive Placemaking, working with institutions on building profitable, impact-driven spaces while spearheading hyperlocal community resilience projects, connecting large-scale strategy with grassroots action.
Working at PiPA is all about flexibility and autonomy.
We’re a remote organisation, who meet up every now and then.
We’re proud of the way we work and what it offers our people.