About
Us

Set up in 1987, Spectrum Drama is a leading UK provider of historic and contemporary drama for schools, corporate events, museums and heritage sites. The company currently comprises a team of highly experienced actors plus researchers, writers, costumiers, prop makers and AV experts.

Our motto is ‘Education Through Entertainment’

The company is headed by Suzanne Rayner and Richard Hodder backed up by a team of museum and theatre professionals.

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Our Leadership Team

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Suzanne Rayner

Director

Suzanne has extensive theatre experience in touring productions, repertory theatre and in London's West End. Favourite roles in the theatre include Audrey in 'Little Shop of Horrors', Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and the lead in the Noel Coward musical Bittersweet. She can be regularly heard on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. She is co-author with Susanna Owen of a play on the life of Lady Colin Campbell. She is also a qualified vocal coach.

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Richard Hodder

Director

Richard worked in industry and was a lecturer in Business and Finance before he re-trained as an actor. He has worked in the West End, on tours - both major and small scale - and appears regularly in adverts and voiceovers.

He is also a director with credits ranging from Shakespeare to Ayckbourn and has lectured at Shakespeare’s Globe on the South Bank.

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Colin Uttley

Our Consultant

Colin has over 20 years of experience as an actor and writer for major museums. Before working with Spectrum Drama, he was head of programmes at the Science Museum London.

Away from Spectrum, Colin has written and performed in award-winning shows in the Brighton Festival and recently played Sunday Times editor, Harry Hodson in the play Like a Chemist from Canada.

Associate Artists

We confer the title of Associate Artist on those who have made an outstanding commitment and contribution to Spectrum Drama, our philosophy and our work. In turn, we are committed to frequent collaborations with our Associates, on a project by project basis.

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Jane Cartwright

Jane has worked on projects for Spectrum for over twenty years and during this period has been commissioned to research, write, devise and deliver events for schools and family audiences. Among many other characters, Jane can regularly be seen playing Amy Johnson at The Science Museum and Florence Nightingale at The Florence Nightingale Museum.

Jane also delivers outreach to schools and multi-sensory storytelling for SEN groups, and has attained modules 1 - 4 of Makaton for Professionals. Recently, she has completed a degree with the University of Surrey examining the relevance and importance of theatre in a museum setting; bridging the gaps in a museum’s narrative, and connecting the objects with the human story. Jane has also worked in mainstream theatre, Theatre in Education, film and voice-over.

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Julie Gamble -  Creative Consultant

Julie trained at the Guildford School of Acting and has worked on projects with Spectrum for over 20 years. She has a special interest in working with KS3 and 4. Favourite roles with Spectrum include Kitty Marion, Suffragette and escaped slave Ellen Craft.

Julie is an Arts Award Advisor and has worked on many of our training programmes with young people and fellow museum professionals.

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Simon Fraser

Simon has worked as an actor, musician and drama facilitator for 30 years. He has been involved with Spectrum Drama since 2007, presenting numerous characters including Isambard Brunel, Nicholas Hawksmoor and Jean Pellicorne, the subject of a Rembrandt portrait.

He has written music for many theatre productions, two operas and an oratorio 'Paradise Lost', that premiered at the Three Choirs Festival, Hereford, as well as an orchestral suite 'At Caerlaverock' which was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Kenwood House.

Simon is also Associate and Musical Director of Absolute Theatre.

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