Ruth is the CEO. She’s a Yorkshire woman with a love of music, tea and biscuits. That love of music, combined with an early involvement at day centres for people with learning disabilities, led to the very first Under the Stars nightclub event in 2007.

She’s been at the helm throughout, and now her remit is much broader, from planning the future of the organisation to (still!) leading on the nightclub nights. Appropriately, Ruth also answers to ‘Captain’, a nickname given by one of our participants, as she feels it captures her role steering the Under the Stars ship – ‘sometimes through stormy times, sometimes calm waters, all whilst looking for new adventures for Under the Stars.’
Ruth says, ‘my favourite highlight would be hard to choose! I’ve had so many proud moments, especially watching people change, grow and develop as artists and performers. I am still surprised and blown away regularly by our groups’ work and their performances.

I am exceptionally grateful and thank my lucky stars for all my team, and this is one of my very favourite things about Under the Stars - our staff members, freelancers, trustees, clubbers, and of course our artists with learning disabilities for supporting each other and making such amazing art with us day in, day out.’

Anne is the Drama Programme Manager and she oversees the smooth running of the drama workshops and produces the fantastic drama shows that the groups create. She also loves to get involved with all the music gigs and events and can often be seen on the dancefloor at the nightclub.

Julia is a singer/songwriter who joined Under the Stars in 2012 as a freelance music workshop leader, working one day a week with the Sparkle Sistaz, our all-girl band. After seven years of dedicated work with the girls and falling in love with Under the Stars’ mission, Julia combined her managerial background with her musical talents and started working as our Development & Music Manager—a role she is deeply passionate about.

Julia loves that every day is different. One day she might be knee-deep in strategy planning or fundraising, and the next she’s being pulled into a workshop to support a musical jam.
Her absolute favourite thing about Under the Stars, though, is the staff team and the participants. It's the only place she’s ever worked where she feels able to be 100 percent herself and bring her crackers personality to every day—and it’s a joy!

Debbie is based in the main office Wednesday-Friday, supporting our workshops, events and management team. She has a background in supporting disabled people in Higher Education and working in the voluntary sector.
Debbie loves the varied nature of her role, chatting with the participants and especially enjoys the chance to join in with the nightclubs.

Claire joined us 9 years ago, starting around the same time that we took over Sooper Troopers, when the organisation had just doubled in size. In her busy role as Finance Manager, she is responsible for maintaining all of the Charity Accounts. She works closely with the Chief Executive and management team, accountant, Board of Trustees and other external agencies to make sure every penny is well spent and accounted for. She absolutely loves a good spreadsheet - and has been known to do a happy little dance when she gets things to balance!
Claire considers herself ‘very lucky to work with such a wonderful team, who all work so hard to deliver the best outcomes for our participants’ and finds the nightclubs a personal highlight, seeing people enjoy themselves and having a dance with a huge smile on their faces makes it all worthwhile!

Steve is our Lead Arts Practitioner in drama, and enjoys playing a part in helping to actualise participants' creative potential.

He feels extremely fortunate to be part of an organisation that genuinely cherishes and respects one another. He also loves to meditate and sees it as a magic tool for positive change.

Steve likes long boring films and considers himself to be very humble, probably the most humble person in the world!

With a background in all things creative, David has dabbled as a musician, DJ, illustrator and performer. He has also worked as a support worker and workshop facilitator for many years.
“What I love about under the stars is that every day is different. With a need to always combine people skills, patience and fluidity in our approach, there is never a dull moment. With the vast variety of people we work with, my favourite moments are when all the different elements come together in unison, inspiring and giving hope for a brighter world. I work with the Drama, Dance & Music departments, and feel lucky to be part of such a solid, creative and cohesive team.”

Stacey primarily works with the Friday Theatre Making Group but enjoys collaborating with our musicians sometimes too.

She has a background in acting and occasionally still follows that star - but mostly she is a freelance writer/facilitator and works with people of all ages, in all different types of settings to co-create new work, often with a musical element.

She has been working with us for four years now and loves the variety and freedom it offers, not to mention the abundance of dancing, singing and laughing - ‘It’s the most fun job I’ve ever had!’

Debby has been with Under the Stars since 2016 and describes herself as a ‘people person’ with a passion for creating inclusive drama projects. She works full-time, dedicating four days a week to our Drama groups, and also supports our admin, training needs, and nightclubs…..she is a godsend!
Debby’s creativity shines in her costume design and production for our shows. She loves the variety her role brings and finds huge satisfaction in seeing the drama groups showcase their achievements.

Michelle has been here ever since the Drama workshops at Under the Stars began. She works with our Friday Theatre Makers and loves all the individuality and talent within the group. She has a background in youth work and brings the skills she developed there - recognising and meeting the needs of lots of different people. She enjoys being part of the creative process and supporting our artists to turn their ideas into reality. Outside of work she loves to go on holiday and spend time with her family.

Rachel has been with us as a drama tutor with the Monday group since February 2019 and says she’s ‘loved every minute of it!’. Rachel enjoys the fun, creativity, talent and joy that every Monday brings. Her highlight is when Under the Stars actors perform their original plays at The Crucible to a sold out crowd.

Lauren is a performing arts facilitator, theatre director and performer. For us, she facilitates playful workshops that use dance, drama and singing to devise group-led multi-disciplinary performances. Her hobby of learning Makaton has merged with her love of movement, and exaggerated signing is often incorporated into many of the group dances. ‘We laugh a lot on Thursdays, whether it’s comically changing the lyrics to popular songs or creating pun-laden character sketches; Under the Stars on a Thursday is always an exciting, creative and joyous group to be part of.’

Grace was introduced to us by her grandma who volunteers in the Monday drama groups; Grace loved it so much she started volunteering herself! She quickly developed brilliant skills with our groups, and within a few months became a Cover Facilitator.

For Grace, the highlights of being part of the Under the Stars team are the shows, gigs and nightclubs as she loves when the groups get to show what they’ve been working on and how their hard work pays off! Grace really values the love and support that is always shown for everyone!

Rob is one of our music tutors, and works with the infamous Clubland Detectives. He is a multi-instrumentalist and has performed for over 30 years. He works with groups tutoring live music, developing songwriting skills, vocal, instrument and band skills, and helps our artists learn how to work in groups and perform live. Rob ‘really enjoys seeing a group develop into a band, form lasting friendships and go on to performing live.’

Moony is a musician, producer, sound recorder and visuals editor who consistently brings new ideas and energy to our music workshops. He believes that Under the Stars ‘does things differently’ and is passionate about keeping it that way. Moony loves hearing the original music created in the workshops and the enthusiasm of the people who make it. He is dedicated to enabling our participants' creativity, choice, and freedom in our workshops.

Moony worked at the very first music workshop back in September 2010 and over the years has been involved in some amazing adventures with us, preparing for and supporting our bands performances at the Tramlines festival, the Special Olympics, trips to London, and huge gigs at The Leadmill.

Molly is a producer and sound engineer, but playing live music and songwriting are also passions of hers. Since May 2024 she’s been sharing her skills with us, mostly working with the Sparkle Sistaz. With them, she’s enjoyed writing and producing a 'Summer Song', which culminated in a recording at a professional studio with Molly as the producer!

She says, “a great day for me at Under the Stars is when every participant feels that they've brought something to the table; when everyone jams and rates the song they just played as 11/10; when someone comes alive from music-making even if they've been having a hard day.”

Chris is an arts practitioner with years of experience (despite his young age) in a wide range of settings including child psychiatric units, youth justice, and SEN facilities. We were fortunate enough to have Chris involved right from the start of Under the Stars, and he has been critical to both the early and continued successes of our music workshops.
What keeps Chris involved with Under the Stars and excited about the future of our music workshops? He says it’s his ‘belief in participant led practice, and focusing on exploring everyone’s unique creative voice’, which is, of course, at the very heart of everything we do.

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Billie is a dedicated music facilitator who is passionate about making music accessible to everyone. With a background in singing, songwriting and music production, she leads inclusive workshops that inspire creativity, self-expression and confidence through music. Billie’s approach ‘is rooted in empathy, patience and a belief that music can be a powerful tool for personal development and joy, regardless of ability’.

Caitlin is an artist and facilitator, born and bred in Sheffield. She’s a Cover Facilitator at Under the Stars and describes feeling ‘like a fun supply teacher when I come in for the day - it's a truly joyous job; coming in and working on shows that are of a super high standard and a real reflection of the talent in the groups!’
Caitlin trained in Physical Theatre at East 15 Acting School, so she loves incorporating movement into our shows as it's such an accessible medium for telling stories and it really allows our participants to shine!

When Kitty works with us, she brings her specialist skills as a freelance audio producer, musician and DJ. This means that whether she’s facilitating a workshop or supporting the DJs at the Leadmill club nights, our participants are getting exceptional input. Kitty has been a valuable part of the team over the last six years and keeps coming back time and again because ‘laughing with our learners’ is the kind of highlight she’d never find elsewhere!

Sam is one of our cover tutors. A singer, guitarist and bouzouki player with over ten years’ experience working with communities around Yorkshire in songwriting and music making. His passion lies in using place and identity to pivot a way into building community and friendship through music making and songwriting.

When Sam recently worked with us he ran a series of workshops exploring the places that are important in people's lives. Rivers, chippies, parks, landscape, weather, memories and anecdotes led to a song entitled 'Home Before Dark', in which the narrator gets stuck on the way home and stares at the goings on in Sheffield through the tram window.

Jane is one of our short term specialist music facilitators, and finds that working with us unites the two passions in her life – music and community. As a practitioner she plays guitar, ukelele and banjo, though she is primarily a vocalist with a love of performing folk, roots and blues music. She also has extensive experience in the fields of community, social work, and education. Jane loves creating music alongside the Sparkle Sistaz, describing their sessions as ‘infectious fun!’

Rob is another of our specialist cover tutors, an electronic music artist and record producer who loves using Music Technology and DJ gear (including many types of gadgets and gizmos) to break down the barriers to making music. He really enjoys helping participants to explore sounds, melodies and beats and to create their own musical pieces and soundscapes.

A great day at Under the Stars for Rob, ‘is when all the stars align, and sometimes surprise. By this I mean the magic moments where people jamming or creating music together amaze me, the group or themselves. Whether it’s the day sessions or the nightclub events, seeing participants supporting each other and being respectful of each other's choices and how they want to express themselves always leaves me buzzing.’

Nicola is one of our music specialists, and is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She gigs internationally and nationally as a jazz singer and double bassist/bass guitarist with a variety of musical line-ups which also see her playing cello, piano and even viola…..you name it…Nicola plays it!

Nicola’s involvement with UTS has been as musical mentor for the Sparkle Sistaz, our ‘women only’ band, involving teaching vocal and instrument techniques; band songwriting, rehearsing and performance skills, and following up on many different musical ideas that may be suggested on the day!