VX Labs

Artists Panel

The VX Labs Artist Panel

The Artist Panel is a collegial forum to share ideas and thoughts, acting as a sounding board for VX’s Lab Programme.

The panel will meet between two and four times a year to ask insightful questions that encourage the programme to develop clarity on findings, and processes, and next steps. As a forum for honest, open reflection, the panel will encourage us to be innovative in driving forward change through the Labs programme and share insight as to how the work and findings of the Labs can be applied to the benefit of disabled artists in the sector.

The panel comprises: Stevie Cairns, Katie Erich, Jacqui Ham, Humira Imtiaz, Kane John Mills, Sonny Nwachukwu, and Simi Roach.

A notebook with hand-drawn sketches and handwritten notes, including arrows, scales, lines, shapes, and brief phrases, lies open on a dark surface.

I am honoured to be working with Vital Xposure and incredibly excited to be a part of a group working towards uplifting diverse voices.

Simi Roach

Meet the Artist Panel

Panel

Black and white photo of a black man who is sitting down but you can't see the chair. he is not looking directly into the camera.

Sonny Nwachukwu (he / him)

Sonny Nwachukwu is a published writer, director, choreographer and performer based in Peterborough. As a storyteller he incorporates dance and literature making his work relevant, unique, vibrant and thought-provoking. His works focuses on the African and Caribbean Diaspora. Sonny’s academic background in Psychology informs much of his work and he is keen to tackle issues seen as taboo or ‘different’. Recent projects include Saturn Returns (2022) for Unlimited Festival and new work in progress Eve and Cain (2023).

Black and white close-up photo of a white blonde woman. She looks to the camera and smiles cheerfully.

Stevie Cairns (she / her)

Stevie is a Visually Impaired Theatre Maker and Stand-Up Comedian based in Doncaster. She has over 15 years of teaching and facilitating creative arts education. Her recent projects include an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice grant, Cultural Education Manager based at Cast in Doncaster and an early years theatre commission from Barnsley Libraries.

A woman with white skin, blue eyes and long dark brown hair, sat in front of a pink wall. They are wearing a black sweatshirt and gold hoop earrings.

Katie Erich (she / they)

Katie is a deaf, disabled and ND actor originally from Merseyside.
Acting credits include Richard III (Shakespeare’s Globe), Wellspring Writer’s Showcase (Vital Xposure), Wind In The Willows (Shakespeare North Playhouse), Julius Caesar (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Orange Tree Theatre), Oliver Twist (Leeds Playhouse/Ramps on the Moon)
Katie has also worked as an access and captioning consultant/advisor for a number of projects.

Black and white photo of a Kashmiri person with dark curly hair, glasses and a goofy grin.

Humira Imtiaz

Humira Imtiaz is a disabled, neurodivergent British Kashmiri director, creative technologist and producer based in Greater Manchester. Their multidisciplinary practice sits at the intersection of immersive storytelling and social impact, centring voices the arts has systematically excluded. They lead “The Kids Are Halal”, a disabled-led Mixed Reality experience reimagining 1990s working-class British South Asian childhood – supported by AmplifyXR Labs and shortlisted for an Unlimited Open Award. They have collaborated with FACT Liverpool, Mediale, ARC Stockton & the Young Vic.

Headshot of Jacqui Ham, wearing grey jumper, smiling

Jacqui Ham (she/her)

I work as a freelance theatre and festival producer, bringing a variety of dynamic projects to life and curating unique cinematic experiences. I also run my own business, providing drama classes, workshops, and LAMDA training for children. My team and I are dedicated to producing community-focused, inclusive and cross-generational work throughout Bristol, fostering creativity and connection among diverse groups.

A dark-skinned Black woman smiles and looks at the camera. She is wearing a bright red vintage swallow-tail trench coat with a purple patterned shirt visible underneath, dark red lipstick, and purple patterned earrings. Her hair is shaved on both sides.

Simi Roach (she / her)

Simi is Jamaican-British but has spent most of her life living in the Netherlands. She is a professional writer, performer, public speaker, and Disability rights activist. She performs and writes her own spoken word poetry, monologues, and shows, as well as short stories, poems, and novels. Simi is a queer wheelchair-user. She has spoken at numerous schools and venues to raise awareness about Disability culture, and has been interviewed about her activism work on multiple podcasts and the radio.

A white man with short dark hair that swoops over to the left. He is wearing a silver-coloured vertical rectangular necklace that rests on a plain white t-shirt, and over the top is a partially buttoned-up shirt that’s a collage of blue and white tones and shows various weather patterns and waves.

Kane John Mills (he / him)

Kane works locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally as a Dance, Theatre, & Spoken Word Artist, and Poet (Facilitator, Theatre Maker, Choreographer/Movement Director, Performer, Improviser, Writer, Director, Dramaturg), Audio Describer, & Access Consultant/Specialist.

As an independent artist, collaborator, and creative lead for community/socially-engaged projects, he utilises various art forms to shed light on lived experiences & urgent subject matters/social issues: making accessible, visceral, unapologetic, “powerful, emotive, and poignant, yet humorous and relatable” work that audiences describe as “a gut-punch and a hug all in one.”