The Creative Team of Fail Better Productions
Jonathan Heron
Artistic Director
![[Jonathan Heron - Artistic Director]](jonny.jpg "Jonathan Heron - Artistic Director")
Jonathan works at the intersection of theatre practice, research and education; he is currently Research Associate at The CAPITAL Centre (a partnership between the University of Warwick and the Royal Shakespeare Company). He is currently working with Northern Broadsides, Footsbarn Theatre Company and The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on performance archives. Having launched Fail Better in 2001, he has worked in a variety of environments to explore the theatre of Samuel Beckett. He was assistant director to Robin Midgley at RADA (2003), Peter Czajkowski at the BAC (2002), and Richard Gregory at Northern Stage (2001). He is also a qualified Drama Teacher and spent four years working in state schools. He also writes for (and about) performance.
Ric Watts
Core Member
![[Ric Watts - Core Member]](ric.jpg "Ric Watts - Core Member")
Ric Watts is an independent theatre producer based in Manchester. He is the producer of Analogue Productions and theimaginarybody Film and Theatre Ltd, and artistic associate of queerupnorth International Festival. Recently produced shows include: Mile End by Analogue; FIT by Rikki Beadle-Blair for queerupnorth and Stonewall; Food by theimaginarybody; and Particularly in the Heartland by The TEAM. Ric has previously worked as a producer for PANDA and Your Imagination, and has produced for Cartoon de Salvo, Kazuko Hohki, Ridiculusmus, Michael Mayhew, Fail Better Productions and BAC. Current work includes Beachy Head by Analogue, two new commissions for queerupnorth, Voices of Dissent by Ben Mellor and numerous projects for Schtanhaus.
Nomi Everall
Core Member
![[Nomi Everall - Core Member]](nomi.jpg "Nomi Everall - Core Member")
Based at the Pegasus Theatre, Oxford (home of Oxford Youth Theatre), Nomi works as a technician and arts education practitioner, as well as freelancing as a designer, illustrator and in a variety of technical roles. Nomi has been designer with Fail Better since 2002, designing all our productions since Crave. Her design credits include: for Pegasus Theatre: Journeys to Freedom, Twaddle Babble Jabber and Pap, Voices, Volpone, Rhinoceros (with Network of Stuff) and Garden Of The Senses (Oxford Literary Festival); for Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company: Head Over Heels and Spring Forward, Fall Back. Nomi is currently Company Stage Manager for Gelede Dance.
David Tanqueray
Core Member
![[David Tanqueray - Core Member]](david.jpg "David Tanqueray - Core Member")
David has recently been appointed as a Trainee Production Manager for The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Previously David has worked as a freelance Stage Manager, Scenic Carpenter and Technician. Recent work with the RSC has included King Lear & The Seagull (New London Theatre) and The Tempest & Antony and Cleopatra (Novello, London). Other recent work includes The Hired Man (on tour); Blondel (Pleasance, London); Time for the Good Looking Boy (Gulbenkian, Canterbury); Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Lakeside, Nottingham and on tour); Not Now Bernard and Other Monster Stories (on tour). When not on the theatre scene, he is co-director of Aero51, a company making inflatable equipment for the events industry, and of Pure-Lanyards.
Dave Thwaites
Associate Artist
![[Dave Thwaites - Associate Artist]](dave.jpg "Dave Thwaites - Associate Artist")
Dave is Technical Manager of Pegasus Theatre, Oxford where as well as working with incoming touring companies, he leads the technical team in supporting all in-house productions - specialising in lighting design, set construction and film and video. He has been Technical Manager at Pegasus for the last six years and co-tutors their resident group of young technicians and designers: The Production Company. Dave works as a freelance technician and lighting designer beyond Pegasus, working with companies such as Biserk Dance Company, Top Edge Theatre Company and Oxfordshire Theatre Company. He has been working with Fail Better since 2007, when he was lighting designer for their production of Diary of a Madman. Dave also supports Fail Better in his other capacity as a website designer and programmer.
