Meet the team

Rachel is a theatre maker, director, producer and facilitator committed to making the arts more accessible, inclusive and representative for audiences, artists and participants.

As Co-Creative Director, you’re just as likely to find Rachel getting stuck in at a workshop as you are to find her overseeing the vision for Art with Heart. With an eye for detail and a kind and compassionate nature, Rachel produces many of our projects and helps us to make sure we’re always being as inclusive as possible – while applying her diverse skillset to make our projects the best they can be.

Some of Rachel’s Art with Heart highlights include co-creating and directing Declaration, curating and producing The Golden Years Caravan, directing award-winning coming of age play Secret Diaries and co-hosting our Box Tickers podcast with Sarah.

Before joining us at Art with Heart, Rachel worked with a number of leading cultural organisations including South Bank Centre, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester International Festival, Contact and HOME. She started her career at Contact Theatre, and was later a recipient of the ‘Edinburgh Festival Fringe Producers Bursary Programme’. She co-produced alternative cabaret night Pen:Chant with Ben Mellor and co-founded Lost & Found, a pop-up performance festival in Manchester co-produced with Contact. She is also a board member on the Independent Theatre Council.

Sarah Emmott has been creating meaningful and accessible creative experiences for children, young people and adults since 2005, and founded Art with Heart in 2010.

A bubbling brightness of energy, Sarah’s skills are put to good use as Co-Creative Director. From running workshops, to performing and scribbling away at fantastic feats of theatre – she’s always ready to rise to a challenge and drive Art with Heart with passion and excitement, while championing accessibility for our audiences.

During her time at Art with Heart, Sarah has enjoyed the process of making – but her real joy comes from welcoming people into space to share an experience together. She’s loved her time at Art with Heart, from our first commission and crying at the sale of our first ticket, to chatting with audience members and being offered a crisp whilst performing.

Sarah’s writing work includes Secret Diaries, Forever 27, The Speed of Dating, Stan and co-created Declaration with Rachel Moorhouse. Her plays have toured across Britain and won some shiny awards! As a facilitator she has created and delivered work for BBC Learning, BBC Radio Manchester, Belgrade Theatre, Contact Theatre, The Lowry, Museum of Science and Industry and the Institute of Cultural Affairs UK.

Studio Baba is the creative practice of independent designer Noe Baba. Based in Manchester, her work focuses on visual identities for creative individuals, arts and culture organisations and
the third sector. Passionate about working on projects that align with her values – much of her work has a strong social, community or creative focus.

Having worked in agencies across Manchester, Noe became freelance in 2020 and now works directly with her clients. She believes in thoughtful, purposeful design that delivers impact for the
both the client and the end user.

Noe has collaborated closely with Art with Heart on a number of projects, helping to bring each one to life visually, including refreshing our brand identity, redesigning our website, and creating artwork, visual identities, impact reports and education packs for projects including Small Voices, Stan, Old Stock New Stock and Box Tickers.

See more work by Studio Baba at: studiobaba.co.uk
Or follow on Instagram at: @studio_baba_